OLYMPIA — Last Friday, the Washington state Legislature passed legislation banning the sale of high-capacity magazines in Washington. The bill passed the Legislature after a historic 55-42 vote in the House of Representatives. It heads to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
Senate Bill 5078, requested by Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson and sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, prohibits the sale, attempted sale, manufacture and distribution of high-capacity magazines. Like Maryland, it does not prohibit the possession of high-capacity magazines, instead focusing prospectively on the supply side.
“Today is the fulfillment of years of hard work from so many,” Ferguson said. “More than five years ago, I stood with the parents of shooting victims, legislators, mayors, police chiefs and representatives from faith communities to say enough is enough, and proposed banning the sale of high-capacity magazines in Washington state. Today, our Legislature chose public safety over the gun lobby, and I am deeply appreciative of their service. This policy will save lives and make our communities safer from gun violence.”
“For too long we have accepted gun violence as an inevitable part of life,” said Liias. “My own community was impacted by gun violence in 2016, when three young lives were lost due to a mass shooting. Today, the Legislature took long overdue action to protect families across Washington from that harm by restricting the sale of high-capacity magazines. This is a commonsense policy that will save lives, and I am grateful for all of the years of advocacy that led to its passage.”
With its passage, Washington will now join nine other states that have already restrict high-capacity magazines.
Ferguson has been pursuing this legislative reform since September 2016. On July 30, 2016, a 19-year-old used an assault weapon and a high-capacity magazine to kill three students and seriously wound a fourth. In September 2016, Ferguson stood beside parents of shooting victims, legislators, mayors, police chiefs, and representatives of the faith community and vowed to continue proposing legislation to ban the sale of high capacity magazines every year until it passed.
The House version of the bill, HB 1164, is sponsored by Rep. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle.
