The Washington State Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday concerning the state ban on the sale of "large-capacity" ammunition magazines.
The state’s high court won’t be taking up the ban itself but will consider the April 8 emergency stay order that was issued less than three hours after a Cowlitz County judge declared the ban to be unconstitutional.
Lawyers from the state Attorney General’s Office rushed to the state Supreme Court, where they secured the order that put the lower court ruling on hold and kept the ban intact.
But during the 88 minutes between the magazine ban being invalidated and the AGO being granted the stay, Gator's Customs Guns in Kelso opened its doors and sold high-capacity magazines as fast as possible.
Gator's Guns is at the center of the suit brought by Attorney General Bob Ferguson's office when the store continued to sell the banned magazines.
"I don’t know what we sold quantity-wise, but it was a lot, and it was all magazines," owner Walter Wentz told The Center Square. “I just told customers I don’t know what the limits are on your gold-cards but make yourself happy.”
Wentz says he’s prepared for this fight to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if that’s what it takes.
Ferguson defended the high-capacity magazine ban in an April 8 news release.
“This law saves lives, and I will continue to defend it," he said.
The hearing is scheduled for 3:30 pm.
