The state Senate on Saturday approved a ban on the sale of assault weapons in Washington, setting up the measure to go to Gov. Jay Inslee for a signature in the final weeks of the legislative session.
After more than four hours of debate, the Senate approved the assault weapon ban, House Bill 1240, on a 27-21 vote. The proposal passed the state House last month on a 55-42 vote.
Because the bill was amended in the Senate, it must now go back to the House for a vote to concur on the final language. Inslee has expressed his support for the ban and is expected to sign it once the House gives final approval.
During the floor debate on the ban, which has been proposed but failed to pass for the past several years in the Legislature, majority Democrats pointed to the unending string of mass shootings carried out by people using AR-15s and other assault-style weapons.
"We have to take stock in the common denominator in all of these tragedies. ... When we're talking about mass shootings, and the killing of people quickly and without warning, we're talking about assault weapons. And that's why we're here today. We're here to say enough is enough," said state Sen. Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue, who brought up the recent massacres at schools in Uvalde, Texas, and Nashville, Tenn.
Republicans blamed mental health problems and moral decay for mass shootings and said the ban would only punish law-abiding citizens who own semiautomatic guns for hunting, recreation and self-defense.
Sen. Keith Wagoner, R-Sedro-Woolley, objected to bill supporters tagging AR-15s and similar firearms as weapons of war, citing his time serving in the U.S. Marines and said the people behind the bill "don't own firearms and don't know anything about firearms."
"I know the difference between a weapon of war and a modern sporting rifle. The people who wrote this bill for the state of Washington don't," Wagoner said. He said the ban won't stop violence and that "we have been killing people since Cain and Abel."
Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, said lawmakers would be better off cracking down on criminal gangs and buying bulletproof glass to protect schools. "It targets the wrong people. It ignores the real problem," she said.
Sen. Marko Liias, D-Everett, responded to Republican objections, saying "Will they stop every act of criminal conduct in our state? Of course not." But, he said, the assault weapon ban would halt sales of "categories of weapons never intended for civilian ownership."
HB 1240 bans the sale, transfer, distribution, manufacture and importation of assault-style weapons, as distinguished by their military-style features.
It specifically lists more than 50 gun models that would be prohibited, including AR-15s, AK-47s and M-16s. It also bans guns with certain features, such as semiautomatic rifles shorter than 30 inches, those that have detachable magazines or fixed magazines with a capacity of 10 rounds or more, and those with detachable magazines that are also equipped with flash suppressors or shrouded barrels.
The bill would only apply to future sales, not firearms that people currently possess. It also exempts sales to law enforcement agencies and the military in Washington.
During the floor debate Saturday, Republicans proposed more than 20 amendments seeking to water down or delay the assault weapon ban from taking effect. Most were rejected on shouted voice votes.
However, the Senate did accept an amendment offered by Wagoner, which exempts people on active military duty who have been ordered to move to Washington, or military retirees moving here — making it clear they can bring their already purchased assault-style guns to the state.
If the ban is signed into law as expected, Washington will join nine other states and the District of Columbia in banning the sale of assault-style firearms.
The bill contains an emergency clause, meaning it will go into effect immediately upon being signed by Inslee. Opponents have made it clear they'll sue to block the ban, predicting it will be invalidated by courts in the wake of a precedent-setting U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that tossed out a New York law restricting people carrying guns outside their homes.
The assault weapon bill is part of a package of gun proposals advancing in the Capitol, which would build on restrictions passed by the Legislature and voters in recent years, including expanded background checks, banning open carrying of firearms at the state Capitol and at public demonstrations, and a ban on high-capacity magazines.
On Friday, the Senate approved another gun measure, House Bill 1143, which requires gun buyers to show proof they've taken safety training and imposes a 10-day waiting period for purchases. That bill had earlier passed the House.
Another bill that has passed the Senate would allow the state attorney general or private citizens to sue gun manufacturers and dealers under public nuisance laws for negligently allowing their guns to be sold to minors or straw purchasers. Senate Bill 5078 awaits a vote in the House.
Jaime Smith, a spokesperson for Inslee, said the exact timeline for the assault weapon bill and other gun measures arriving at the governor's desk for his signature is up to lawmakers.
"Ideally legislators deliver all the gun violence bills close together," Smith said in an email.
The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn April 23.
