Washington Senate bill would ban sales of gun magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds
OLYMPIA, Wash.– More gun restrictions could be coming to the state of Washington.
The Senate passed legislation banning the sale of high-capacity gun magazines in the state. This is the first time any type of magazine capacity restriction has made its way through the state legislature.
Under the proposed law, a magazine that holds 10 rounds would still be allowed. Anything over that though would be banned in Washington. As the bill inches closer to becoming law, the issue continues to divide communities.
Competitive shooter Patrick Kelley said he’s concerned about the new legislation.
“There’s no other subject matters for bills, other than firearms, that gets people fired up,” Kelley said.
Right now, anyone in Washington can buy gun magazines without restrictions.
The Alliance for Gun Responsibility CEO Renee Hopkins said the new bill, which would put a cap on restrictions, is about public safety.
“It’s not about trying to infringe on people’s rights,” Hopkins said.
The Attorney General has introduced this legislation since 2017. In a historic vote, the Senate finally pushed it through.
As it awaits a vote in the House, fear is growing among law-abiding gun owners.
“It’s frustrating to me as a longtime competitive shooter and a longtime shooter and just a recreational firearms enthusiast, that these laws are going to impact me negatively to no one’s benefit,” Kelley said.
Kelley can be found at the gun range most days. He loves the sport and says the ban doesn’t make sense because some guns are made to hold more than 10 rounds.
“Firearms are built with a capacity into them that is concentric with the size of the firearm. It just makes sense,” Kelley said.
The people who are pushing for the legislation said it will go a long way to lower mass shooting casualties.
Owner of Sharp Shooting Indoor Gun Range and Gum Shop Jeremy Ball said he thinks the ban could take sales underground. That means putting more ammo in the hands of people who don’t care about following the law.
“They will buy and sell and trade. You will create a black market for an item that is perfectly legal for people to own,” Ball said.
Ball said more customers are coming in to stock up on magazines because the new law wouldn’t force people to get rid of the magazines they already own.
“In this case, they’re purchasing magazines because they don’t want to break the law. They want to make sure they have possession of these prior to the implementation date if this law is to pass” Ball said.
Finding solutions to gun safety isn’t getting any easier as the issue continues to divide communities.
The legislation has been introduced for years in Washington. This is the first time it’s made it this far in the session.
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