PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — By 6 votes, the Washington State Senate passed a bill that would band the sale, manufacture and distribution of more than 50 assault weapon gun models. The proposal, which passed the House last week, will go back to the House for amendments.
It could be completed next week. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said he supports the bill and is expected to sign it if it reaches his desk. Inslee, in fact, thanked Democratic lawmakers in a tweet after the vote: “We refuse to accept gun violence as normal. Gun violence, in all its forms, can be prevented.”
But not all lawmakers are on the same page with House Bill 1240 and there was heated back-and-forth.
“I will not vote to take away my family’s right to keep and bear arms,” said State Sen. Mark Schoesler.
“This is what our kids are experiencing every day when they go to school. Mr. President, they are concerned that they are not going to make it back out to see the end of the day,” State Sen. Liz Lovelett said. “They are marching in the streets. They are asking for us to take action and they have told us loud and clear that our thoughts and prayers are not enough.”
“The Section states that the legislature finds that assault weapons are not suitable for self defense,” State Sen. Lynda Wilson of Vancouver said during debate. “The truth is that these are not assault weapons and are some of the most effective personal defense firearms available.”
State Sen. Patty Kuderer disagreed.
“There is literally no place we can go right now where you’re not at risk of a mass shooting. We don’t need to study this anymore. And what we need to do is we need to have action, which is what this bill does,” Kuderer said.
If passed, Washington would join only 9 states to pass assault weapons bans. The Washington legislative session is scheduled to adjourn on Sunday, April 23.
The bill lists more than 50 gun models that would be prohibited in Washington State, however, it doesn’t ban the possession of assault weapons.
State Sen. Jeff Wilson said passing this bill would be a “loss for those firearm dealers located here in Washington state” who still have these gun models in their store. “What do you do if you still have that in your inventory?”
A floor amendment passed Saturday would allow gun manufacturers the ability to sell any inventory which was in stock before January 1, 2023. It also allows out-of-state sales only for a 90-day period after the bill goes into effect.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson first proposed the ban in 2017 after the mass shooting at a house party in Mukilteo.
“The Senate today put public safety above the interest of the gun lobby,” Ferguson said on Saturday. “The devastation of mass shootings extends far beyond the casualties and injuries. Mass shootings traumatize entire communities. We must stop selling these weapons of war in Washington.”