Before we discuss the proposed Washington AWB (Assault Weapons Ban), In 2018, Washington State passed I-1639, which defined “Semiautomatic Assault Rifles” (SARs) as ” a rifle which utilizes a portion
of the energy of a firing cartridge to extract the fired cartridge case and chamber the next round, and
which requires a separate pull of the trigger to fire each cartridge”, and mandated background checks, as well as a training course prior to purchase, and prohibited sales of such to anyone under 21. To anyone with a passing acquaintance with the function of firearms, this is an obvious play at making literally any gun that isn’t manually operated an “assault weapon”, and thus subject to the increased scrutiny and de-facto registration I-1639 placed on the purchase of such.
Not satisfied with that, Washington Governor Inslee and anti-gun advocates have now proposed a ban on the very “assault weapons” they vastly broadened the state’s definition of in 2018. It seems likely that should such a ban be enacted, functionally every modern firearm that isn’t pump, lever, or bolt-action would become unavailable to Washingtonians. The proposed Washington AWB would fall among the most draconian restrictions on 2A rights in the US, potentially making even California look somewhat reasonable by comparison. Which is an admittedly depressing concept to mull over.
Apparently, watching the debacle Oregon is going through with Measure 114 has only encouraged those pushing the Washington AWB. Whether voters agree or not is to be determined, but one has to hope that FPC, SAF, GOA, and the like can set the stage for its eventual defeat. With Measure 114, Bruen-response cases in NY, NJ, and their ongoing efforts in cases against California AG Bonta looming large, and potentially headed to a seemingly gun-friendly SCOTUS, that hope is not unfounded. The Bruen decision should have chastened these people, but instead emboldened them to attempt to ram through an obvious middle finger to the Supreme Court, and we anxiously await the results of these and many other ongoing RTKBA cases. The Washington AWB, should it eventually pass, faces an uphill and costly legal battle thanks to the efforts of those currently filing lawsuits as fast as these poorly thought out, anti-liberty bills are passed.
