Washington is now the ninth state to ban sales of a wide swath of mostly semi-automatic weapons including AR-15s and other firearms that have become symbols over their use in mass shootings.
Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, signed House Bill 1240 into law, a measure prohibiting “manufacture, importation, distribution, selling, and offering for sale” of more than 60 specific weapons, including AR-15s, M-16s, AK-47s and others.
The law, one of three signed Tuesday, focuses on guns that state legislators describe as “assault weapons.” It also bans kits that can convert a semi-automatic firearm into an automatic one. The law takes effect immediately.
A second measure requires a 10-day waiting period and safety training for all other firearm purchases. It takes effect Jan. 1, 2024. The third bill increases liability for gunmakers and dealers and takes effect July 23.
Which states now ban these weapons?
Washington joins eight other states in prohibiting such weapons. A 10th state, Hawaii, bans such pistols but not rifles. Virginia and Minnesota regulate the firearms but do not ban them.
The new bill does not ban ownership of the weapons for law enforcement and those in the military. Gun manufacturers can sell existing inventory to buyers outside Washington for 90 days after the bill becomes law.
Legal challenges have already been filed in federal courts.
How the weapons are defined
Lawmakers, researchers and activists often define “assault weapons” as military-style semi-automatic firearms designed to enact great devastation quickly. Some groups contend that guns must be automatic to be labeled “assault weapons.”
The Atlantic traces the origin of the term to Nazi Germany in the Second World War. The term is vague, jurisdictions may define the term differently, and some prefer “assault-style” weapons.
Under the National Firearms Act, automatic firearms are restricted in the United States to the military, law enforcement and civilians who have obtained special licenses to own such weapons (provided the weapons were manufactured before May 19, 1986).
According to The Associated Press:
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Semi-automatic rifle: “A rifle that fires one bullet each time the trigger is pulled, and automatically reloads for a subsequent shot.”
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Automatic rifle: A rifle that “continuously fires rounds if the trigger is depressed and until its ammunition is exhausted.”
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“Assault rifles” and “assault weapons”: “Highly politicized terms that generally refer to AR- or AK-style rifles designed for the civilian market.”
How firearm background checks have shifted
The number of gun owners in the U.S. isn’t known. Background checks on gun buyers, though limited, give some idea of interest in gun purchases.
Federal law requires that people who buy guns from a federal firearms licensed dealer go through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The checks verify buyers do not have a criminal records or are ineligible to buy a firearm. Unlicensed sellers can transfer firearms without conducting checks.
Gun rights advocates, including the Firearms Policy Coalition and the Second Amendment Foundation, responded with federal lawsuits challenging Washington’s ban, saying it infringes on Second Amendment rights.
An Assault Weapons Ban Act passed the U.S. House last summer but has since stalled in the Senate. The act defines a “semi-automatic assault weapon” by listing numerous combinations of prohibited devices, parts, components, devices, attachments and accessories, and it explicitly prohibits dozens of AK- and AR-type rifles, among dozens of others of specifically named firearms.
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CONTRIBUTING Shawn Sullivan, Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY
SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; The Associated Press; Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence; FBI
