On Tuesday, amidst jubilant supporters, Governor Jay Inslee of Washington State signed three gun control bills into law.
One of the bills immediately bans the manufacture, importation, and purchase of so-called assault weapons. After signing the bills, Inslee advised supporters to "Party safely tonight.".
Governor Inslee, a Democrat, and Attorney General Bob Ferguson, also a Democrat, had been advocating for the gun control package. Washington becomes the 10th state in America to implement an "assault weapons" ban after the governor's signature. Inslee, while surrounded by survivors of gun violence, asserted that "No one needs an AR-15 to protect your family. You only need it to kill another family."
The lawmakers earlier passed a bill that makes it mandatory to obtain safety training, a waiting period of ten days, and requires gun makers and dealers to take "reasonable steps" to prevent the sale of firearms to dangerous individuals. The bill will become effective on January 1, 2024.
Governor Inslee stated that "We lead the country in so many ways, and we are leading on this. I'm not sure any state has ever taken three steps on one day." Although the governor and supporters celebrate the bills, more is needed to be done in combating gun violence on a national level, according to the governor.
The road to the assault weapons ban has been lengthy, according to Attorney General Ferguson. He first campaigned for it seven long years ago, following the fatal shooting at a Mukilteo house party. Almost concurrently with Tuesday's bill signing, a lawsuit challenging the assault weapons ban was announced. The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, accusing lawmakers of breaching the Second Amendment by outrightly prohibiting semiautomatic rifles.
Alan M. Gottlieb, the SAF founder, uttered that "the state has put politics ahead of constitutional rights, and is penalizing law-abiding citizens while this legislation does nothing to arrest and prosecute criminals who misuse firearms in defiance of all existing gun control laws. It is absurd." The National Rifle Association (NRA) has also indicated opposition to at least two of the bills, and the organization already has lawsuits working their way through the courts against similar bans in California and Delaware.
Attorney General Ferguson stated his office is all set to defend the bills in the legal arena. "We're a nation of laws, and they have the right to challenge that. Our record so far is pretty good against the NRA and against the Second Amendment Foundation. We are undefeated, and we plan to keep that record intact."
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