SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington state legislators are close to passing a bill they say will curb gun violence in the state. Meanwhile, gun shop owners are not optimistic about the proposed amendments.
Over the weekend, the Senate passed House bill 1240, which would ban what lawmakers define as "assault weapons." Senate Majority leader Andy Billig of Spokane voted in favor. But, Senator Mike Padden of Spokane Valley voted against it.
During the floor debate, more than 20 amendments came forward. But only a few passed. The bill must now head to the House for a vote to approve the final language. If it passes, Gov. Jay Inslee will sign the bill into law.
Spokane Gun shop and indoor shooting range owner Jeremy Ball isn't surprised by the bill's progress, considering it has support from the democratic majority.
"It's just unfortunate," Ball said. "It shows again that that reality is something that we've completely left behind. That we're not willing to have a discussion about what's actually causing issues with firearms. We're essentially taking the really easy way out here in trying to restrict people's rights and solve a problem."
To be clear, the bill doesn't prohibit the possession of assault weapons. But, it does prohibit transferring them.
One amendment from the senate allows for gun manufacturers to sell inventory already in stock prior to Jan. 1, 2023, and only to out-of-state clientele, for 90 days after the bill goes into effect.
Rep. Marcus Riccelli (D) offered a similar amendment in the House, but it wasn't considered. Still, it passed in the Senate.
The amendment doesn't apply to exempt manufacturers, and Ball said it does nothing for small businesses.
"Big box stores are going to take these guns and they are going to do inner store transfer them to other locations," Ball said. The small dealers like ourselves who have a single store location are the ones that don't have the clientele reach outside the state, and thus we'll end up stuck with all these guns."
The 2023 legislative session is scheduled to adjourn in two weeks. The earliest it could get a House vote is Thursday.
We do know there are advocates against this ban who plan to take legal action if House Bill 1240 becomes law. Meantime, we'll continue tracking the bill's progression.
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