The same day Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a ban on "high capacity" magazines, a pro-gun group announced a call for plaintiffs to see the state in court.
Inslee, a Democrat who for years has been outspoken in support of anti-gun measures, signed Washington SB 5078 into law on Wednesday before a crowd of masked gun control advocates.
"We do not accept gun violence as a normal part of our lives," said Inslee, addressing members of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, Everytown, Moms Demand Action, and others. "Today, survivors, community leaders and legislators came together to honor those who have lost their lives to gun violence with the force of our actions, not just words."
The bill passed the state legislature without a single Republican vote in support and prohibits the "sale, attempted sale, manufacture or distribution" of magazines capable of holding more than 10 cartridges. Violators could face 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $5,000 for each offense.
However, before the ink is dry on the prohibition, the Firearms Policy Coalition issued a call for potential plaintiffs from among Washington residents that could be impacted by the ban.
"By enacting the unconstitutional SB 5078, the State of Washington has further restricted the fundamental human rights of Washington residents and visitors by banning the transfer and other conduct related to so-called 'large capacity' magazines," said the group in a statement. "FPC condemns this latest act of state aggression and will not allow this law to go unchallenged. To that end, FPC Law will be taking aggressive action to fight this immoral law and seek to have it enjoined and declared unconstitutional."
While Inslee and the supporters of the measure billed the ban as key in fighting "gun violence," some three out of four of all gun deaths in the state are suicides according to CDC data, a rate much higher than the national average. It is unclear what a magazine cap will do for those figures. At the same time, Washington has a murder rate that is only about half the national average.
Banner image: FN 509 LS Edge and FN 509 Compact on the range. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
