VICTORY FOR GUN SAFETY: Following Advocacy from Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Volunteers, Washington Senate Passes Legislation to Prohibit Manufacture and Sale of Assault Weapons 

OLYMPIA, Wash. —Washington Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement after Senate lawmakers voted to advance common-sense gun safety legislation. HB 1240 would prohibit the sale and manufacture of a list of assault-style rifles including any semi automatic rifles with detachable magazines. This comes the day after the Senate passed another important bill, HB 1143, which would require people to undergo safety training and a 10-day waiting period before purchasing any firearm. After being concurred, both bills will go to Governor Jay Inslee’s desk.

“Today is a victory for Washington families,” said Zach Elmore, a volunteer with the Washington chapter of Moms Demand Action. “This issue is about common-sense. Weapons designed to be used on a military field shouldn’t have a place on the streets of Washington. Assault weapons are frequently used in mass shootings and research shows that limiting access to these firearms could reduce mass shooting deaths. We are proud to stand with our gun sense champions in the Legislature, and thank our leaders for taking swift action and sending this bill to Governor Jay Inslee’s desk.” 

Each round fired from an assault weapon can have up to four times greater muzzle energy than a bullet fired from a handgun. Each round can inflict greater damage to the human body than a round from a typical handgun—and these guns can fire many of these high-powered rounds extremely fast. Prohibiting the manufacture and sale of assault weapons in the state is an important first step to eliminating the supply of these exceptionally deadly firearms. 

Since the introduction of the Governor Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s gun violence prevention package volunteers have been in the forefront of advocacy – testifying in support, sending messages and engaging with lawmakers to get this and other gun safety bills into law. 
Statistics about gun violence in Washington are available here, and Everytown’s Gun Law Rankings – which shows how Washington’s gun laws compare to those of other states – is available here. If you are interested in speaking with a Washington Moms Demand Action or Students Demand Action volunteer, please reach out to [email protected].