The Washington State House voted on Wednesday, March 8, 2022 on HB1240, which is an ban assault weapons. The measure, if approved by the State Senate would ban the manufacture, importation, distribution, sale or solicitation for sale any weapon firearm they deem to be an "assault weapon". Being that the Washington State Senate is controlled by democrats it is likely this legislation will pass and be signed into law as the Washington State governor released a statement applauding the passage of this bill. The bill outright bans the below firearm's:
Washington State Assault Weapons Ban, HB1240
1 AK-74 in all forms
2 Algimec AGM-1 type semiautomatic
3 American Arms Spectre da semiautomatic carbine
4 AR15, M16, or M4 in all forms
5 AR 180 type semiautomatic
6 Argentine L.S.R. semiautomatic
7 Australian Automatic
8 Auto-Ordnance Thompson M1 and 1927 semiautomatics
9 Barrett .50 cal light semiautomatic
10 Barrett .50 cal M87
11 Barrett .50 cal M107A1
12 Barrett REC7
13 Beretta AR70/S70 type semiautomatic
14 Bushmaster Carbon 15
15 Bushmaster ACR
16 Bushmaster XM-15
17 Bushmaster MOE
18 Calico models M100 and M900
19 CETME Sporter
20 CIS SR 88 type semiautomatic
21 Colt CAR 15
22 Daewoo K-1
23 Daewoo K-2
24 Dragunov semiautomatic
25 Fabrique Nationale FAL in all forms
26 Fabrique Nationale F2000
27 Fabrique Nationale L1A1 Sporter
28 Fabrique Nationale M249S
29 Fabrique Nationale PS90
30 Fabrique Nationale SCAR
31 FAMAS .223 semiautomatic
32 Galil
p. 3 HB 1240
1 Heckler & Koch G3 in all forms
2 Heckler & Koch HK-41/91
3 Heckler & Koch HK-43/93
4 Heckler & Koch HK94A2/3
5 Heckler & Koch MP-5 in all forms
6 Heckler & Koch PSG-1
7 Heckler & Koch SL8
8 Heckler & Koch UMP
9 Manchester Arms Commando MK-45
10 Manchester Arms MK-9
11 SAR-4800
12 SIG AMT SG510 in all forms
13 SIG SG550 in all forms
14 SKS
15 Spectre M4
16 Springfield Armory BM-59
17 Springfield Armory G3
18 Springfield Armory SAR-8
19 Springfield Armory SAR-48
20 Springfield Armory SAR-3
21 Springfield Armory M-21 sniper
22 Springfield Armory M1A
23 Smith & Wesson M&P 15
24 Sterling Mk 1
25 Sterling Mk 6/7
26 Steyr AUG
27 TNW M230
28 FAMAS F11
29 Uzi 9mm carbine/rifle
The legislation defines assault weapon as such:
- Any semi-automatic rifle with an overall all length of less than 30 inches.
- A conversion kit, part, or any combination thereof from which an assault weapon can be assembled.
- A grip that is detached from the stock.
- Muzzle break, recoil compensator, or any item designed to be affixed to the barrel to reduce recoil or muzzle rise.
- Any center fire rifle with a capacity of greater than 10 rounds.
- A semi-auto shotgun with a telescoping stock.
Excluded in their definition of an assault weapon is:
- Any firearm that is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever or slide action.
- Antique firearms.
While this above definitions and restrictions are not exhaustive of everything that is in the bill, it does give you an idea of the firearms and parts that will likely be deemed illegal in the State of Washington if the State Senate and the Governor sign HB1240 as they have indicated they will. So what does this mean for gun manufacturers and parts suppliers in the State of Washington? Companies like Aero Precision, Olympic Arms, Zevtech, and others certainly face an uphill battle and we fully expect this legislation upon its passage to be challenged in the courts. Sadly, this infringement upon 2nd amendment rights seems to be a backdoor way to reduce gun ownership and make it harder for small business in the firearms industry to survive. It does appear in the legislation that these companies will be able to manufacture and sell out of state but Washington is a large market for these companies and others in the industry.
For those looking to write to Washington State Senators, please follow the link below which will take the to Gun Owners of America (GOA) site where you can voice your opposition to SB1240:
https://www.gunowners.org/wa03092023/
