A controversial discussion about gun rights will start in the state capital this week.
The Washington State Legislature will be holding committee hearings Monday and Tuesday on a variety of gun-related bills.
One is a proposal to ban all assault-style weapons and eliminate magazines that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition (HB 2241 and companion bill SB 6076).
The banned weapons include the AK-47, a long list of others and any “copycat” weapons, regardless of which company produced or manufactured them. There are also other detailed restrictions as well as exemptions for antique firearms. Read the full text of the bill here.
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SB 6077 and companion bill HB 2240 also concern high-capacity magazines. The bills limiting magazines to ten rounds would have exemptions for police, military and at gun ranges.
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There is also a bill, SB 6294, that would make it harder to get a concealed carry permit by requiring training.
On Friday, about 200 gun rights advocates sat on the Statehouse steps in Olympia arguing against those proposals they see as violating 2nd Amendment gun rights.
But the day also saw rare agreement between gun rights and gun safety advocates on the issue of background checks.
At a hearing, both sides supported legislation to streamline background checks by consolidating the responsibility for conducting them with the Washington State Patrol.
"We’re going to make it easier and simpler for people who are entitled to get guns to get guns and we’re going to make sure people don’t slip through the cracks who shouldn’t get guns,” said State Rep. Drew Hansen - (D) Bainbridge Island.
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