Governor Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson say they will request legislation in the coming 2023 session to ban semiautomatic rifles in Washington state. But a Republican state representative warns it’s another misguided attempt to impair the rights of law-abiding gun owners. John Sattgast reports from Olympia.
Representative Jim Walsh of Aberdeen says a statewide ban on the purchase or transfer of so-called “assault weapons” is pointless exercise that will do nothing to improve the safety of Washingtonians:
“It basically denies critical, foundational rights that people have in a civil society to protect themselves and to expect lawful behavior from others.”
Walsh says there’s no conclusive evidence to show a semiautomatic rifle ban would have any effect on violent crime rates:
“It’s bad policy. It’s also unconstitutional. And the U.S. Supreme Court has tried to warn states not to do this kind of thing. And our current governor and state attorney general don’t seem to care.”
The 19th District lawmaker says there are better ways to reduce violent crime in Washington, such as restoring the ability for law enforcement to pursue suspects based on reasonable suspicion rather than probable cause. The 2023 session begins January 9th.