Gun control gets another green light

Plus advisory votes go down in flames, that public-records loophole gets expanded, and still more housing policy

The Senate GOP took their shots at two Democratic gun control bills last weekend and pushed a lot of people’s buttons in the process.

The first of those bills was House Bill 1143 from Rep. Liz Berry, D-Seattle, which would require would-be gun owners to get trained, get screened, and wait 10 days before they could walk off with a firearm. It passed the House along mostly partisan lines this year and passed the Senate by 28-18 on Friday after a lengthy and contentious debate.

House Bill 1240 from Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, stirred up even more angst in the Senate on Saturday. It would largely ban the sale of semi-automatic assault weapons carrying more than 10 rounds — pistols, shotguns, and rifles. An amendment from the Senate Law and Justice Committee allows someone who owns such a gun to carry it in and out of the state.

This argument is largely about the cultural appeal and lethal efficiency of the AR-15 and similar weapons.

Here’s why you should care about this: Proposals to limit the right to bear arms used to die quietly in committee in Olympia. But Democratic gains in the Legislature have strengthened gun-control advocates’ position in recent years, while high-profile mass shootings have raised the profile of the issue. These two bills are perhaps the most aggressive proposals to date.