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Gun control gets another green light
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Gun control gets another green light

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

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Tim Gruver
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Paul Queary
Apr 10, 2023
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Gun control gets another green light
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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.

black and brown rifle on black leather suitcase
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.

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