WA Attorney General Proposes Banning AR-15 Weapons, Magazines

In a release Wednesday, accompanied by a press conference, Attorney General Bob Ferguson has announced he will submit what is called 'agency request legislation' to not only ban what he called high capacity magazines, but also create an outright ban on what he called assault weapons, including AR-15's.

Accompanied by the Mayor of Mukilteo, Ferguson said the weapon used in the shooting that killed three teens in that city in July was a semi-automatic weapon, which would be banned under his proposal.

According to the AG's office, the bill would create:

• • A ban on semiautomatic weapons with military-style features that render them more easily concealable or more deadly; and
  • A limit on magazine capacity — currently unlimited under Washington law — to a maximum of 10 rounds of ammunition.

Ferguson says current ownership would not be affected, and current owners of AR-15 weapons would not have to register them. Two Democratic legislators, Senators  David Frockt and Kevin Ranker from the Seattle area are working with Ferguson to craft the bill, which Ferguson says he will submit in December.

Ferguson cited statistics from an anti-gun special interest group claiming 65 percent of residents in WA and Oregon favor a ban on such weapons.

Once the news of this proposal becomes widespread, it is likely to create a run on such weapons, as many citizens will want to obtain one prior to the potential for the bill banning such weapons passing next spring in the legislature.