Washington State Restricts Gun Magazine Capacity Size, Joining 9 Other States

Washington governor Jay Inslee has signed a package of bills tightening the state’s gun laws, including a measure that bans the manufacture, distribution and sale of firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, reports The Guardian. Washington’s measure takes effect July, 2022, does not prohibit the possession of such magazines. The measure also includes exceptions to magazine limits for law enforcement and corrections officers, members of the armed forces, Washington’s national guard and licensed firearms dealers who sell to those institutions.

Violations would be a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in county jail, a maximum fine of up to $5,000, or both. The new law also makes selling a prohibited magazine or offering one for distribution or sale a violation of Washington’s Consumer Protection Act, which allows the attorney general’s office to take action on alleged violations of the act to get restitution and civil penalties. The Sacramento, California-based Firearms Policy Coalition said that it plans to lead a lawsuit over the new law, saying that it “condemns this latest act of state aggression and will not allow this law to go unchallenged.” Democratic attorney general Bob Ferguson said that he was confident that the ban was constitutional and that his office could successfully defend any potential litigation.