Washington Is Now the 10th State With a Logically and Constitutionally Dubious 'Assault Weapon' Ban

A federal lawsuit notes that the new law draws arbitrary distinctions and targets guns in common use for legal purposes.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee yesterday signed into law three gun control bills, including an "assault weapon" ban, a 10-day waiting period for all firearm purchases, and a training requirement for buyers. "Today marked the latest development in what the Seattle Times editorial board has called 'a sea-change in Washington's gun laws,'" Inslee, a Democrat, bragged. "Washington state is putting the gun industry in its place and improving the health, safety and lives of our residents."

While the satisfaction of sticking it to "the gun industry" is a matter of perspective, the promise that the new laws will measurably improve public safety seems highly dubious, especially when it comes to the semi-automatic rifles that Inslee and the Democrat-controlled Washington State Legislature have deemed intolerable. H.B. 1240, which makes Washington the 10th state to prohibit the production, sale, and possession of "assault weapons" (counting Hawaii, whose ban is limited to pistols), takes the familiar approach of targeting specific models and other firearms that meet a set of arbitrary criteria. Like the other bans, it exempts currently owned guns.