Some new state law changes in Washington directly affect gun rights.
A total of seven new Washington gun laws were signed into the legislative books by state governor Jay Inslee after they passed through the Democrat-led state senate and house.
The new law additions include a change to the gun rights of those thought to be in dangerous situations, a ban on 3D-printed firearms, and additional background requirements for concealed pistol licensees.
Gun owners around the United States have continued to see new legislation pushed in the last few months, with these new gun laws in Washington state the latest examples.
New rules now signed into law allow temporary gun bans on those released from short-term psychiatric holds and those found incompetent for trial, and update gun-surrender requirements for citizens under restraining orders.
Our state is a leader on #gunsafety but more work is needed to protect our students & the people of WA. That?s why today I am so happy to sign bills that ban untraceable ghost guns, keep guns away from our most vulnerable Washingtonians & improve gun safety overall. @AGOWA #waleg pic.twitter.com/KugzdTgKtO
— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) May 7, 2019
House Bill 1465 pertains to the provision allowing licensed dealers to sell or transfer a handgun to a concealed pistol license holder without an additional background check. The passing of HB 1465 removes that provision, no longer allowing the exemption and adding the point-of-sale check.
"Undetectable and untraceable" guns are the subject of HB 1739, which mirrors other similar statues from other states since the rise of 3D-printing, and HB 1786 expands the mandatory surrender of firearms via 2016's Extreme Risk Protection Order.
The remaining four bills originated in the state senate and directly affect the firearms rights of citizens. As long as gun control continues to be a hotly-debated issue, legislators continue to make changes. That gives stringent Second Amendment supporters even more upset about the right to bear arms being infringed upon.
Proponents of the new gun laws had the backing of Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, as well as national gun control organizations.
"I am so proud of the progress we made this legislative session," said Renee Hopkins, CEO of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, after the passing of the new Washington law. "We put forward our most robust legislative agenda ever and got more priority bills passed this session than in all previous sessions combined thanks to our new gun responsibility majority."
Those in opposition of the new measures, like the Gun Owners Action League of Washington, made the argument that the effect on criminals would be minor, while local law-abiding gun owners would see the biggest detrimental changes.
It's worth mentioning that broader gun control legislation has failed to pass through the Democrat-controlled chambers in Washington, and attempts to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines have yet to reach the governor's desk.
Now that the state of Washington has made updates to their gun control laws, what's next on the American political landscape?
NEXT: SOME SCHOOLS COULD MAKE FIREARMS SAFETY PART OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION
