In each of the last four years, some state lawmakers have blocked the path of firearms laws that would make Washington a safer place. Lawmakers must now get it right and approve bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.
Washington should finally join the growing list of states that prohibit these potentially destructive devices.
Nine other states, including California, have laws against high-capacity magazines, generally defined as holding 10, 15 or more rounds, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. These accessories enable mass killers to inflict immense harm without pausing to reload. Such magazines played a role in each of the 10 deadliest mass shootings of the last decade. The tragic list includes a Las Vegas concert in 2017, when 58 people died, and a nightclub in Dayton, Ohio, in 2019, when nine died and 27 more were wounded.
