Washington becomes latest state to ban the sale of assault rifles

Washington became the latest state to ban the sale of assault rifles on Tuesday, when Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed into law a series of gun safety bills.

“No one needs an AR-15 to protect their family,” Inslee said at Tuesday’s signing. “You only need it to kill other families. And for that reason, we are taking action today.”

He signed into law a trio of bills immediately banning the sale of at least 60 types of assault weapons, establishing a 10-day waiting period and safety training requirement to purchase any firearm, and requiring members of the firearm industry to enforce reasonable controls on gun sales.

“I do want to note that while we celebrate [these bills], they are not the only things we need against gun violence,” Inslee added. “They are not a total panacea. But just because they don’t solve all the problems does not mean that the state of Washington does not take action.”