Washington on Tuesday joined a handful of other states that ban anyone under 21 from buying a semi-automatic assault rifle after voters passed a sweeping firearms measure in November that has drawn a court challenge from gun-rights advocates.
Initiative 1639 seeks to curb gun violence by toughening background checks for people buying assault rifles, increasing the age limit to buy those firearms, and requiring the safe storage of all guns. Only the age-limit portion of the measure went into effect Tuesday – the rest becomes law on July 1st.
59 percent of Washington voters approved I-1639 in the November general election.
A federal lawsuit filed by opponents say the measure violates the Second and 14th amendments of the Constitution as well as gun sellers’ rights under the Commerce Clause. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are firearms dealers in Spokane and Vancouver, the Second Amendment Foundation, and the National Rifle Association.
The full measure, when it goes into effect later this year, will expand the background check process to ensure that vetting for rifle purchases is the same as for buying pistols. (AP)
