After two days of public hearings on a list of firearms bills, the Washington state Senate Law and Justice Committee is expected to debate the measures on Thursday and possibly vote them on to the next panel.
The measure that drew the most comment seeks to limit firearm magazines to 10 rounds.
Bellevue Democratic Senator Patty Kuderer, who sponsored the bill says limiting the size of the magazine allows first responders to intervene and save lives.
Keely Hopkins, a spokesperson for the National Rifle Association, says people rely on firearms for their personal protection. Others testified that taking the larger magazines from law-abiding citizens makes them vulnerable to bad guys who don’t care about the law.
The committee on Monday also heard testimony on bills that would require firearm safety training for people applying for concealed carry permits.
Another measure introduced by Redmond Democrat Manka Dhingra, would prohibit people charged with felony driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs from possessing firearms. The bill would also apply to people charged with vehicular homicide or vehicular assault.
The bill would ensure those offenders would not have access to a gun while going through the pretrial process and potentially prevent suicides.
An NRA spokesman says they support felons losing their firearms rights when convicted, but taking guns away from a person before they’ve been convicted creates due-process concerns.
Another bill before the panel would create the Washington office of firearm violence prevention. (AP)
