New effort to limit high-capacity magazines in Washington

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A new bill that would ban high-capacity magazines in Washington state is being considered by lawmakers after a previous measure stalled.

The sponsor of the new measure, Rep. Javier Valdez, added a fiscal provision that allows the Legislature to consider the bill this late in the 60-day legislative session, which ends March 12.

The Olympian reported that the bill would restrict firearm ammunition magazines to 15 bullets or less and create a large-capacity magazine buy-back program operated by the Washington State Patrol. The measure also would eliminate tax breaks for the sale of precious metals and bullion, with the proceeds used for the buy-back program.

Both sides of the gun debate packed a committee room Tuesday for a public hearing.

James Barrick, a Kirkland resident opposed to the bill, said adding a fiscal element to the bill is "an intricate manipulation of the process to introduce a magazine buy-back so that it makes it a budget issue."

Seattle resident Emily Cantrell, who survived the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas at a large outdoor concert, urged the committee to approve the bill.

“People served best by high-capacity magazines are mass shooters," she said.

Majority Democrats in the House said Republicans killed the original effort to limit magazine sizes by attaching 120 floor amendments to it, ensuring it would never come up for a vote due to limited time ahead of a key deadline earlier this month.

The title of the new bill is about 400 words, which would make it difficult for more than a few amendments to be offered.

A similar bill in the Senate, which would have restricted firearm ammunition magazines to 10 bullets or less, did not advance out of the Senate.