‘Blatantly Unconstitutional’: Gun Rights Groups Sue Washington Over Assault Weapons Ban

Washington State Faces Legal Challenges After Governor Signs Ban on Assault Weapons

Gun rights groups are suing Washington state after Governor Jay Inslee signed a law banning so-called assault weapons. The ban, which took effect immediately, prohibits the manufacturing and sale of dozens of types of semiautomatic rifles. The National Rifle Association (NRA) has called the law unconstitutional, citing a Supreme Court ruling that states cannot ban firearms in common use. The NRA’s lobbying director in Washington state, Aoibheann Cline, called the ban the “worst of such schemes in the country” and said that the NRA would continue to fight it.

Inslee signed two other gun control bills on the same day. One mandates that all new gun owners take a safety and training course, while the other gives the attorney general the power to punish gun manufacturers for criminal misuse of their products. Inslee hailed the signing as a “monumental day” in the fight against “weapons of war” and gun manufacturers. However, the laws are facing another legal challenge from the Second Amendment Foundation, which has also filed a lawsuit against the state.

Gun Rights Groups Speak Out Against Ban

• The NRA has called the ban unconstitutional and vowed to fight it.
• The Second Amendment Foundation has also filed a lawsuit against the state.

Gun rights groups have criticized the ban, with the NRA’s Cline calling it outrageous that states continue to pass unconstitutional bans. She also pointed out that AR-15-style firearms are the most popular rifles in America and that the ban would affect millions of law-abiding citizens. The Second Amendment Foundation’s founder and executive vice president, Alan Gottlieb, called the ban absurd and accused the state of penalizing law-abiding citizens while doing nothing to prosecute criminals who misuse firearms.

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