Washington State Bans Sale Of Semi-Automatic Rifles

Washington state passed a law Tuesday banning the sale of AR-15s and dozens of other semi-automatic rifles.

“These weapons of war, assault weapons, have no reason other than mass murder,” Gov. Jay Inslee said during a ceremony where he signed the bill into law, the Seattle Times reported . “Their only purpose is to kill humans as rapidly as possible in large numbers.”

The new law will take effect immediately and will ban the future sale, distribution, manufacture and importation of more than 50 gun models, including AR-15s and AK-47s. 

After the proposal first passed the state House in March, gun store owners across the state told Vice that sales of AR-15s went up .

Washington is now the 10th state to prohibit the sale  of semi-automatic rifles. 

Two other bills approved by the Legislature last week and expected to be signed into law by Inslee on Tuesday include a 10-day waiting period for gun purchases. The other bill would hold gunmakers and sellers liable for shooting deaths if they are “irresponsible in how they handle, store or sell those weapons.”