| WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, condemns Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s signature of HB 1240, the law that bans the sale and transfer of Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs) and many other firearms. The law is clearly unconstitutional under the U.S. Supreme Court’s holdings in both the Heller and Bruen decisions. NSSF will file a legal challenge to this law with Clement & Murphy, PLLC.
“There is no doubt that this law signed by Gov. Jay Inslee unconstitutionally denies Second Amendment rights to law-abiding citizens in Washington state,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President & General Counsel. “NSSF worked in good faith with state legislators to warn them that this legislation runs afoul of Constitutionally-guaranteed Second Amendment rights to possess commonly owned firearms. Governor Inslee and Washington’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson put politics ahead of their duty to defend the Constitution and protect the rights of their citizens. NSSF will immediately sue Attorney General Ferguson to have this law declared unconstitutional.”
The 15-page law signed by Gov. Inslee outlaws the sale, transfer and import of at least 60 named firearms in Washington and includes the “AK-47 in all forms,” and “AR15, M16, or M4 in all forms.” There are more than 24.4 million MSRs in circulation today.
Washington’s gun ban law also labels nearly every semiautomatic rifle, pistol or shotgun as an “assault weapon” if those firearms include cosmetic features that have no bearing on the function of commonly owned semiautomatic MSRs. In fact, many of these banned features increase safety and precision, reducing the possibility of errant shots.
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About NSSF
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org. |
