On assault weapons, it’s past time to ‘do something’ in Washington state

It took just 30 seconds for police to stop the Dayton, Ohio shooter last August.

But in those 30 seconds, the gunman fired more than 40 rounds from his assault-style rifle with a 100-round magazine. He killed nine people and injured many others.

In the wake of the shooting, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said that if police hadn’t responded so quickly, “Hundreds of people … could be dead today.”

Both the rifle and 100-round, double-drum magazine the shooter used are legal to purchase in Washington state.

The Dayton tragedy was the second mass shooting in as many days. A day earlier, 22 people died in El Paso, Texas, when a 21-year-old went on a rampage with an assault-style rifle.

His AK-47-style weapon is also legal to purchase in Washington state.

After the senseless shooting in Dayton, a crowd of community members chanted at Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to “do something!”

Along with dedicated community activists, I’ve been saying that to our Legislature for three years now.

In Washington, we have the opportunity to do something, and save lives, by banning the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines like the ones these shooters used to inflict so much damage in such a short time.

I have repeatedly proposed legislation to ban the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Yet the Legislature has never allowed these bills to come to a vote.

There’s reason to think this year will be different. We saw more mass shootings in 2019 than ever before. Students and teachers are reporting to policy makers that they don’t feel safe in our schools.

More legislators are willing to stand up on this issue. Additionally, Gov. Inslee is partnering with me on these important public safety bills.

Other states aren’t so timid about taking on the gun lobby. Eight states limit magazine capacity to 10 rounds. Vermont has a hybrid — 10 rounds for handguns, 15 for rifles. These laws are constitutional; federal courts have repeatedly upheld them.

A recent statewide Crosscut/Elway survey found that nearly two-thirds of Washingtonians polled across the state favor limiting magazine capacity.

Bottom line: Washingtonians are way, way ahead of their politicians.

Want more evidence? In 2018, nearly 60 percent of Washington voters approved Initiative 1639, which brings the purchasing requirements of assault-style rifles in line with handguns — prohibiting purchases for those under 21 and requiring enhanced background checks. For those over the age of 21, assault rifles remain legal to purchase in Washington state.

When the next mass shooting happens in our state, Washingtonians will rightly look to their elected representatives and ask, “Why didn’t you do something?”

Legislators have yet another opportunity to “do something” this session, but time is not on our side.

As we learned in Dayton, it only takes 30 seconds.

Bob Ferguson is Washington state’s attorney general. The Democrat is serving his second term and running for a third in 2020.