WA Senate OKs Ban on Sales of High-Capacity Mags

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington state Senate has voted to ban the manufacture, distribution and sale of firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

The Seattle Times reports if the bill passes the House and becomes law, the ban would limit not just magazines for rifles that hold 20 or 30 rounds, but for a host of semiautomatic pistols, which often carry more than 10 rounds.

The late Wednesday vote on Senate Bill 5078 by the Senate’s Democratic majority marks the first time such a bill has passed a floor vote at the Legislature.

For years, restrictions on firearm magazines have been a top priority for many Democrats and advocates of stricter gun regulations. Conservatives and gun-rights advocates have meanwhile assailed such laws as not effective and an infringement on the Second Amendment.