Washington state gun owners appear to be ready to take full advantage of magazine grandfathering ahead of a newly-passed ban. Sellers of those magazines are more than willing to help.
A collection of firearm-accessory manufacturers and distributors have publicly announced that they will be prioritizing orders for “high-capacity” ammunition magazines to customers located in Washington state. The companies encouraged gun owners to stock up before the state’s new ammunition magazine law is expected to go into effect this July.
“With the passing of Washington State’s unconstitutional law targeting standard capacity magazines, it is more important than ever for Washington State citizens to stock up on mags,” the manufacturer Palmetto State Armory (PSA) posted on the company’s Facebook page on Saturday. “All magazine orders placed from Washington State with Palmetto State Armory with ship out immediately and receive priority over all other orders.”
The company launched in to action in response to the Washington state House’s passing of Senate Bill 5078 late Friday night. The bill, which cleared the state Senate last month, would ban the manufacture, sale, transfer, or importation of ammunition magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds.
However, the bill would not prohibit the possession of magazines with capacities greater than 10 rounds. That means gun owners are free to continue purchasing such magazines before the ban’s expected effective date of July 1, creating the impetus for gun owners and retailers alike to stock up as happened before enforcement of similar sales bans in Colorado and California.
Shortly after PSA’s statement, the Washington-based firearms manufacturer and retailer Aero Precision shared a similar message with its Facebook followers on Saturday. The company both criticized the passing of the bill and vowed to continue operating in the state of Washington regardless of the state’s changing environment for gun owners.
“Last night, SB5078 passed the house here in Washington effectively banning the purchase and sale of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition,” the company wrote. “This is incredibly frustrating for us as this trend of nonsensical infringements seems to be getting more and more common. But we will not stop fighting. We are not leaving Washington. We will not abandon our home, the near 1000 employees, and our fellow Washingtonian gun owners that make our company as great as it is. If we leave, the politicians who make careers out of stepping on our rights get what they want. We will be working to get as many magazines in the hands of Washingtonians as possible before July 1st.”
The bill is currently awaiting action from Governor Jay Inslee (D.). Though he has not yet announced a date, he has publicly stated his intention of signing the bill into law.
“I’ve been a long supporter of making sure we don’t have military equipment on our streets, including these high-capacity magazines which have only one purpose and that’s warfare,” he said on Monday. “We do not need weapons of war on our streets and I’ll be signing that legislation.”
Any violation of the bill would be subject to a gross misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum of 364 days in jail and/or a fine of $5,000.