Gun control legislation I-1639 holding strong at 60 percent
Nov 6, 2018, 8:23 PM | Updated: Nov 7, 2018, 4:15 pm
(AP)
(AP)
Early voting results are showing I-1639 passing 60.6 percent to 39.3 percent.
RELATED: Are self-defense rights being encroached by I-1639, gun storage laws?
If there’s one issue that’s been at the forefront of voter minds this election season, it’s gun control. Multiple school shootings have had the country on edge, with some calling for tighter restrictions on gun ownership, and others still arguing that it’s more important now than ever that the 2nd Amendment be observed.
Enter I-1639, a measure that represents the most sweeping, comprehensive gun control legislation in any state. It will enact waiting periods and background checks on the purchase of semiautomatic weapons, an increase to the minimum age for purchasing semiautomatic weapons from 18 to 21, storage requirements for firearms, and a class-C felony for any gun owner whose firearm is used by an unlicensed party.
Gun rights activists are expected to challenge the law in court. Three lawsuits were originally filed against the measure when it was first put on the ballot, one by the National Rifle Association.
A Thurston County judge initially ruled in favor of the NRA in August to remove the initiative from the ballot, before the ruling was overturned by the Washington State Supreme Court a week later.
