Lawmakers Pitch New Gun Bills, Lower DUI Threshold In Washington

OLYMPIA, WA — The list of bills sitting before state lawmakers continues to grow since the session convened earlier this month, and some recent additions include a pair of gun safety bills, a proposal to lower the DUI threshold, and a loosening of restrictions on police pursuits approved in 2021.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Gov. Jay Inslee worked with Democrats in the statehouse to advance two gun-related measures that were scheduled for committee hearings Tuesday. Unveiled in December, the first bill is the latest to seek a ban on selling "military-style assault weapons" in Washington.

Ferguson's office pointed to data showing such weapons were 11 times more likely to be used in a mass shooting than a handgun and seven times more likely to be used to kill members of law enforcement. If approved, Washington would become the eighth state to ban the sale, manufacture and import of the weapons. The bill includes exemptions for law enforcement and the military and does not prohibit the possession of existing firearms.

The Attorney General first proposed a similar ban in 2017 after a 2016 shooting at a Mukilteo house party that left three dead and one injured. Two polls released last summer showed a majority of Washington voters in support of a ban. Last year, lawmakers in Olympia passed Ferguson's proposal to ban high-capacity gun magazines, which took effect in July.

The second gun-related bill would require gun dealers to implement certain controls on manufacturing, marketing, sales, distribution and imports of firearms. If someone is killed as a result of illegal conduct within the industry, the law would allow families to seek damages, Ferguson said.

Lawmakers pointed to the Beltway sniper attacks that claimed 10 lives in Washington, D.C., in 2002. The convicted attackers used a rifle stolen from a Tacoma gun store, which was not aware the weapon had been stolen.

"Our state can and should hold irresponsible gun dealers and manufacturers civilly liable for the harms their products cause," said state Rep. Strom Peterson (D-Edmonds), one of the bill's cosponsors. "We have taken this approach for decades with automobiles, pharmaceuticals, toxic building materials and other dangerous products, dramatically improving public safety."

Lawmakers considers lowering DUI threshold, amending police pursuit restrictions

Last Friday, a state Senate committee debated Senate Bill 5002, which seeks to make Washington's legal limit for driving under the influence among the lowest in the nation. As KING 5 reports, the legislation would lower the DUI threshold for blood alcohol content from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent. If approved, Washington would join Utah as the only two states with a lower limit.

The bill is sponsored by state Sen. John Lovick (D-Mill Creek), a former state trooper, and would take effect in the summer if approved. The governor is among the plan's proponents.

Lawmakers are also considering a bipartisan proposal to ease restrictions on police pursuits approved by the legislature in 2021. That law limits pursuits to incidents where officers believe a suspect has committed a violent or sexual crime or is driving under the influence.

Cosponsored by Reps. Alicia Rule (D-Blaine) and Eric Robertson (R-Sumner), the new legislation would restore police agencies the power to begin a chase if they suspect "a crime has or is being committed," while keeping some of the previous bill's safeguards in place.