OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Sen. Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue and Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, released the following statement in response to the recent tragic shootings in California, Texas, and Ohio:
“Mass shootings and individual acts of gun violence are now bleakly routine in our society. We’ve already had 253 mass shootings — defined as an incident where four or more people are shot, not including the shooter — in the United States so far this year. More than one a day.
“Once again, this familiar sense of tragedy has visited our American family and we are left to grieve the mass shootings perpetrated in Gilroy, El Paso, and Dayton. Our hearts reach out to the victims, their families, and their communities.
“We condemn the fear, hate, racism, and extremism that inspire too many of these shootings. However, we also know that no matter the motive or circumstances, the ease with which people can access weapons of mass murder and high-capacity magazines in the United States is an important factor in such acts of violence.
“While Washington has acted to prevent gun violence, moving to ban bump stocks and ghost guns, improving protection orders, investing in our background check system, and passing legislation to keep firearms out of the hands of those in crisis, we have yet to address the proliferation of assault-style weapons or limit high-capacity magazines that make it so easy to quickly end the lives of others.
“The people of Washington need to understand: The weapons used in these attacks – including the double-drum, 100-round magazine used in Dayton – are legal in Washington.
“Last year, we sponsored and advocated for a ban on the sale of assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. We will make these proposals again in the 2020 session. It is time for the Legislature to act on these important, common-sense gun safety measures.”