Attorney General Ferguson’s bill to ban manufacture of “ghost guns” passes House

Bipartisan approval sends the bill to the state Senate

OLYMPIA — With bipartisan support, the Washington House of Representatives today passed Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s legislation prohibiting the manufacture of untraceable, undetectable 3D-printed guns.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, passed the House by a bipartisan 57-39 vote. It now heads to the state Senate for consideration.

“I support the Second Amendment. With that said, we cannot allow felons and other dangerous individuals to make an end-run around our state’s background check requirements by printing untraceable, undetectable 3D-printed guns,” Ferguson said. “Guns that can evade metal detectors pose too great a risk to the safety of our communities.”

Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, sponsored a companion bill in the Senate.

Several organizations offered key support for the measure, including the Alliance for Gun Responsibility. Other supporters included: Gov. Jay Inslee; Everytown for Gun Safety; Grandmothers Against Gun Violence; Faith Action Network; Foundation for Healthy Generations; the Washington State Medical Association and the Washington Association for Substance Abuse & Violence Prevention.

In 2018, Ferguson sued the Trump Administration over its decision to allow the unlimited distribution of downloadable files for 3D-printed guns. A U.S. District Court judge blocked the Trump Administration’s decision, writing that “the untraceable and undetectable nature of these small firearms … poses a unique danger.”

Seven of Ferguson’s Attorney General-request bills have passed their house of origin so far this session, including legislation to repeal the state’s death penalty and to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products to 21.

More information about Ferguson’s 2019 agency request legislation is available on the AGO’s legislative information page.

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The Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal office for the state of Washington with attorneys and staff in 27 divisions across the state providing legal services to roughly 200 state agencies, boards and commissions. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

Contacts:

Brionna Aho, Communications Director, (360) 753-2727; Brionna.aho@atg.wa.gov