The anticipated lawsuits following the passage of new gun laws have begun.
Two gun stores in Grant County, have filed a lawsuit over the state's new law banning the sale of assault weapons. Guardian Arms in Moses Lake and Millard Sales of Ephrata, along with several individual plaintiffs, are arguing that the law infringes on their constitutional rights. The case was filed by the conservative legal fund, the Silent Majority Foundation, in Grant County court on Tuesday, just as the law went into effect. Under the new law, the sale, importation, and production of AR-15s and other rifles classified as assault weapons are prohibited. The law requires firearms and parts specified under it to be removed from display and locked away, even if they were ordered by customers before the governor signed the legislation.
Guardian Arms owner, Bruce Davis, estimates that $30,000 to $40,000 worth of his inventory is currently frozen and unavailable for sale.
The Guardian Arms/Silent Majority Foundation lawsuit is one of three to be filed within 24 hours of Governor Jay Inslee's signature on the law. The other two were filed by the National Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation.