Washington State’s “assault weapon” ban (SB5265 / HB1240) has passed into law. In its definitions, the law states that an “assault weapon” must be a semiautomatic rifle. Furthermore, the law explicitly EXCLUDES ANY FIREARM that is operated by bolt action from the ban. The law details these exclusions in TWO separate yet distinct instances:

1. The first exclusionary clause (Sec.2.2.c page 6) states:  “ ’Assault Weapon’ does not include any firearm that has been made permanently inoperable, or any firearm that is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action.”
2. The second exclusionary clause (Sec.2.38.b page 11) states:  “ ’Semiautomatic assault rifle’ does not include antique firearms, any firearm that has been made permanently inoperable, or any firearm that is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action.

NOTE:  The law expressly excludes ANY FIREARM that is operated manually from the definition of an “assault weapon.”

An in-depth legal analysis will be coming soon.