Judge orders Federal Way gun store to stop high-capacity magazine sales
Gov. Inslee, AG Ferguson announce legislation to reduce gun violence
Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for young people, ahead of car accidents and cancer—Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced bills Monday aimed at ending what they describe as an "epidemic" of gun violence.
SEATTLE - A King County Superior Court judge has ordered a Federal Way gun shop to stop selling high-capacity magazines in violation of a state ban.
Judge Michael Scott on Friday granted Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s motion for preliminary injunction against Federal Way Discount Guns and its owner, Mohammed Reza Baghai.
Ferguson sued the store in December, saying it’s one of just two gun stores out of 25 tested across the state that failed to follow the law during a compliance operation.
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Lawmakers adopted the ban on gun magazines that hold more than 10 rounds last year at Ferguson’s request, and the sting was the first effort by his office to enforce compliance.
According to the attorney general’s office, investigators visited Federal Way Discount Guns four times from August to November, observing a wall of high-capacity magazines for sale. A clerk or Baghai sold investigators nine such magazines — including a 50-round drum magazine, two 30-round magazines for an AR-15 style rifle and a 33-round magazine for a Glock 17 pistol, Ferguson said.
During each sale, a store representative destroyed the record of sale or made comments suggesting they knew the sale was illegal, he said.
The defendants face a maximum penalty of $7,500 for every time the store offered a high-capacity magazine for sale and $7,500 for every actual sale, Ferguson said.
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The attorney general said he would also seek to have the store destroy its inventory of high-capacity magazines or return them to the manufacturer.