Washington State Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Large Capacity Ammo Magazines

Epoch Times

09-05-2025

Washington state's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday to uphold a ban on detachable ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, with a majority of judges on the court saying the ban does not violate the Constitution or state laws.
In a 7-2
The lawsuit had challenged a 2022 state law that bans the sale, import, and manufacturing of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, oftentimes called high-capacity or large-capacity magazines. It does not bar the possession of those magazines at the time of the law's passage.
The judges wrote that the law doesn't 'violate either the Washington or United States constitutional protection of the right to bear arms because large capacity magazines (LCMs) are not 'arms' within the meaning of either constitutional provision, nor is the right to purchase LCMs an ancillary right necessary to the realization of the core right to possess a firearm in self-defense.'
Judge Charles Johnson said that under the law, people are still able to exercise their Second Amendment right to bear arms even if they're limited to buying magazines that hold 10 or fewer rounds of ammunition.
'This regulation does not limit the number of bullets or magazines that may be purchased or possessed,' Johnson wrote in the opinion for the majority.
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'By restricting only magazines of a capacity greater than 10, the statute effectively regulates the maximum capacity of magazines, leaving the weapon fully functional for its intended purpose. Thus, we are not convinced that the restriction here renders the right to bear arms in self-defense meaningless.'
Judges Sheryl Gordon McCloud and G. Helen Whitener dissented. They contended that the Second Amendment has broader protections than just arms, adding that the Constitution protects firearms for 'lawful purposes' other than self-defense.
'Millions of people have chosen to feed ammunition into those commonly used firearms with magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds,' the two judges wrote. 'It necessarily follows that the Second Amendment protects the arms-bearing conduct at issue here, that is, keeping and bearing operable semiautomatic firearms with commonly used magazines for self-defense and other lawful purposes—including in the home.'
The law was declared
In response to the state Supreme Court decision, Democratic Washington Attorney General Nick Brown
'Large capacity magazines are used in the overwhelming majority of mass shootings, and reducing the toll of these senseless killings is vitally important,' he said. He didn't point to data or evidence that higher capacity magazines are used more frequently in mass shootings.
Gun control group Everytown USA
A 2024 article