U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- When a Tacoma, Washington firearm and accessories company announced a special ammunition magazine sales effort to support the Second Amendment Foundation’s legal challenge of an Evergreen State magazine ban, the reaction was more than anyone expected.
And sales are continuing, according to SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb. An initial consignment of specially-marked 30-round (standard capacity) Magpul rifle magazines sold out quickly, he said. However, sales of these specially-marked magazines will continue through the duration of the SAF lawsuit, although they will stop in Washington state when the new law takes effect at the end of this month.
Aero Precision 2A Foundation Marked Magpul PMAG 30-round Magazine
The special offer was announced by Aero Precision a few days ago, and public response has been overwhelming. In an advertisement, the company stated, “With the passing of SB 5078, we have partnered with the Second Amendment Foundation to help in (the) legal battle against this unconstitutional law. The net proceeds from each of these magazines sold will go directly to the Second Amendment Foundation to help fund legal action to defeat this unconstitutional bill.”
Gottlieb told AmmoLand Friday morning he believes purchases by gun owners across the map shows strong national support for the lawsuit.
Senate Bill 5078 was quickly signed by anti-gun Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee after being pushed through the Democrat-controlled Legislature earlier this year. It is scheduled to take effect on July 1.
However, magazines purchased prior to that date by Washington residents may be retained.
As noted previously in AmmoLand, the law is being challenged in U.S. District Court by SAF and the Firearms Policy Coalition.
According to the Aero Precision advertisement, the company is selling 30-round Gen. 2 Magpul
PMAG® magazines that are laser-marked “Standard Capacity” with a combined SAF and Aero Precision logo. The artwork may make these magazines something of a collector’s item.
The magazines are made from crush-resistant polymer and feature a self-lubricating follower “for increased reliability.” They have USGI-spec stainless steel springs to resist corrosion.
While residents of most states can purchases these magazines from Aero Precision to support SAF legal efforts, they are not being offered for sale to residents of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, and Washington D.C. But they appear to be selling everywhere else.
The federal lawsuit challenging Washington’s law is the second such case involving a magazine capacity limit. A California case known as Duncan v. Bonta is already well along in the federal court system. At one point, an appeals court panel in the Ninth Circuit declared the magazine ban unconstitutional, but that was reversed by an en banc panel—as is predictable in that circuit—so now the National Rifle Association has asked the Supreme Court for a review. There has been no word, yet, from the high court on whether it will take the case, and in the meantime, the Washington case may linger.
The U.S. House has passed a sweeping package of legislation that “would…bar the sale of large-capacity magazines,” according to CNBC. This gives the California case and the new Washington lawsuit more urgency, and SAF will need every penny it can raise from the Aero Precision effort to fight the court battle.
The Washington case is known as Sullivan v. Ferguson. Joining SAF are the Firearms Policy Coalition, Inc., a California-based group; Rainier Arms, LLC and a private citizen, Gabriella Sullivan. They are represented by attorneys David H. Thompson, Peter A. Patterson and William V. Bergstrom with Cooper & Kirk PLLC in Washington, D.C., Cody J. Wisniewski at the Mountain States Legal Foundation, and locally by Joel Ard at Ard Law Group.
Defendants are Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste, King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall, Kitsap County Sheriff John Gese, Grays Harbor County Sheriff Rick Scott, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, Kitsap County Prosecutor Chad M. Enright and Grays Harbor County Prosecutor Katie Svoboda.
RELATED:
- SAF Files Federal Lawsuit Challenging WA Magazine Ban
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
