The state attorney general says county sheriffs who refuse to enforce Washington's new gun laws could be held liable if they refuse to perform expanded background checks and someone who shouldn't buy a gun is able to buy one and uses it in a crime.
Bob Ferguson wrote an open letter to law enforcement on Tuesday saying he was confident the voter-approved law was constitutional.
The Seattle Times reported that at least 13 county sheriffs including Tom Jones of Grant Count, Ozzie Knezovich of Spokane have said they won't enforce the law, Initiative 1639, which voters passed in both Western and Eastern Washington counties by a wide margin in November.
The new law has already raised the minimum age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21. Starting on July 1, the law also requires expanded background checks for those rifles and can hold gun owners responsible if their gun was stored carelessly and is used in a crime.
Information from:
The Seattle Times, and MLWA 7 News
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