Washington State votes to expand gun background checks

Washington State votes to expand gun background checks
(Image credit: iStock)

Washington voters have approved a ballot initiative that expands background checks for guns, closing a "gun show loophole."

Initiative 594, passed with 60 percent of the vote, requires background checks on all gun sales and transfers, including those taking place at gun shows and online. Weapons that are transferred within families or antique guns are exempt.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.