Washington State votes to expand gun background checks
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.
There was another measure on the ballot, Initiative 591, that would have prohibited background checks on purchases of guns unless required by federal law. This initiative was rejected by more than 54 percent of voters.
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A survey by PBS affiliate KCTS-9 found that support for stricter guns laws had solidified after the Oct. 24 shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, which killed four students, including the shooter.
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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.
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