Clark County, Wash. to enforce controversial gun measure

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) – The Clark County Sheriff’s Office has announced that it will enforce a controversial gun-control measure handily passed by voters last November.

The Columbian reports that the announcement came Saturday morning in a brief statement posted to Facebook that noted that while Initiative 1639 was being challenged in court, the sheriff’s office intended to heed the new law for now.

I-1639 was passed last year by Washington voters with 59 percent of the vote. The measure requires safe storage for firearms and increases the age limit to purchase a gun to 21. It also broadly redefines many guns as “semi-automatic assault” rifles while strengthening the background check required to purchase a firearm.

It passed in Clark County with 54 percent of the vote. Several other sheriffs in Washington have said they won’t enforce the measure.