Washington State House Passes Gun Law That Allows State Patrol To Destroy Confiscated Guns

SEATTLE (AP) – After years of trying, the Washington state House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that allows the State Patrol to destroy guns that were confiscated during criminal investigations.

The measure gives the State Patrol the option available to all other law enforcement agencies in the state – to keep, trade, auction or destroy forfeited crime guns.

Passage by the chamber of House Bill 1010 followed a yearlong investigation by The Associated Press that found that more than a dozen weapons that had been sold by state law enforcement agencies turned up in new criminal cases.

The measure now goes to the Senate.