On January 11, Washington state representative Jim Moeller (D-49th) introduced legislation to ban the possession of “assault weapons” in the state.

Moeller’s definition of an “assault weapon” also includes any semiautomatic pistol “that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine.”

In addition to pistols that accept detachable magazines, HB 2354 defines a “assault weapon” as:

A semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a 27 detachable magazine and has one or more of the following: A pistol grip or thumbhole stock; Any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that 30 can be held by the nontrigger hand; A folding or telescoping stock; A shroud attached to the barrel, or that partially or completely encircles the barrel, allowing the bearer to hold the firearm with the nontrigger hand without being burned, but excluding a slide that encloses the barrel; A semiautomatic pistol, or a semiautomatic, centerfire, or rimfire rifle with a fixed magazine, that has the capacity to accept more than ten rounds of ammunition.

And it also includes semiautomatic pistols that accept detachable magazines.

The bill also covers “semiautomatic shotguns” with any of the following features:

A pistol grip or thumbhole stock; Any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that can be held by the nontrigger hand; A folding or telescoping stock; A fixed magazine capacity in excess of five rounds; or an ability to accept a detachable magazine; A… revolving cylinder; or a conversion kit, part, or combination of parts, from which an assault weapon can be assembled if those parts are in the possession or under the control of the same person.

Moeller’s “assault weapons” ban was introduced on the same day that Democrat state representatives in Georgia introduced an “assault weapons” confiscation bill in their state. Taken together, both bills came less than a week after President Obama went around Congress for unilateral action on gun control.

Obama’s action expanded background checks, put new requirements on federally licensed firearms dealers, funded “smart gun” research, and co-opted bans on gun possession for some Social Security beneficiaries.

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.