Washington Gun Law Leads Museum To Remove WWII-Era Weapons

LYNDEN, Wash. (AP) — A museum in Washington state is removing World War II-era weapons from an exhibit to avoid violating a new voter-approved law requiring background checks on gun transfers.

Lynden Pioneer Museum Director Troy Luginbill tells The Bellingham Herald that it would be a violation of Initiative 594 to keep the 11 rifles past Dec. 4. The weapons will be returned to the collectors who lent them.

The law exempts antiques, but Luginbill says the rifles are too new to qualify.

State Attorney General Bob Ferguson tells the newspaper that he can't interpret the law for specific situations.

The rest of the exhibit, which includes vehicles, radios, photos and journals about the war in the Pacific, will be on display at the museum in the city of Lynden until May.

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