Michigan’s Nessel joins other state attorneys general to push age, background check requirements for semiautomatic rifles

(The Center Square) – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a coalition of 15 other state attorneys general in support of a Washington state initiative to enact greater regulations on so-called assault rifles.

The bipartisan coalition filed an amicus brief in Mitchell v. Atkins, a case currently being heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

At issue is whether states may regulate firearms further than federal laws. The coalition sides with Washington’s Initiative Measure No. 1639, passed in November 2018.

The initiative raised the legal age to purchase semi-automatic rifles to 21 years of age, added background checks and increased waiting periods, as well as enacted storage requirements.