Clark County sheriff will enforce controversial gun measure

AR-15 semi-automatic guns are on display for sale at Action Target on June 17, 2016 in Springville, Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)

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

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.

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

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.

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