The Washington state Senate on Thursday approved a ban on people carrying guns in the open on Capitol grounds and at or near rallies. Lawmakers approved the legislation in a 28-20 party-line vote. With exceptions for law enforcement and people who own property in the area, the bill would bar people from openly carrying firearms or other weapons within 250 feet of a permitted demonstration or on state Capitol grounds. The bill would add language to a law that already bans firearms inside courtrooms, airports, and other places. Violators would face a misdemeanor. They could be sentenced to up to one year in prison or a fine of up to $5,000. State Sen. Patty Kuderer, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, said on the floor in Olympia before the vote that “there’s been intense political polarization in our country.” She said she introduced the bill “because guns and polarized politics …