Month: January 2013

GOAL Post 2013-2

Legislative Update from Olympia 25 January 2013

(There was no GOAL Post published last week as I was at the annual
Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, back home for
20 hours, then back to Washington to visit Olympia.Tomorrow I’m in
Orlando for the annual meeting of the Florida Sport Shooting
Association.Then things slow down a bit after that!)

WALDRON’S VIEW

PRO-GUN RALLIES NATIONWIDE

LEGISLATIVE CUT-OFF DATES ADOPTED

HB 1012 DISAPPEARS!

PUBLIC HEARING HELD ON HB 1096

NEW GUN BILLS FILED

NO NEW PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

THE OTHER WASHINGTON

REID WEAKENS FILIBUSTER

LEGISLATOR CONTACT INFO

I’m taking an unusual opportunity for an editorial (opinion) statement
on what is going on — or may go on — in Olympia.Those of you who know
me, or have worked with me in the past, know that I tend to take a “cup
half empty” view… of just about everything!That’s my background in
intelligence work:I’ll tell you the worst that can happen, then if
things turn out better, we can all smile.

I just spent several days in Olympia, talking with legislators in both
chambers and on both sides of the aisle.Most were generally optimistic
that — with pro-gun Republicans and Democrats working together — we
can block bad gun bills from moving forward.The numbers SEEM to be on
our side.But the NRA just released a very pessimistic statement about
the potential for disaster in Olympia.Who is correct?Everyone.But as the
NRA notes, it’s going to take work on EVERYONE’S part to stop bad things
from happening.

That means TALK TO YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS.Call, write, e-mail… it
doesn’t matter,But let them know — politely and courteously — where
you stand on bills.No really bad bills have been filed yet, but rest
assured they are coming.And when they’re filed, expect a full court
press to pass them — IN BOTH WASHINGTONS.The President is already
pumping up his 2012 campaign team to push for HIS gun control agenda.

(And don’t believe the hype about surveys indicating significant gun
owner support for various gun control schemes.They’re lying, using
“self-identified” gun owners.Right.In 1997, Washington Ceasefire claimed
their polling showed 65% support for Initiative 676.On elevtion day, the
only poll that counts, it was 71% — AGAINST.)

On Saturday, 19 January, tens (hundreds?) of thousands of gun owners
rallied in state capitols and elsewhere from Olympia, Washington to
Tallahassee, Florida to show support for the Second Amendmentand the
fundamental right of self defense.Estimates of the Olympia rally run
around 2,000-2,500, but one State Patrol officer who was there said it
was closer to 4,000.Contrast that with the 200 or so who attended
Washington Ceasefire’s “assault weapon ban” rally in Seattle the Sunday
before!The turnout in Olympia would have been significantly higher, but
11,000 people attended the Washington Arms Collectors show in Puyallup
the same weekend.That’s a WAC record!!!I guess we can thank President
Obama for that.

One of the first orders of business for the legislature is adopting
internal controls called “cut-off dates.”These cut-offs force action on
bills or allow them to die for the session.If a bill fails to pass the
specified cut-off, it is nominally dead for the session (subject to
revival if the chamber — House or Senate — want it).The cut-off dates
for the 2013 session:

February 22Bills must pass original policy committee

March 1Bills with fiscal impact must pass first chamber fiscal committee

March 13Bills must pass original chamber (House bills out of House,
Senate bills out of Senate)

April 3Bills must pass second chamber policy committee

April 9Bills with fiscal impact must pass second chamber fiscal committee

April 17Bills must pass second chamber

April 28Legislature adjourns

In the first GOAL Post I reported the filing of HB 1012, a bill that
would have limited self defense and required retreat.Several people
e-mailed back to say that HB 1012 was another bill entirely.I was right
— and THEY are right.Typically when a bill is filed, that bill number
is taken and not reissued.If a bill dies, it dies with that
number.Apparently by withdrawing a pre-filed bill (filed before the
legislature convenes), the number is released.You learn something new
every session!

A public hearing was held on HB 1096, a bill that would strengthen
penalties against juveniles illegally possessing a firearm under a
variety of circumstances.While the intent of the bill is legitimate, by
closing or reducing flexibility (i.e. “loophole”) in existing law, the
occasional “good guy” may be trapped into a stiffer sentence than he or
she deserves.The NRA has drafted an amendment which will be offered for
the bill next week.Please ask your legislators to support the AMENDED
VERSION of the bill, not the original draft.

Several new firearm-related bills were filed in Olympia this week.Like
HB 1096, HB 1147 (Goodman, D-45) also addresses juvenile possession of
firearms.I haven’t had time to do a line-by-line analysis of the bill at
this time.HB 1184 (Takko, D-19) is a bill intended to protect shooting
ranges from malicious lawsuits resulting from alleged noise
violations.The bill is narrowly crafted in the hope that it will pass
this time around.Previous range protection bills have either been vetoed
by the Governor or failed to pass the legislature.HB 1318 (Taylor, R-15)
is our second attempt at getting the legislature to require DOL to mail
a renewal notice to CPL holders approximately 90 days prior to license
expiration.HB 1371 (Taylor, R-15) is titled the Washington State
Firearms Freedom Act.Like its counterpart in Montana and other states,
the FFA declares that firearms and accessories made solely within the
state of Washington, for use by Washington residents only, are not
subject to federal regulation, as no “interstate commerce” was
involved.It’s a great statement of principle, and in that sense worthy
of passage, but the ATF takes a dim view of these laws.HB 1381 (Goodman,
D-45) creates a new class of protection orders for the crime of
stalking.It’s a long bill and I haven’t had time to thoroughly digest it
yet.Next week.SB 5242 would direct DSHS to share limited mental health
information with the Washington State Patrol that would assist in
identifying potential threatening behavior.

There are no new public hearings scheduled for next week on any of the
gun bills currently filed.Remember under the cut-off calendar they have
more than three weeks left to consider bills.

I normally do not cover “the other Washington” in GOAL Post, but given
the level of activity and media hype, I will cover it briefly.Several
anti- and a few pro-gun bills have been filed in Congress so far this
year.The ones of big interest are HR 138 (McCarthy, D-NY), a normal
capacity magazine ban bill, a similar counterpart bill (duplicate) by
Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Senator Dianne Feinstein’s infamous
“assault weapon ban” bill.The McCarthy/Lautenberg magazine ban bill
allegedly grandfathers existing magazines.It also EXEMPTS retired law
enforcement officers from the ban (a tactic employed to eliminate law
enforcement objections to the bill; most gun laws exempt cops for
exactly that reason).The final language on the Feinstein bill has not
been posted as of Friday night.Her bill allegedly grandfathers existing
“assault weapons,” but requires their registration under the National
Firearms Act, just like REAL machines, together with the six month
background check, fingerprinting and photographing of owners, etc.It’s
not clear yet whether the Feinstein language allows future transfer of
existing “assault weapons” (it bans future manufacture) — with the $200
federal transfer tax — or require surrender upon the death of the
registered owner.

The filibuster is a long-standing Congressional procedure used to block
or slow certain legislation.In modern history, it is most commonly
practiced in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to move a bill
forward for a vote, while only a simple majority is needed to pass the
bill.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) earlier this week
attempted to get the Senate to exercise the “nuclear option” to
effectively eliminate the filibuster.While that effort failed, he did
get Senators to agree to weaken the proves, making it easier to get
bills to the Senate floor for a vote.This bodes ill for gun owners, as
the filibuster was an effective way to block bad legislation.

The Legislature has published new telephone and office directories for
the 2013 session.The following links can be used to identify direct
contact information:

http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Senators/

http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Representatives/

BILL STATUS:

House Bill numbering begins with 1000; Senate Bills with 5000.The
following bills have been filed so far in the 2013-14 biennium:

Bill #SubjectSponsorStatus

HB 1096Juvi illegal firearm possessionHurst (D-31)H. Jud

HB 11471^st degree juvi unlawful possess.Goodman (D-45) H. Jud

HB 1184Range protectionTakko (D-19)H. Jud

HB 1318CPL renewal noticeTaylor (-15)H. Jud

HB 1371WA Firearms Freedom ActTaylor (R-15)H. Jud

HB 1381Stalking protection ordersGoodman (D-45)H. Jud

SB 5282DSHS/WSP info exchangeCarrell (R-28)S. L&J

Key to abbreviations:SB = Senate Bill, HB = House Bill, Jud = Judiciary,
L&J = Law & Justice, Fish/Ecol = Fisheries, Ecology & Parks, JuvJust =
Juvenile Justice, Educ = Education, LocGov = Local Government, NatRes =
Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks, PubSaf = Public Safety & Emergency
Preparedness, W&M = Ways and Means

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

HB 1096SUPPORT IF AMENDED

HB 1147UNDER REVIEW

HB 1184SUPPORT

HB 1318SUPPORT

HB 1371SUPPORT

HB 1383UNDER REVIEW

SB 5282SUPPORT

HEARING(S) SCHEDULED:

None

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE:You may reach your Representatives and Senator by
calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000.Toll free!!!The
hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993.Also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA:Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules
and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at
“www.leg.wa.gov http://www.leg.wa.gov>”.Bills are available in Acrobat
(.pdf) format.You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader
from Adobe’s web site (http://www.adobe.com).You may also obtain hard
copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room
FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573.Copies of bills may also be
ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800)
562-6000.You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at
http://www.tvw.org/(you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at
the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill,
you can see how individual committee members voted.By reading the “roll
call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on
any bill.The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is
available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT:If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail,
send a message to “[email protected]
[email protected]>”.Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you
believe may have an interest in protecting our rights.Better yet, make a
couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin
board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s).PERMISSION IS HEREBY
GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED
IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO
GOAL.I can be reached at “[email protected]
[email protected]>” or by telephone at (425)
985-4867.Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to
individuals.Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the
Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me
at “[email protected]” [email protected]>with the words
“Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the subject line.I will remove your name
immediately.Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun
lists.If you received GP via a lit, you must contact that list’s admin
to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Monroe16-17 February

Puyallup23-24 February

“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself,
or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall
be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize,
maintain or employ an armed body of men.”

Article 1, Section 24

Constitution of the State of Washington

Copyright 2013 Gun Owners Action League of WA

GOAL Post2013-1

Legislative Update from Olympia 11 January 2013

WHAT IS GOAL POST?

LEGISLATURE CONVENES MONDAY, 14 JANUARY

LEGISLATIVE TUTORIAL

LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR

ANTI-GUN RALLY IN SEATTLE

PRO-GUN RALLY IN OLYMPIA

HB 1012 PRE-FILED TO LIMIT SELF DEFENSE

NO PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED ON FIREARMS

DEMOCRAT CAUCUS DIVIDED ON GUNS

LEGISLATOR DIRECT TELEPHONE NUMBERS

We have several new subscribers this year, so I’ll start with a basic
description of what GOAL is and what GOAL Post is.Formed circa 1992,
GOAL is an independent political action committee registered with the
Washington state Public Disclosure Commission.It is not a membership
organization, although it is managed by five trustees.In addition to
support for selected WASHINGTON STATE CANDIDATES ONLY during the
election cycle, GOAL publishes a weekly summary (GOAL Post) of
legislative activity in Olympia during the active legislative
session.Depending on workload, GOAL Post normally goes out via e-mail on
Friday nights.It provides a narrative summary of the previous week’s
activities, a listing (Bill Status) of firearm-related bills filed and
where they are in the process (GOAL does NOT cover hunting issues),
GOAL’s position on these bills, a notice of public hearings scheduled
for the following week, and information about how to contact your
legislators, and how to follow both live and recorded public hearings
and floor sessions via TVWashington.

GOAL Post does NOT normally cover events in the other Washington,
Washington, D.C.Given the Newtown, Connecticut, incident last month, we
are facing a massive attack on the rights of gun owners all across the
country.President Obama has convened a “select committee” of Vice
President Biden and others to develop an “action plan” to “reduce gun
violence.”It’s all the guns’ fault, you know.I will likely publish
individual alerts as the President’s plan takes shape and moves.

The 63rd biennial Washington state legislature convenes Monday, January
14th for its long (105 day) session.The principal focus of the long
legislative session is supposed to be the biennial budget, but rest
assured several other topics, including firearms, will receive
attention.The Democrats retained their slight majority in the 2012
election, so they continue nominal control of BOTH chambers (House and
Senate), but a funny thing happened during the legislative organizing
meeting in December.

The Senate is currently split 26 Democrats to 23 Republicans, giving
Democrats a three seat advantage.In December 2012 they held a meeting to
prepare for the 2013 session.This is where leadership is
elected.Senators Rodney Tom (D-48-Medina) and Tim Sheldon
(D-35-Potlatch) joined Republicans to give the GOP de facto control of
the Senate.Senator Tom was electedMajority Leader and Senator Sheldon
President-pro-tem.Republicans were also given chairmanships and control
of several committees, including the major budgetary committees AND
Senate Judiciary.Senator Mike Padden (R-4-Spokane Valley) will chair
Senate Judiciary, and (presumably) Adam Kline (D-37-Rainier Valley) will
be ranking member.Full committee rosters will not be published until the
session begins.

However…

Apparently Democrats have been discussing changing the rules just BEFORE
the new legislature is sworn in, thus preventing the majority coalition
from taking over the Senate.The DEMOCRATIC PARTY apparently doesn’t like
a democratic vote for leadership.Maybe they’d like to revisit the
presidential election, too?

For those new to legislative affairs, here’s how the process works:When
a bill is filed in the House or Senate (or both, simultaneously, called
“companion bills”) it is assigned to a policy committee.Most gun-related
bills go to the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Senate.In the House
it’s a little more complicated, as it may be sent to House Judiciary,
House Public Safety, or House Juvenile Justice.Public hearings may be
held, after which the bill may (or may not) be voted out of committee.If
the bill has a fiscal impact (usually an expenditure of more than
$50,000), it must then go to Senate Ways & Means or one of a couple of
House fiscal committees.The bill then goes to the Senate or House Rules
Committee, where it must be voted on to pass out to the floor for a full
vote.

After a bill passes the Senate or House, it then goes over to the
opposite chamber (House or Senate), where the whole process starts over
again.If the bill passes the second chamber in the same form it passed
the first, it goes to the governor for signature (or veto or partial
veto).If changes are made in the second chamber, it goes back to the
first for concurrence.It may also go to a conference committee from both
chambers to resolve differences.The final version must pass both chambers.

The bill then goes to the Governor, who may sign it into law, veto
(kill) the bill, or sign a partial veto (killing just selected
section(s) of the bill).The governor may also allow a bill to become law
without his (or her) signature.Most signed bills take effect on 1 July,
although bills with an “emergency clause” (considered immediately
necessary for public safety) take effect upon signature by the governor.

One of the first items of business in each session is the adoption of
the session calendar, identifying dates by which bills must clear
various hurdles.A bill that fails to clear the policy committee or
chamber floor by the designated date is generally considered dead for
the year, although they may be “resurrected” by parliamentary
procedure.I’ll post the cut-off dates for the 2013 session in the next
issue of GOAL Post.

Bills from the last session are dead.New bills must be filed for
consideration by the 63nd Legislature, with new bill numbers.

Washington Ceasefire, with several church groups, will conduct a march
in downtown Seattle at 1:30 on Sunday, 13 January, to demand a ban on
semi-automatic firearms in Washington.(Semiautomatic rifles and shotguns
are commonly used by hunters and target shooters all across the U.S.,
and semiautomatic handguns are the choice of a majority of Americans for
personal protection and sport.)The march will start at Westlake Park and
proceed to the Seattle Center.IF you decide to visit as a counter to
this event, dress properly and mind your manners.Both Ceasefire and the
Seattle media would love to see an “angry mob of gun toters” turn out to
reinforce THEIR case.

On Saturday, 19 January, a PRO-GUN “Gun Appreciation Day” rally will be
held in Olympia on the Capitol Campus in the “diagonal” area (open lawn
west of Capitol Way S.)Further details will be published in a GOAL Alert
in a few days.

In early December, legislators are allowed to “pre-file” bills for the
upcoming session.Rep. Sherry Appleton (D-23-Kitsap) filed HB 1012, a
bill that would emasculate “stand-your-ground” (AKA no duty to retreat),
requiring an individual to retreat from any threat before resorting to
force in response.Unlike more than 20 states, Washington does not have a
stand-your-ground statute — it’s the result of decades of court
decisions, usually referred to as “black letter law” (i.e. judges
effectively made and follow that practice).

Earlier this week Appleton announced she is pulling her bill after
received angry telephone calls and e-mails — and even threats — from
gun owners across Washington.That she received communications
criticizing her bill I have no doubt.Threats?Did she report them to police?

There are NO gun-related bills scheduled for a public hearing the first
week of the session.Weekly schedules are published on Wednesday evening
for the following week, although changes may be made, supposedly with
proper advance notification, but it doesn’t always happen that way!

We still have a solid bloc of Democrat pro-gun Senators and
Representatives who will vote on our side of the issue.This bloc will
surely be put to the test in this session.The so-called “road kill”
caucus, joining with Republicans on gun issues, is what has saved us in
Olympia, so far.If you live in a rural or even suburban district with
Democrat Representatives or a Democrat Senator, it is important that you
call their office and express concern about your gun rights.Ask them to
keep you informed of any gun-related legislation.This lets them know
that you are watching them on this issue.

The Legislature has not yet published new telephone and office
directories because legislators are not sworn in until Monday, 14
January.The following links can be used at that time to identify direct
contact information:

http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Senators/

http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Representatives/

BILL STATUS:

All bills filed during the 2011-12 biennium are dead.The following bills
have been pre-filed for the 2013-14 biennium:

Bill #SubjectSponsorStatus

HB 1012Limits self-defenseAppleton (D-23)H. Jud

Key to abbreviations:SB = Senate Bill, HB = House Bill, Jud = Judiciary,
Fish/Ecol = Fisheries, Ecology & Parks, JuvJust = Juvenile Justice, Educ
= Education, LocGov = Local Government, NatRes = Natural Resources,
Ecology & Parks, PubSaf = Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness, W&M =
Ways and Means

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

HB 1012OPPOSE

HEARING(S) SCHEDULED:

None

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE:You may reach your Representatives and Senator by
calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000.Toll free!!!The
hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993.Also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA:Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules
and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at
“www.leg.wa.gov”.Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format.You may
download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site
(http://www.adobe.com).You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives,
etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by
calling 1-360-786-7573.Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by
calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000.You may also hear
floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need
“RealAudio” to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill,
you can see how individual committee members voted.By reading the “roll
call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on
any bill.The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is
available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT:If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail,
send a message to “[email protected]“.Please pass GOAL Post on to
anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights.Better
yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s
bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s).PERMISSION
IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS
REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS
GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at “[email protected]” or by
telephone at (425) 985-4867.Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy
GOAL Post to individuals.Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available
at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me
at “[email protected]” with the words “Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the
subject line.I will remove your name immediately.Keep in mind GOAL Post
is also published on several gun lists.If you received GP via a lit, you
must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Monroe12-13 January

Puyallup19-20 February

“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself,
or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall
be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize,
maintain or employ an armed body of men.”

Article 1, Section 24

Constitution of the State of Washington

Copyright 2013 Gun Owners Action League of WA