THE OTHER WASHINGTON

UN ATT HEADED FOR A VOTE

Activity has been slow in Olympia this week.  There were no surprises in the three public hearings conducted this week.  As a space filler, I’m adding material on developments in D.C. and at the United Nations.  SSB 5282 passed out of House Judiciary and now sits in House Rules awaiting a floor vote.

Next Wednesday is the second chamber policy committee cut-off.  Bills that don’t make it out of their policy committee are considered dead for the remainder of the session, although budgetary bills can always move.

I’m adding SB 5865 to the list.  I should have included it earlier.  The bill, by our own Senator Pam Roach (R-31) exempts the use tax now required from fund raising activities by not-for-profit organizations such as the Friends of NRA, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, etc.  (And probably Washington Ceasefire, too.)  The bill was heard in the Senate Ways & Means committee this week and may be voted on next week.  This is one of those budget bill exceptions to the cut-off.

Three and a half months since the Newtown shooting incident.  Poll numbers in support of additional gun control continue to decline (administration probably wishes it had acted more quickly).

Congress is halfway through a two week Easter  recess…  it returns 8 April.

The focus remains the Senate.

President Obama was back on television Thursday surrounded by sycophants and victims (i.e. dancing once again in the blood of the victims) whining about the lack of action.  We can expect a full bore gun control PR campaign from the White House for the foreseeable future.

New York City Mayor Michael “I was a Democrat before I was a Republican before I was an Independent” Bloomberg has pledged $12 MILLION for an advertising campaign targeted to swing states to get the votes to pass the Senate bill.  Two of the ads feature a rural-looking “hunter” who says he has no objections to background checks.  They don’t ask his opinion of gun registration.

Reid has elected to build one omnibus gun bill (S. 649) to take to the Senate floor for a vote.  The bill carries the innocent sounding title “Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013.”  The full text of the bill is available at:  http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113s649pcs/pdf/BILLS-113s649pcs.pdf

The bill runs 44 pages and contains a number of things on the wish list of gun control advocates.  It requires ALL transfers of a firearm to be conducted by an FFL, with full record-keeping as required by current law.  It DOES allow direct gifts to immediate family members without the check, the “loan” of such firearm for a period of up to seven days — PROVIDED the firearm does not leave the lender’s property, and the loan of a firearm at a range or for the purpose of shooting in a match, or while hunting, again with restrictions.  The bill authorizes the Attorney General to set an unspecified transfer fee for FFL processing.

To address “gun trafficking, the bill requires reporting “lost or stolen” firearms to both the Attorney General and local law enforcement with 24 hours of discovery of the loss.  The trafficking section also expands the definition of “strawman sale,” increases penalties to 15 and 25 years in federal prison for violations, adds forfeiture of  any property related to trafficking and ties money laundering and racketeering (RICO) statutes to trafficking crimes.

One good section of the bill: it prohibits “Fast & Furious”-style operations by Department of Justice agencies (but not OTHER federal agencies such as CIA or other Homeland Security elements) UNLESS permission is granted by the Attorney General or his/her designee.

As filed, the bill NOT contain an “assault weapon” or magazine ban, but Reid will allow votes on separate amendments to accomplish the same.  Without doubt several other amendments, good and bad, will be offered.

And let there be no doubt in your mind that this “universal background check” language opens the door to firearm registration.  The data is all there on the dealers records:  buyer identification information and a full description of the firearm.  Retired (out of business) FFL records are ALREADY in a federal data base (NOT a “gun registration” data base, a “tracing” data base — maybe someone can explain the difference).  Current FFL records could be automated almost overnight — the mechanism is already there.

Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and James Imhofe (R-OK) have sent a letter to Majority Leader Reid saying they will “oppose” ANY gun control bill in the Senate.  Whether this opposition amounts to a filibuster remains to be seen.  Several Republicans have expressed an interest in S.649.

Arm-twisting, by Majority Leader Reid AND by the White House has already begun, with threats, with promises of “protection” to red-state Democrats, with offers of “favorable” amendments to Republicans to get them to vote the bill forward.  If you liked the way Obamacare was shoved down Senators’ and Representatives’ throats, you LOVE the  upcoming gun bill(s).  Another “we have to pass the bill to see what’s in it” moment (if THAT’S not an impeachable statement by a Speaker of the House, I don’t know what is).

UN ATT

The United Nations General Assembly is expected to debate and pass it’s long awaited Arms Trade Treaty in the next week or two.  Originally, the U.S. demanded consensus (agreement by all nations) on the language of the bill.  The U.S. withdrew that demand last week.   Like many treaties, it’s full of generalizations and passages subject to interpretation.  Like the Inter-American Arms Treaty (CIFTA) of 1999, the treaty is SUPPOSED to control INTERNATIONAL trade in arms from warships, combat aircraft, tanks, armored vehicles (like the ones DHS is passing out to the states) down to small arms and ammunition (including “sporting arms”).

It clearly opens another door to full firearms registration.  One section reads, “Each State Party (nation) shall establish and maintain a national control system, including a national control list, in order to implement the provisions of this Treaty.”   There is language included that implies nothing in the treaty will infringe on national laws and customs,  but that’s all eyewash.

Should ATT be ratified (there is no question the US will vote FOR it in the UN General Assembly and  President Obama will sign it), the door is wide open to almost any gun control regulation supporters can dream up.

President Clinton signed a similar but narrower treaty, the Inter-American Arms Treaty (CIFTA) in 1999.  The U.S. Senate has yet to vote on that one, despite a request by President Obama for a ratification vote in 2009.

It’s interesting that supporters CLAIM the major effect of the UN ATT is to protect countries from arms transfers to rebel groups within their own borders.  All the talk of “2,000 deaths per day” by all of these weapons ignores the fact that most of the 2,000 are THEIR OWN CITIZENS, being MURDERED BY THEIR OWN GOVERNMENTS.

But we have nothing to worry about…  DHS has more than 1 BILLION rounds of ammunition and 2,700 armored vehicles on hand to protect us and defend U.S. sovereignty.

KEEP IN MIND WE’RE ONE MASS SHOOTING OR OTHER HIGHLY VISIBLE SHOOTING INCIDENT AWAY FROM BROAD AND EXTREME GUN CONTROL MEASURES AT ALL LEVELS FEDERAL AND/OR STATE.  AS LONG AS THEY’RE IN SESSION, WE’RE AT RISK.

BILL STATUS:

The following bills remain under consideration in the 2013 session

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status	Goal Position
SHB 1383	Stalking protection orders	Goodman (D-45)	S. HS&C	Concerns
SHB 1612	Firearm offender registry	Hope (R-44)	S. L&J	Concerns
SHB 1840	Firearms/restraining orders	Goodman (D-45)	S. L&J	Oppose
SSB 5282	DSHS/WSP info exchange	Carrell<(R-28)	H. Rules	Support
SSB 5452	Stalking protection orders	Conway (D-29)	H. Jud	Concerns
SB 5865	Use tax exemption for non-profits	Roach (R-31)	S. W&M	Support

HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

SHB 1612   Senate Law & Justice    Senate Hearing Room “1”

2 April         5:30 p.m.                        John A. Cherberg Bldg

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!!!

1-800-562-6000   TDD 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):

Monroe                 6-7 April

Puyallup             27-28 April

 

“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 Post2013-9

Legislative Update from Olympia – 15 March 2013

CHAMBER CUT-OFF PASSES

FOUR MORE BILLS DIE, FIVE REMAIN

HB 1588 DEAD — MAYBE

POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF 3 APRIL

This past Wednesday at 5 p. m. , all bills had to pass out of their original chamber or be considered dead for the session. Four of the bills we are tracking died, five remain in play. The clock simply runs out, and a significant portion of bills die, good and bad. More than 2,000 bills were filed to date; fewer than half made it past the chamber cut-off. That number will likely be cut in half again by the end of the session. Many are filed, but relatively few make it to the Governor’s desk. But it isn’t over until the gavel goes down on Day 105.

Most of the drama this week was over HB 1588, the bill that mandates background checks on ALL firearm transfers within Washington. Democrats fell a few votes short of the needed 50 votes to get it out of the House, despite pressure from Governor Inslee and reportedly at least one telephone call to a legislator from former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords (D-AZ), injured in a shooting in Tucson, AZ, fourteen months ago. (Representative Giffords is becoming the Jim Brady of her generation, despite her earlier NRA A-rating, brought out to showcase whatever gun control bill is up for discussion or a vote. )As a last minute maneuver, the bill sponsor tried to attach a referendum clause to the bill, which would have thrown it to the voters in November. At that point, six Democrats who supported the earlier version of the bill withdrew their support — they wanted no part of an off-election-year referendum on guns.

Democrats control the House with a 55D-43R margin. One Republican, Rep.  Mike Hope (R-44) was committed to voting FOR the bill. Thus they needed 49 Democrat votes to pass 1588. At least six righteous Democrats just said “no” (it could be a few more; because a vote was never taken, we won’t know the exact shortfall). The next time someone asks why GOAL supports SOME Democrats, there’s your answer. There are always exceptions to the stereotypes. On both sides.

According to some news reports, HB 1588 was the Democrats’ #1 priority bill for this year. Rest assured it will be back in one form or another. If they can’t find a way to resurrect it during this session, we’ll may see it on the ballot later this year as an Initiative to the People. The Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility (WAGR), our state’s newest nanny-state gun grabbing organization, has more than enough money at its disposal to buy its way onto the ballot just as they did in 1997 with I-676. More Seattleites dictating THEIR agenda to the rest of the state. Whether they will do so in an off-year election where turnout is very small remains to be seen.

Over the next 2 1/2 weeks bills will continue to be heard in the other chamber’s policy committees. April 3rd is the next cut-off date.

Earlier this week a senior legislative staffer called me to ask what I meant by the position “concerns” on some bills (several legislators and staffers in Olympia are on the GOAL Post distribution list). “Concerns” means just that:  while I have no problem with the stated intent of the bill, I believe it is written in such a manner that it takes away prosecutorial or judicial discretion. We’ve all heard the horror stories about “zero tolerance” policies in schools, children being expelled for drawing a picture of a gun, and the school principal defends him or herself with the response, “I’m sorry, I know it’s silly, but my hands are tied. It’s the rule. “It’s these “no exceptions, no loopholes” policies — and laws — that get the wrong person in trouble. School administrators, bureaucrats and politicians love “zero tolerance/no exception policies it gives them cover.

An example: Two of the bills still making their way through the system expand the prohibition on firearm possession for individuals subject to different forms of restraining or protective orders. The intent of these laws is to protect people. Great.  I was taught as a child that boys don’t hit girls. And I’ve honored that rule. But for every case where a nutjob goes off the deep end and guns down his or her significant other, there are thousands of individuals subject to these orders that are NOT a danger, and that are being denied the fundamental right of self-defense. And let’s not forget that in many of these domestic cases, the potential threat goes BOTH ways. Laws that are guaranteed to catch EVERY lawbreaker will invariably also catch individuals that may have technically violated that law, but who had no criminal intent.

BILL STATUS:

The following bills remain under consideration in the 2013 session

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
SHB 1096	Juvenile illegal firearm possession	Hurst (D-31)	Died
SHB 1383S	talking protection orders	Goodman (D-45)	S.  HS&C
SHB 1588	Background checks	Pedersen (D-43)	Died
SHB 1612	Firearm offender registry	Hope (R-44)	S.  L&J
SHB 1839	Background checks	Goodman (D-45)	Died
SHB 1840	Firearms/restraining orders	Goodman (D-45)	S.  L&J
SSB 5282	DSHS/WSP info exchange	Carrell (R-28)	H.  Jud
SSB 5452	Stalking protection orders	Conway (D – )	H.  Jud
SB 5831	Bans double tax on clay pigeons	Rivers (R-18)	Died

Key to abbreviations: SB = Senate Bill, HB = House Bill, Jud = Judiciary, L&J = Law & Justice, HS&C = Human Services & Corrections, Trans = Transportation, Approp = Appropriations, Early Learn = Early Learning and K-12 Education, W&M = Ways & Means

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

HB 1383               CONCERNS

HB 1612               CONCERNS

HB 1840               OPPOSE

SB 5282                SUPPORT

SB 5452                CONCERNS

HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

SSB 5282              House Judiciary  House Hearing Room “A” 21 Mar 1: 30 p. m. John L.  O’Brien Office Building

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 “jwaldron@halcyon. com <mailto: jwaldron@halcyon. com>”. 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 “jwaldron@halcyon. com <mailto: jwaldron@halcyon. com>” 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 “jwaldron@halcyon. com” <mailto: jwaldron@halcyon. com>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):

Puyallup23-24 March

Monroe6-7 April

“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

FROM: GOAL [[email protected]] (Joe Waldron)
TO: undisclosed-recipients
SENT: Fri 3/8/2013 7:45 PM
SUBJECT: GOAL Post 2013-8

GOAL Post 2013-8
Legislative Update from Olympia 8 March 2013

CHAMBER CUT-OFF THIS COMING WEDNESDAY
SSB 5282 PASSES SENATE
LITTLE OVERT ACTIVITY ON BILLS
BACKROOM ACTION
VOTE ON SJM 8006

At 5 p.m. next Wednesday, all bills that have not passed out of their respective chamber (House bills out of the House, Senate bills out of the Senate) will die for the session. Not all bills get a vote. The clock typically runs out on several of them before they reach the chamber floor. Especially bills that are considered controversial, and that leadership doesn’t feel they have sufficient votes to pass (50 “aye” votes in the House, 25 in the Senate) — why waste the chamber’s time when bills are stacked up?

SSB 5282 (Carrell (R-289)) passed the Senate today on a unanimous vote. SSB 5282 requires improved exchange of information between the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and the Washington State Patrol regarding individuals who lost their eligibility to possess a firearm due to some forms of commitment.

Of the other five firearm-related bills we’re still tracking, there has been little visible activity. As they sit in their respective Rules Committee awaiting their turn for a vote, there is frequently back room action taking place. This is the time floor amendments are drafted, often to appease bill opponents and try to muster enough votes for the bill to pass. Recall Senator Feinstein’s statement in a 60 Minutes interview back in 1994 on the Clinton “assault weapon” ban: “If I could have gotten the votes, I’d ban them all.” So as the chamber deadline approaches, there’s a lot of negotiating and arm-twisting going on in the back rooms.
Specifically with regard to SHB 1588, there have been at least two amended versions offered internally, the first in an attempt to appease gun owners, the second backing AWAY from that version when the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) objected. (A side note about WASPC: there are 39 county sheriffs who are members of WASPC, but many times that number of city police chiefs. The police chiefs, who are dependent on mayors and city councils for their jobs, usually drive WASPC’s legislative agenda.)

The principal sticking point with 1588 is record retention — gun registration. Another issue from our standpoint is the provision that would waive the collection of sales tax for private sales conducted via FFLs. That provision was put in a separate section of the bill, making it a prime target for veto by Governor Inslee. (Another side note: Before he was Governor, Jay Inslee was a Congressman representing the 1st Congressional District in the north Seattle suburbs. Before he was the 1st District Congressman, he was Congressman in the 4th Congressional District, central Washington from the Canadian border to the Oregon border. In 1994, Jay Inslee cast a vote FOR the Clinton “assault weapon” ban — by some reports the deciding vote. He was fired by his constituents in the 1994 elections. How do you think Governor Inlsee feels about gun owners?)

Following next Wednesday’s chamber cut-off, the focus shift to the opposite chamber, when House bills go through the Senate and Senate bills through the House. It’s Yogi Berra’s deja vu all over again: policy committee hearings, fiscal committee action if the bill warrants it, then into Rules awaiting a chamber floor vote.

SJM (Senate Joint Memorial) 8006 passed the Senate today on a 40-8 vote. This is the watered down version of SB 5660 that died in committee two weeks ago, It recommends (vice mandates) adoption of the NRA’s “Eddie Eagle” gun avoidance program for young children. Eddie Eagle has been presented to millions of children across the United States and is credited with saving several lives. Amazingly 8 Senators voted AGAINST this bill. A similarly-worded memorial was passed by the legislature UNANIMOUSLY fifteen years ago.

BILL STATUS:

The following bills remain under consideration in the 2013 session
Bill #

Subject

Sponsor

Status
SHB 1096

Juvi illegal firearm possession

Hurst (D-31)

H. Rules
SHB 1383

Stalking protection orders

Goodman (D-45)

H. Rules
SHB 1588

Background checks

Pedersen (D-43)

H. Rules
SHB 1612

Firearm offender registry

Hope (R-44)

H. Rules
SHB 1839

Background checks

Goodman (D-45)

H. Rules
SHB 1840

Firearms/restraining orders

Goodman (D-45)

H. Rules
SSB 5282

DSHS/WSP info exchange

Carrell (R-28)

Passed Senate
SSB 5452

Stalking protection orders

Conway (D-

S. Rules
SB 5831

Bans double tax on clay pigeons

Rivers (R-18)

S. Rules
Key to abbreviations: SB = Senate Bill, HB = House Bill, Jud = Judiciary, L&J = Law & Justice, HS&C = Human Services & Corrections, Trans = Transportation, Approp = Appropriations, Early Learn = Early Learning and K-12 Education, W&M = Ways & Means

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS
HB 1096 CONCERNS
HB 1383 CONCERNS
HB 1588 OPPOSE
HB 1612 CONCERNS
HB 1839 SUPPORT
HB 1840 OPPOSE
SB 5282 SUPPORT
SB 5452 CONCERNS
SB 5831 SUPPORT

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!!!
1-800-562-6000 TDD 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):
Puyallup 23-24 March
Monroe 6-7 April

“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 Post                                                                                             2013-7

 

Legislative Update from Olympia                                               1 March 2013

 

 

FISCAL COMMITTEE CUT-OFF PASSES

CHAMBER CUT-OFF MARCH 13TH

LIMITED ACTIVITY ON BILLS OF INTEREST

NEW ANTI-GUN GROUP WITH $$$$$

 

Admin note:  the extra “S” in front of some bills (e.g. SHB or SSB) means a substitute bill was passed by the committee.  Substitutes typically are used to amend language in the original bill, frequently based on public testimony.  As you can see in the Bill Status section, few bills pass in their original form.

Today was the last day for bills that had a major fiscal impact to pass out of one of the fiscal committees (Appropriations, Ways & Means, etc).  Three of the nine gun bills still ubder consideration fall into this category.      SHB 1096 and SB 5831 appear to have passed out of their respective fiscal committees today.  SSB 5376 appears to have died in Senate Ways & Means.  (I say “:appears” because on-line posting of bill status has been slower than usual this session.)

All of the bills we are tracking are now resting in their respective Rules Committee, the holding place for bills awaiting a floor vote.  The chamber cut-off is in 12 days, 13 March.  At that time if a bill hasn’t been passed by the original chamber (House or Senate), it is considered dead for the session.  Once a bill passes out of its original chamber, it goes to the other side for the same series of policy committee hearings/action, fiscal committee action if required, and then up for another floor vote.

While awaiting a floor vote, additional amendments may be drafted and offered.  Without doubt such activity is taking place right now with SHB 1588, the universal background check bill.  It will be interesting to see what changes are offered in an attempt to gain enough votes to pass it out of the House.  SSB 5452 moved one step forward in Senate Rules and will likely be voted on early next week.  The other bills have until 13 March.

The Seattle Times this week reported formation of a new “citizens” group to promote gun control in Washington.  Dubbed the “Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility,”  the group appears to be backed by current and former Seattle City Councilcritters, as well as by Seattle fat-cat Ward Hanauer.  Where their money is a coming from is another matter.  Habauer is the initial sugar-daddy, but like the 1997 anti-gun initiative I-676, it’ll likely be Seattle-centered “limousine liberals in tasseled loafers” as the Spokane Spokesman Review called them, or liberal anti-gun foundations using their tax-exempt dollars to attack YOUR rights.  It wouldn’t surprise me to find New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s fingerprints on it as well.

They’ve hired a high-powered lobbyist, their own “hired gun,” Zach Silk, who ran last year’s successful legislative gay marriage lobbying campaign.  Ostensibly created to lobby the legislature to pass “responsible” gun legislation, they’re also threatening a initiative later this year if they can’t coerce Olympia into giving in to their demands.

A similar “citizens group” did the same thing in 1997 — after their pet bill to mandate gun storage failed, they ran an initiative calling for licensing of everyone in Washington who “possessed” a handgun (far broader than “owned”).  Seattle media polling indicated 65% support for the initiative, but a funny thing happened at the only poll that counts: on election day the initiative was defeated 71–29%.

 

 

BILL STATUS:

The following bills remain under consideration in the 2013 session

 

Bill #        Subject                                           Sponsor                       Status

SHB 1096   Juvi illegal firearm possession      Hurst (D-31)          H. Rules

SHB 1383   Stalking protection orders             Goodman (D-45)   H. Rules

SHB 1588  Background checks                        Pedersen (D-43)     H. Rules

SHB 1612   Firearm offender registry              Hope (R-44)          H. Rules

SHB 1839   Background checks                        Goodman (D-45)  H. Rules

SHB 1840   Firearms/restraining orders            Goodman (D-45)  H. Rules

 

SSB 5282   DSHS/WSP info exchange               Carrell (R-28)       S. Rules

SSB 5376   Juvi illegal firearm possession         Kline (D-37)         Died S. W&M

SSB 5452   Stalking protection orders               Conway (D-           S. Rules

SB 5831   Bans double tax on clay pigeons        Rivers (R-18)       S. Rules

Key to abbreviations:  SB = Senate Bill, HB = House Bill, Jud = Judiciary, L&J = Law & Justice, HS&C = Human Services & Corrections, Trans = Transportation, Approp = Appropriations, Early Learn = Early Learning and K-12 Education, W&M = Ways & Means

 

 

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

 

HB 1096      CONCERNS

HB 1383     CONCERNS

HB 1588     OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED

HB 1612     CONCERNS

HB 1839     SUPPORT

HB 1840     OPPOSE

 

SB 5282     SUPPORT

SB 5376     CONCERNS

SB 5452     CONCERNS

SB 5831     SUPPORT

 

 

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!!!

 

1-800-562-6000   TDD 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):

 

Puyallup             23-24 March

Monroe                 6-7 April

 

“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 Post2013-6

Legislative Update from Olympia 22 February 2013

NEW BILLS INTRODUCED

POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF — MOST GUN BILLS DIE

FISCAL COMMITTEE CUT-OFF NEXT FRIDAY

Two additional firearm-related bills were filed over the past week.SB
5739, by Sen. Ed Murray (D-43), would allow counties or cities to ban
firearms in public parks and other recreation areas.SB 5831, by Sen. Ann
Rivers (R-18), would prohibit double taxation of clay pigeons bought by
non-profit gun clubs who collect sales tax when selling rounds of
trap/skeet.SB 5739 was NOT scheduled for a public hearing.SB 5831 will
be heard in Senate Ways & Means next Tuesday (2/26).

Today is the first major culling of bills filedTo date, more than 2,800
bills have been filed for this legislative biennium (2013-14).Bills that
did not make it out of their original policy committee by the end of
business today are theoretically considered dead for the remainder of
the session.They may be reconsidered during any special session or in
the 2014 session.I say theoretically because the cut-offs are an
arbitrary date adopted at the beginning of a session.If sufficient
pressure is brought to bear, a bill may be resurrected.

The 2013 session sets a record: more than 30 firearm-related bills have
been filed.This is a first in the 20 years I have been lobbying in
Olympia.Eleven of the 30 are good bills, most of the rest are either
overtly bad or containing sections that do not protect the rights of gun
owners.

At this time it appears at least 18 bills failed to make the cut-off and
should be considered dead for the session.These include most of the
pro-gun bills and some of the bad ones as well.Again, a committee chair
has full discretion as to which bills he or she moves or lets die.

Ten firearm-related bills remain under consideration.In this issue of
GOAL Post I have listed ALL of the bills and their current status.Next
week I will delete those bills that died in committee.

Bills that have a fiscal impact on the state require a second hearing in
one of the legislative fiscal committees (House Appropriations or Fiscal
or Senate Ways & Means).This is to allow the legislature to identify
where the funding will come from to fund the bill’s requirements. Or
that’s the way it’s supposed to work!The last opportunity for these
bills to be heard in their original chamber (House or Senate) is next
Friday, 1 March.

Bills in the House or Senate Rules Committees sit there until leadership
decides they want to bring them to the floor for a full vote.In many
cases, they’re waiting on drafting of floor amendments.

While SB 5660, the bill that would require the Superintendant of Public
Instruction to develop a firearms safety education program along the
lines of the NRA’s “Eddie Eagle” program failed to pass out of
committee, a similar Senate Joint Memorial (SJM 8006) did
pass.Unfortunately, a Memorial can only recommend a course of action,
not require it.

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. Approp

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

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

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

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

HB 1383Stalking protection ordersGoodman (D-45)H. Rules

HB 1561Short barreled riflesBlake (D-19)DIED H. Jud

SHB 1588Background checksPedersen (D-43)H. Approp

HB 1612Firearm offender registryHope (R-44)H. Rules

HB 1676Mandatory safe storageKagi (D-32)DIED H. Jud

HB 1703Gun “safety” training and taxJinkins (D-27)DIED H. Jud

HB 1729Street gangsWarnick (R-13)DIED H. Jud

HB 1788Firearms/school employeesPike (R-18)DIED H. Jud

SHB 1839 Background checksGoodman (D-45)H. Rules

HB 1840Firearms/restraining ordersGoodman (D-45) H. Rules

HB 1908Firearms on school propertyScott (R-39)DIED H. Jud

SB 5282DSHS/WSP info exchangeCarrell (R-28)S. Rules

SB 5376Juvi illegal firearm possessionKline (D-37)S. W&M

SSB 5452Stalking protection ordersConway (D-S. Rules

SB 5478Firearms/mental health courtKeiser (D-33)DIED S. L&J

SB 5479Safekeeping of firearmsKeiser (D-33)DIED S. L&J

SB 5485Mandatory safe storageKline (D-37)DIED S. L&J

SB 5604NRA license platesHatfield (D-19)DIED S. Trans

HB 5625Background checksKline (D-37)DIED S. L&J

SB 5635Restoration of firearm rightsKline (D-37)DIED S. L&J

SB 5660Firearm safety educationChase (D-3)DIED S. Early Learn

SB 5710Mandatory safe storageKohl-Welles (D-46) DIED S. L&J

SB 5711Background checksKline (D-37)DIED S. L&J

SB 5737Ban on sale of “assault weapons”Murray (D-43)DIED S. L&J

SB 5739Ban on guns in parksMurray (D-43)DIED S. L&J

SB 5831Bans double tax on clay pigeonsRivers (R-18)S. W&M

Key to abbreviations:SB = Senate Bill, HB = House Bill, Jud = Judiciary,
L&J = Law & Justice, HS&C = Human Services & Corrections, Trans =
Transportation, Approp = Appropriations, Early Learn = Early Learning
and K-12 Education, W&M = Ways & Means

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

HB 1096CONCERNS

HB 1383CONCERNS

HB 1588OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED

HB 1612CONCERNS

HB 1839SUPPORT

HB 1840OPPOSE

SB 5282SUPPORT

SB 5376CONCERNS

SB 5452CONCERNS

SB 5831SUPPORT

HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

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):

Puyallup23-24 February

Puyallup23-24 March

“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 Post2013-5

Legislative Update from Olympia 15 February 2013

POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF NEXT FRIDAY

MORE NEW BILLS FILED

PUBLIC HEARINGS HELD

EXECUTIVE SESSION HELD

BILL(S) PASS OUT OF COMMITTEE

EXECUTIVE SESSION SCHEDULED

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

First, a brief tutorial on bill action.A committee chair has almost
total control over whether he or she chooses to act on a bill (there is
a procedure to “relieve a committee” of a bill, but it’s rarely
invoked).To move through the process, a bill must normally receive a
public hearing, where citizens (and lobbyists) have an opportunity to
testify orally or submit a written statement about a bill.After
consideration of the public input, the bill may be scheduled for
“executive action” (a vote out of committee, usually done in conjunction
with public hearings on other bills).This is typically when bills may be
amended to reflect approved changes.Again, it is the committee chair’s
call as to whether to move forward with a bill or not.If a bill is voted
out of committee, a “bill report” is published, outlining any changes,
summarizing testimony, and what the vote was (which legislators voted
“aye” or “no” to move the bill.A bill then goes to the Rules Committee
to await a pull to the full chamber (House or Senate) floor for a vote,
or to one of the fiscal committees if the bill has fiscal impact.

Next Friday is the first chamber policy committee cut-off.Nominally, all
bills that have failed to get a hearing and be voted out of the policy
committee are dead for the session (again, exceptions can be made).Most
of the gun bills filed this year have NOT had a public hearing and will
likely die next Friday (22 February).The following week I’ll cull the
“Bill Status” listing to reflect only those bills still in play — still
under consideration..

Several new bills were introduced this week (keep in mind there is only
one week left before the policy committee cut-off).HB 1839 by Rep. Roger
Goodman (D-45) completes the action taken two years ago when successful
completion of a federal NICS check was added to the requirement for
issue of a Concealed Pistol License.ATF approved Washington as a
NICS-alternative state, meaning anyone with a valid CPL issued on or
after 22 July 2011 did not have to undergo a new NICS check to purchase
a firearm.This final step amends Washington law to waive the NICS
check.HB 1840, also by Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45), expands the number of
restraining or protective orders that include prohibition of firearm
possession.HB 1908 by Rep. Elizabeth Scott (R-39) amends Washington’s
“gun free school zone” law to allow firearm possession by contract
security personnel and adds an exception for transiting school property
to enter hunting areas.SB 5737 by Sen. Ed Murray (D-43) is a reprise of
the “assault weapon” ban bill that failed to pass out of committee
several years ago, with a new twist: it bans ANY barrel with a threaded
muzzle than can accept a suppressor.Duh!Suppressors are LEGAL in
Washington, Senator..

One I missed last week was SB 5660 by Sen. Maralyn Chase (D-32) that
would mandate an Eddie Eagle-style firearms training program starting in
school year 2014-15.One problem: the bill requires the program be
targeted at the K-12 level.Eddie Eagle is a gun avoidance program
intended to be presented to K-6 students.What 7-12 students need is the
NRA’s Home Firearm Safety program.

Public hearings were conducted on several bills this past week.The big
one was in House Judiciary on Wednesday, when testimony was taken on HBs
1147 (juvenile possession), 1588 (background checks), 1612 (firearm
offender registry) and 1676 (mandatory safe storage).HB 1588 drew most
of the attention, with opponents calling attention to several flaws in
the bill that would make it impossible to enforce.A substitute version
taking some of those issues into consideration was offered, but the
problems persist. Supposedly work is underway to further amend the
bill.Turnout for the hearing was significant, with an extra room opened
for the overflow.About 2/3 of the attendees were pro-gun, the remaining
third anti or supporting the bad bills.Something to keep in mind:most of
the anti-gun attendees were there on their boss’s dime, drawing full pay
to be there.Most pro-gun attendees had to take time off from work to
participate.Which one demonstrates greater commitment to their side of
the issue? The Senate Law & Justice Committee also held a public hearing
today on SB 5479 (law enforcement “safekeeping” of firearms).

On February 12th, the House Judiciary Committee passed a substitute
version of HB 1096 (juvenile illegal firearm possession).Changes to
address our concerns were made in the substitute bill, however our
concerns about proper application of the bill remain.. The bill now goes
to House Appropriations because of its potential fiscal impact. It also
passed a substitute version of HB 1383 (stalking/protection orders),
also addressing some of our concerns, but concerns remain.

At this time, the only bill scheduled for executive session (a committee
vote) is an amended version of HB 1588.

Public hearings are scheduled for three bills next week:HBs 1839 and
1840 and SB 5660.See details below.

public hearingsUnfortunately, at least two meetings of the Senate Law &
Justice Committee have no scheduled bills to be heard in public
testimony at this time.

SB 5660Sen EL2/21 1730

ph1096approp1530 2/21

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. Approp

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 1383Stalking protection ordersGoodman (D-45)H. Jud

HB 1561Short barreled riflesBlake (D-19)H. Jud

HB 1588Background checksPedersen (D-43)H. Jud

HB 1612Firearm offender registryHope (R-44)H. Jud

HB 1676Mandatory safe storageKagi (D-32)H. Jud

HB 1703Gun “safety” training and taxJinkins (D-27)H. Jud

HB 1729Street gangsWarnick (R-13)H. Jud

HB 1788Firearms/school employeesPike (R-18)H. Jud

HB 1839Background checksGoodman (D-45)H. Jud

HB 1840Firearms/restraining ordersGoodman (D-45)H. Jud

HB 1908firearms on school propertyScott (R-39)H. Jud

SB 5282DSHS/WSP info exchangeCarrell (R-28)S. HS&C

SB 5376Juvi illegal firearm possessionKline (D-37)S. HS&C

SB 5452Stalking protection ordersConway (D-S. HS&C

SB 5478Firearms/mental health courtKeiser (D-33)S. L&J

SB 5479Safekeeping of firearmsKeiser (D-33)S. L&J

SB 5485Mandatory safe storageKline (D-37)S. L&J

SB 5604NRA license platesHatfield (D-19)S. Trans

HB 5625Background checksKline (D-37)S. L&J

SB 5635Restoration of firearm rightsKline (D-37)S. L&J

SB 5660Firearm safety educationChase (D-3)S. Early Learn

SB 5711Background checksKline (D-37)S. L&J

SB 5737Ban on sale of “assault weapons”Murray (D-43)S. L&J

Key to abbreviations:SB = Senate Bill, HB = House Bill, Jud = Judiciary,
L&J = Law & Justice, HS&C = Human Services & Corrections, Trans =
Transportation, Approp = Appropriations, Early Learn = Early Learning
and K-12 Education

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

HB 1096CONCERNS

HB 1147CONCERNS

HB 1184SUPPORT

HB 1318SUPPORT

HB 1371SUPPORT

HB 1383CONCERNS

HB 1561SUPPORT

HB 1588AWAITING AMENDMENTS

HB 1612CONCERNS

HB 1676OPPOSE

HB 1703OPPOSE

HB 1729SUPPORT

HB 1788SUPPORT

HB 1839SUPPORT

HB 1840OPPOSE

HB 1908SUPPORT

SB 5282SUPPORT

SB 5376CONCERNS

SB 5452CONCERNS

SB 5478CONCERNS

SB 5479OPPOSE

SB 5485OPPOSE

SB 5604NEUTRAL

SB 5625OPPOSE

SB 5635OPPOSE

SB 5660SUPPORT

SB 5711OPPOSE

SB 5737OPPOSE

HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

20 FebHBs 1839, 1840House Judiciary Committee

8:00 a.m.House Hearing Room “A”John L. O’Brien Office Building

21 FebSB 5660Senate Committee on Early Learning and K-12

5:30 p.m.Senate Hearing Room “1”John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building

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 Post 2013-4

Legislative Update from Olympia 8 February 2013

SEVERAL NEW BILLS FILED

TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

TURNOUT NEEDED IN OLYMPIA

At least eight new gun bills were filed, good and bad.HB 1676 by Rep.
Ruth Kagi (D-32) is another mandatory safe storage bill similar to the
1997 “Whitney Graves” bill.HB 1703 by Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D-27) is
interesting: it imposes a $25 tax per transfer of any firearm, as well
as a tax of one cent per round of ammunition sold… to fund a
state-developed firearms safety training program.Between this and HB
1588/SB 5625, that’s a $45 tax on EVERY firearm transferred.HB 1729 by
Rep. Judy Warnick (R-13) adds penalties to street gang members found
with firearms, and HB 1788 by Rep. Liz Pike (R-18) would allow qualified
school personnel to carry on campus.

On the Senate side, SB 5604 by Sen. Brian Hatfield (D-19) would
authorize an NRA license plate.(I’ll just say it once: I believe we’d be
better off with a generic “Second Amendment” plate — it’s harder to
criticize the Bill of Rights.)SBs 5625 and 5711 by Sen. Adam Kline
(D-37) are similar to HB 1588 — they require ALL firearm transfers to
be conducted by an FFL or by law enforcement, with resulting record
keeping (de facto registration) AND a $20 transfer fee (tax). SB 5635,
also by Sen. Kline, makes it harder for firearm rights to be restored.

Two public hearings are scheduled for next week.On Wednesday, 13
February at 8:00 a.m., the House Judiciary will take public testimony on
HBs 1147, 1588, 1612 and 1676.On Friday, 15 February also at 8:00 a.m.,
the Senate Law & Justice Committee will conduct a public hearing on SB 5479.

If at all possible, PLEASE try to attend the House Judiciary hearing on
Wednesday.It’s important that we get as large a pro-gun turn-out as
possible to demonstrate our opposition to HBs 1588 and 1676.HB 1588,
especially, as it creates a de facto gun registration system in
Washington.There are ways to conduct background checks that DO NOT
retain data on the transfer.If they want background checks, run a pure
background check bill.If they want registration, call it that and let’s
debate it.

If you can’t attend the hearing, please write to your Representatives
AND to the members of the Judiciary Committee and go on record with your
opposition to these two bills.Links to legislator contact information:

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

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

House Judiciary Committee:

Rep, Jaime Pedersen (D-43)[email protected]

Rep. Drew Hansen (D-23) [email protected]

Rep. Jay Rodne (R-5)[email protected]

Rep. Steve O’Ban (R-28)[email protected]

Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45)[email protected]

Rep. Mike Hope (R-44)[email protected]

Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D-27)[email protected]

Rep. Steve Kirby (D-29)[email protected]

Rep. Brad Klippert (R-8)[email protected]

Rep. Terry Nealey (R-16)[email protected]

Rep. Tina Orwall (D-33)[email protected]

Rep. Mary Helen Roberts (D-21)[email protected]

Rep. Matt Shea (R-4)[email protected]

In the “GOAL Position” vbseveral bills are marked “CONCERNS.”As
mentioned previously, the concerns are based on how the bill might be
improperly enforced and ensnare an individual that the bill was never
intended to trap.There is a lot of judicial and prosecutorial
flexibility in the system, theoretically enough to preclude this from
happening.That’s in a perfect world.We don’t live in a perfect world.

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 1383Stalking protection ordersGoodman (D-45)H. Jud

HB 1561Short barreled riflesBlake (D-19)H. Jud

HB 1588Background checksPedersen (D-43)H. Jud

HB 1612Firearm offender registryHope (R-44)H. Jud

HB 1676Mandatory safe storageKagi (D-32)H. Jud

HB 1703Gun “safety” training and taxJinkins (D-27)H. Jud

HB 1729Street gangsWarnick (R-13)H. Jud

HB 1788Firearms/school employeesPike (R-18) H. Jud

SB 5282DSHS/WSP info exchangeCarrell (R-28)S. HS&C

SB 5376Juvi illegal firearm possessionKline (D-37)S. HS&C

SB 5452Stalking protection ordersConway (D-S. HS&C

SB 5478Firearms/mental health courtKeiser (D-33)S. L&J

SB 5479Safekeeping of firearmsKeiser (D-33)S. L&J

SB 5485Mandatory safe storageKline (D-37)S. L&J

SB 5604NRA license platesHatfield (D-19)S. Trans

HB 5625Background checksKline (D-37)S. L&J

SB 5635Restoration of firearm rightsKline (D-37)S. L&J

SB 5711Background checksKline (D-37)S. L&J

Key to abbreviations:SB = Senate Bill, HB = House Bill, Jud = Judiciary,
L&J = Law & Justice, HS&C = Human Services & Corrections, Trans =
Transportation

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

HB 1096CONCERNS

HB 1147CONCERNS

HB 1184SUPPORT

HB 1318SUPPORT

HB 1371SUPPORT

HB 1383CONCERNS

HB 1561SUPPORT

HB 1588OPPOSE

HB 1612CONCERNS

HB 1676OPPOSE

HB 1703OPPOSE

HB 1729SUPPORT

HB 1788SUPPORT

SB 5282SUPPORT

SB 5376CONCERNS

SB 5452CONCERNS

SB 5478CONCERNS

SB 5479OPPOSE

SB 5485OPPOSE

SB 5604NEUTRAL

SB 5625OPPOSE

SB 5635OPPOSE ?

SB 5711OPPOSE

HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

13 FebHBs 1147, 1676, 1588, 1612House Judiciary Committee

8:00 a.m.House Hearing Room “A”John L. O’Brien House Office Building

15 FebSB 5479Senate Law & Justice Committee

8:00 a..m.Senate Hearing Room “1”John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building

7 FebHB 1383House Judiciary Committee

1:30 p.m.House Hearing Room “A”John L. O’Brien House Office Building

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 Post 2013-3

Legislative Update from Olympia1 February 2013

NUMEROUS NEW GUN BILLS FILED

STAND BY FOR GUN REGISTRATION

FOUR NEW PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

ABOUT PUBLIC HEARINGS

LEGISLATOR CONTACT INFO

Seven new gun-related bills were filed in Olympia this week.HB 1561, by
Rep. Brian Blake (D-19), would reauthorize possession of short barreled
rifles, provided federal requirements were met.We lost this one in the
1994 rewrite of state firearms code. HB 1588, by Rep. Jaime Pedersen
(D-43), nominally calls for background checks on ALL firearm transfers
in Washington.More on this one a few paragraphs below.HB 1612, by Rep.
Mike Hope (R-44), would create a “firearm offender” registry, similar to
the current sex offender registry.Sounds nice, but sex offenses and
firearms offenses are two entirely different kinds of violation.SB 5376,
by Sen. Adam Kline (D-37) is the Senate counterpart (duplicate) to HB
1096.SB 5452, by Sen. Steve Conway (D-29), is the Senate counterpart to
HB 1383, adding firearm restrictions to those subject of a stalking
protection order.SB 5479, by Sen. Karen Keiser (D-33), a bizarre bill
that creates a system whereby firearms may be “voluntarily” surrendered
to law enforcement authorities for safekeeping for a 30-day period,
subject to extensions.While the term “voluntarily” appears several times
in the bill, it appears to allow family members and mental health
professionals to “recommend” surrender.A firearm not properly returned
to the legal owner may be “disposed of in accordance with agency
procedures” (usually destruction).SB 5483, by Sen. Adam Kline (D-37) is
another firearms safe storage bill that — technically at least — does
not “mandate” safe storage of a firearm, but imposes severe penalties,
up to a Class “C” felony, if an unauthorized person access your firearm(s).

Several bills are being run this session in an attempt to identify and
control the possession of firearms by prohibited persons, be they gang
members or mentally incompetent or juveniles… and occasionally the
otherwise innocent young person with a gun.The problem with bills
written so tightly as to catch ALL offenders is that they also catch
some people the law was never intended to catch, or where no criminal
intent existed.I have listed the GOAL Position on these bills as
“CONCERNS” in the hope that the bill sponsor will accept recommended
amendments to ensure the bill stays focused on the bad guys.”Concerns”
is NOT an endorsement of the bill.

A long time ago (and it seems in a land far away), then-Senate Majority
Leader Lyndon Johnson made this observation about bills/proposed
laws:”It is better to consider a bill in light of the HARM it will do if
IMPROPERLY administered, rather than in light of the GOOD it will do if
PROPERLY administered.”Far be it from me to accuse legislators of
intentionally passing misleading bills.But consider the 1970s RICO
(racketeering) statute, supposedly targeting organized crime, and how it
has been misapplied over the decades.It’s called the law of unintended
consequences, and the wrong people can be — and have been — harmed by it.

I expect several more extreme gun control bills to be offered during the
session, but at this point HB 1588 is the most dangerous bill under
consideration.Using classic bait & switch tactics (just as at the
federal level), HB 1588 nominally requires background checks — only —
of any firearm transferred in Washington state.It also allows up to a
$20 “fee” (tax?) for such background check.What this really is is a
firearm registration bill in disguise.Two methods of background check
are offered: processing by a federally-licensed firearms dealer (FFL) or
visit your local police or sheriff’s station and have them run a
background check.For an FFL to conduct a NICS background check on a
transfer, he or she must first log the firearm into the business’s
“bound book,”Then the buyer must fill out a Form 4473 before the
call.Between the bound book and the 4473, a permanent record of the
firearm and the buyer is created, subject to ATF inspection upon
demand.(If the buyer fails the background check, the FFL CANNOT return
your firearm to you until after another NICS check is conducted — on
you, with suitable fee.)

The second method is to ask your local police to do the check for
you.The bill mandates a form similar to the current state “white” form
used on all handgun transfers, complete with description of the buyer
and the firearm.Two problems here:the big one is that there is no
prohibition on law enforcement, or the Department of Licensing, from
keeping the records, either the form itself or transferred to a computer
data base. We call that “registration,” as in the State Pistol
Registry.The second problem here is that under federal law, local
agencies do not have legal access to NICS for simple transfers.

Let there be no doubt in your mind, HB 1588, and similar bills to be
offered at the federal level, are after one thing only: gun
registration.If they want to debate registration, by all means do so.But
call it what it is.Don’t try to sell it under a false flag, and one that
is likely to gain widespread support even among gun owners. There ARE
ways to conduct background checks WITHOUT the record-keeping. We showed
them that in Olympia twice in the past decade.They rejected it, and
admitted that what they wanted was the “audit trail” — the paperwork.

Four public hearings are scheduled next week on bills of gun owner
interest.The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on HB 1383
(Stalking) at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, 7 February in House Hearing Room
“A.”The Senate Human Services & Corrections Committee will hear THREE
bills next week: SBs 5282 (DSHS/WSP data exchange) and 5452 (Stalking)
at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 5 February in Senate Hearing Room 1.SB 5376 (Juvi
firearms) will be heard at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 7 February, also in
Senate Hearing Room “1.”

Public hearings 101.A public hearing is exactly that — an opportunity
for the public to provide input on bills under consideration.Each bill
starts with an explanation of the bill’s effect by committee staff, then
a statement by the bill’s prime sponsor.It is then opened to public
input, controlled by the committee chair.If you want to speak on a bill,
you must sign up prior to the hearing.Tables just outside or inside the
hearing room have sign-up sheets available.You can also sign on and
state your position on a bill (“pro” = support, “con” = oppose) without
giving public testimony.Public testimony is usually limited to a maximum
of three minutes, to allow as many as possible to speak, so keep your
testimony to one or two points.Start with your name, any organization
you might represent (you must be a designated representative, NOT just a
member), and your home town.In short, simple terms explain why you
support or oppose the bill.Do not repeat earlier testimony if another
person has made that point and do NOT attack or criticize people on the
other side of the issue.You may also leave a written copy of your
testimony with staff.

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 1383Stalking protection ordersGoodman (D-45)H. Jud

HB 1561Short barreled riflesBlake (D-19)H. Jud

HB 1588Background checksPedersen (D-43)H. Jud

HB 1612Firearm offender registryHope (R-44)H. Jud

SB 5282DSHS/WSP info exchangeCarrell (R-28)S. HS&C

SB 5376Juvi illegal firearm possessionKline (D-37)S. HS&C

SB 5452Stalking protection ordersConway (D-S. HS&C

SB 5479Safekeeping of firearmsKeiser (D-33)S. L&J

SB 5485Mandatory safe storageKline (D-37)S. L&J

Key to abbreviations:SB = Senate Bill, HB = House Bill, Jud = Judiciary,
L&J = Law & Justice, HS&C = Human Services & Corrections

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

HB 1096CONCERNS

HB 1147CONCERNS

HB 1184SUPPORT

HB 1318SUPPORT

HB 1371SUPPORT

HB 1383UNDER REVIEW

HB 1561SUPPORT

HB 1588OPPOSE

HB 1612OPPOSE

SB 5282SUPPORT

SB 5376CONCERNS

SB 5452CONCERNS

SB 5479OPPOSE

SB 5485OPPOSE

HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

5 FebSBs 5282 & 5452Senate Human Services & Corrections Committee

10:00 a.m.Senate Hearing Room “1”John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building

7 FebSB 5376Senate Human Services & Corrections Committee

10:00 a..m.Senate Hearing Room “1”John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building

7 FebHB 1383House Judiciary Committee

1:30 p.m.House Hearing Room “A”John L. O’Brien House Office Building

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 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
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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