Year: 2015

GOAL Post	2015-14
Legislative Update from Olympia	10 April 2015

NRA ANNUAL MEETING AND CONVENTION IN NASHVILLE

7 APR  FISCAL COMMITTEE CUT-OFF

BILLS MOVE

15 APR CHAMBER CUT-OFF

BUDGET ISSUE:  DOL FUNDING

 

This issue of the GOAL Post is late because I was in Nashville along with 78.864 other NRA members attending the NRA annual meeting and convention (I helped staff the Second Amendment Foundation booth.)  Also in attendance were 13 Republican presidential hopefuls, each of whom was given ten minutes to explain to NRA members why they would be the best choice for gun owners next year.

The only absent face was Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, whose absence was explained by conflicting reasons.

No matter the reason, libertarian-leaning Senator Paul is probably closer to the top of the list than the bottom when it comes to Second Amendment support.

Tuesday, 7 April was the second chamber fiscal committee cut-off.

The only bill affected was ESHB 1713.

ESHB 1713 passed out of the Senate Ways & Means Committee and now awaits a vote of the full Senate.

SSB 5381 was amended on the House floor and passed the House on a 97-0 vote (one member excused).

That bill now awaits Senate concurrence in the House changes.

SSB 5658 still awaits a floor vote in the House.

(When a bill is amended in the opposite house (Senate bill in the House, House bill in the Senate), if/after passing the second chamber it must go back to the original chamber for a concurrence vote (agreeing with the other side’s change).

If the original chamber does NOT concur, it has to go to a conference committee, made up of members from BOTH chambers to iron out the details, then to a concurrence vote by both chambers.

Nobody said it was easy!)

The next cut-off is Wednesday, 15 April, when all bills must pass their second chamber.

At this point it only affects ESHB 1713 and SSB 5658.

A new issue has popped up:  a budget line item giving the Department of Licensing $184,000 for the biennium to fund additional personnel to handle the increased workload generated by I-594.

We’re trying to get it deleted, as it was not a part of the actual initiative language.

BILL STATUS:

*ESHB 1713 Neutral	Mental health/guns	Cody (D-34)	S. Rules
*SSB 5381 NEUTRAL	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Billig (D-3)	S. Rules
SB 5658 NEUTRAL	Reporting of mental health commitment	Dansel (R-7)	H. Rules

* indicates change in status this week

ESHB = Engrossed Substitute House Bill, SHB/SSB = Substitute Bill (bill amended in committee), HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Aprop = House Appropriations, H. Jud. = House Judiciary, S. L&J = Senate Law & Justice, S. HumSer = Senate Human Services, Mental Health & Housing

HEARING(S) SCHEDULED:

None

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

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

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 FREE. 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 (snail) 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 list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Puyallup 25-26 April
Monroe 2-3 May

“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 2015 Gun Owners Action League of WA

GOAL Post	2015-13
Legislative Update from Olympia	03 April 2015

SECOND CHAMBER POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF PASSES

HB 1713 AMENDED, PASSED OUT OF COMMITTEE

23 DAYS REMAINING IN REGULAR SESSION

The second chamber policy committee cut-off date (House bills in Senate, Senate bills in House) passed Wednesday, 1 April.  The three bills we are currently following have all passed out of their policy committees.

ESHB 1713, the bill that would add chemical dependency to the list of firearm disqualifiers, was amended in the Senate Human Services Committee to delete firearm-related language. At this point the bill has no impact from a firearms perspective.

ESHB 1713 still has to clear the Senate Ways & Means Committee because of its fiscal impact. SBs 5381 and 5658 are in House Rules awaiting a full House vote. That should happen in the next week.

The session is winding down. The principal controversy at this point is the split between the Senate and House budget bills. That’s the reason for the long (105) day session. The Republican-controlled Senate has planned what is essentially a balanced budget. The Democrat-controlled House (and Governor Inslee) want more than $1 BILLION in tax increases. Surprise, surprise!

BILL STATUS:

*ESHB 1713 Neutral	Mental health/guns	Cody (D-34)	S. W&M
SSB 5381 NEUTRAL	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Billig (D-3)	H. Rules
SB 5658 NEUTRAL	Reporting of mental health commitment	Dansel (R-7)	H. Rules

* indicates change in status this week

ESHB = Engrossed Substitute House Bill, SHB/SSB = Substitute Bill (bill amended in committee), HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Aprop = House Appropriations, H. Jud. = House Judiciary, S. L&J = Senate Law & Justice, S. HumSer = Senate Human Services, Mental Health & Housing

HEARING(S) SCHEDULED:

None

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

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

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 FREE.  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 (snail) 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 list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Monroe              4 April (Saturday only)
Puyallup            25-26 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 2015 Gun Owners Action League of WA

GOAL Post	2015-11
Legislative Update from Olympia	20 March 2015

ESHB 1713 SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING

HOUSE JUDICIARY TO VOTE ON SSB/SB 5381 AND 5658

ATF “BACKDOWN”

ATF DIRECTOR B. TODD JONES RESIGNS

FORMER DIRNSA/CIA ON THE VULNERABILITY TO TERRORIST ATTACK

A public hearing on Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1713 has been scheduled in Senate Human Services and Mental Health at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 24 March.   Essentially, the bill adds “chemical dependency” (including alcohol) to the existing mental health commitment program.  This increases the opportunity, beyond existing law, for the state to take away an individual’s fundamental right to own a firearm.  The bill treats substance “use” essentially the same as “abuse,” with insufficient safeguards for protecting rights.

Public hearings were held on SSB 5381 and SB 5658 this week.  Both bills are scheduled for executive session (committee vote) in House Judiciary on Thursday, 26 March.  An amendment will be offered for SSB 5381 that should resolve any remaining issues with the bill.

A few readers challenged my assertion last week that ATF’s backdown on 5.56 M855 ammo was only temporary, and that — like The Terminator — “they would be back.” In effect, I was raining on the gun lobby’s victory parade.

This was ATF appearing to back down on Tuesday, 10 March:

http://www.atf.gov/press/releases/2015-03-021015-advisory-notice-those-commenting-armor-piercing-ammunition-exemption-framework.html

And this is ATF Director B. Todd Jones to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, 12 March:

http://bearingarms.com/atf-chief-suggests-5-56-ammo-threat-law-enforcement/

And note that he wants to work with Congress to “fix” the 1986 law.  He clearly stated he thought ALL 5.56mm ammunition posed a threat to police officers.  If you think Jones’ “fix” is going to make it better for gun owners, promises for transparency and taking into account public input notwithstanding, well… you decide .

While I still question the motives of some in the ATF bureaucracy, you won’t have to worry about ATF Director B. Todd Jones much longer.  In a surprise announcement this morning (his departure had been rumored for a week or longer), Jones announced he’s resigning from the ATF directorship effective 31 March.  The official line is he is resigning “to pursue other opportunities in the private sector.”  Rumor has it he will become a senior counsel — possible general counsel — for the NFL.  Stand by for political manipulation within the NFL?  I guess the jump from FFLs to NFL isn’t that big a leap.

At this time Deputy Director Thomas Brandon will take the helm.  Brandon was the ATF’s choice to be clean-up (cover-up?) man heading the Phoenix Field Division following the Fast & Furious debacle.  We — and Congress — are still awaiting the final report on that one.

On a separate topic, retired USAF General Michael Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency and the CIA, in comments made after the Tunisia museum attack earlier this week, warned that this kind of low level attack could happen at any soft target in the U.S.  This comes on the heels of FBI Director James Comey warning there are active ISIS or ISIS-sympathizer cells active in all 50 states — and the White House claiming we are at our safest since 9/11/01.

This is the one kind of attack where the armed citizen can make a critical difference — the immediate responder that is already on the scene, not minutes away as are police.  Are YOU carrying today?  Every day?

BILL STATUS:

ESHB 1713 OPPOSE	Mental health/guns	Cody (D-34)	S. HumServ
SSB 5381 NEUTRAL	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Billig (D-3)	H. Judiciary
SB 5658 NEUTRAL	Reporting of mental health commitment	Dansel (R-7)	H. Judiciary

* indicates change in status this week

ESHB = Engrossed Substitute House Bill, SHB/SSB = Substitute Bill (bill amended in committee), HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Aprop = House Appropriations, H. Jud. = House Judiciary, S. L&J = Senate Law & Justice, S. HumSer = Senate Human Services, Mental Health & Housing

HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

ESHB 1713 23 Mar

S. HumSer 1000

Senate Hearing Room “?”

John A. Cherberg Office 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 list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Puyallup          21-22 March

Monroe            4 April (Saturday only)

“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 2015 Gun Owners Action League of WA

GOAL Post	2015-10
Legislative Update from Olympia	13 March 2015

CHAMBER CUT-OFF

THREE BILLS STILL ALIVE

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

ON/OFF/ON AGAIN ATF AMMO BAN

The original chamber cut-off passed Wednesday evening.  Eight bills died at that point (see “BILL STATUS” below).

Three bills remain under consideration for the remainder of the session, ESHB 1731 (mental health/guns), SSB 5381 (return of firearms) and SB 5658 (reporting mental health commitment).  The only bill of concern remains ESHB 1713.  As originally introduced, it would have treated any person deemed to have a chemical dependency (alcohol!) the same as a mental health involuntary commitment, with loss of firearm rights.  The bill was amended in the House Judiciary committee(SHB 1713), and finally on the House floor (ESHB 1713).  The current version is better than the original, but is still unacceptable, as it incorporates federal disqualifiers (firearms prohibitions) into state law.

Two public hearings on bills are scheduled in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday (SSB 5381) and Wednesday (SSB 5658).

In a fine example of a federal kubuki dance, early in the week the ATF announced it was backing down on its reclassification of M855 ammunition as armor piercing — and thus adding it to the “ban” list.  Then on Thursday, they announced they were reviewing ALL 5.56x45mm surplus ammunition because it posed a potential danger to police officers (allegedly because of the increasing number of AR-based handguns on the market).  But not commercial .223 ammunition.  Exactly what is the difference between 5.56mm M193 and commercial .223 55gr FMJ ammunition?  Both use the same projectile, the original 55 grain FMJ bullet introduced with the M16 family of firearms back around 1963.  Law enforcement organizations have publicly stated that 5.56 military surplus ammunition does NOT pose a unique threat to officers… but what do they know?

Apparently what happened is the ATF received overwhelming opposition to its M855 ban, from industry, from law enforcement, from the public and from Congress, so they backed down.  But someone forgot to give the memo to the White House, and President Obama still wants a 5.56mm ammo ban.  So the games continue.  Meanwhile we’re looking at another shortage of 5.56mm ammunition as gun owners clean dealers’ shelves.  Again.  (Everyone DOES keep 500 rounds on hand for all the guns you own, yes?)

BILL STATUS:

Bill #	Subject	Prime sponsor	Status
*ESHB 1713 OPPOSE	Mental health/guns	Cody (D-34)	Passed House, S. HumServ
*HB 1731 OPPOSE	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Ormsby (D-3)	Died
*SB 5036 NEUTRAL	Penalizes criminal misuse of body armor	O’Ban (R-28)	Died
*SSB 5381 NEUTRAL	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Billig (D-3)	H. Judiciary
SB 5500 SUPPORT	Allows retired LEOs to carry on school grounds	Roach (R-31)	Died
SB 5539 SUPPORT	Exempts LEO’s from three day waiting period	Roach (R-31)	Died
SSB 5579 SUPPORT	Exempts licensed security guards from b/g checks	Dammeier (R-25)	Died
SB 5615 SUPPORT	Exempts military members from b/g checks	Benton (R-17)	Died
*SB 5658 NEUTRAL	Reporting of mental health commitment	Dansel (R-7)	H. Judiciary
SB 5831 Support	Restoration of firearm rights	Honeyford (R-15)	Died
SSB 6015 Support	NRA License Plate	Roach (R-31)	Died

* indicates change in status this week

ESHB = Engrossed Substitute House Bill, SHB/SSB = Substitute Bill (bill amended in committee), HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Aprop = House Appropriations, H. Jud. = House Judiciary, S. L&J = Senate Law & Justice, S. HumSer = Senate Human Services, Mental Health & Housing

HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

SSB 5381 17 Mar 2015	H. Judiciary 1030	House Hearing Room A	John L. O’Brien Office Bldg
SB 5658 18 Mar 2015	H. Judiciary 0830	House Hearing Room A	John L. O’Brien Office 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 list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Puyallup         21-22 March

Monroe             4 April (Saturday only)

“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 2015 Gun Owners Action League of WA

 

GOAL Post	2015-9
Legislative Update from Olympia	06 March 2015

FREEDOM AGENDA

BILLS LIVE, DIE

FIVE DAYS UNTIL CHAMBER CUT-OFF

PROCESS STARTS OVER NEXT THURSDAY

I normally don’t cover non-firearm-related bills, but I’ll mention these two just once.  Two bills, part of the “Freedom Agenda” push by conservative legislators, have passed out of the House.  HB 1440, by Rep. David Taylor (R-15) prohibits the use of various cellphone collection technologies without authorization by a warrant, or consent by the cellphone user.  Among these is the so-called “Stingray” device, a cellphone signal interceptor.  HB 1639, also by Rep. Taylor, essentially does the same for unattended aerial vehicles (drones).  No warrant, no lookee — or at least no entry as evidence into court.   1639 also creates a “cause of action” whereby a citizen may sue if he/she feels his/her rights have been violated.  Both reaffirm the need for a warrant before this emerging technology is used in collecting information/evidence from citizens.

The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that the protections of the Bill of Rights extend to new technologies (as Justice Scalia did in his majority opinion in the Heller (2008) case, noting that the Second Amendment protects new firearm technologies such as “assault weapons.), but it’s nice to see the state legislature reaffirm this principle.  On the down side, they allow exceptions for “emergencies.”  The extent to which this will be abused remains to be seen.  I’m NOT adding either bill to the BILL STATUS column.

All the action is still on the House and Senate floors, with bills being voted up or down.  An asterisk in front of the bill number indicates action taken this week, and the “Status” at the end of that line indicates where the bill currently sits.  Opposite chamber assignments are as noted.  HB 1731 has been moved to the House “X”-file, typically the holding pattern until next session — an unusual move in mid-session.  The watered down Senate companion bill, SB 5381 passed the Senate and now sits in House Judiciary for the second half of the session.

There are five days left until the chamber cut-off   — Wednesday, 11 March at 5 p.m., the day all bills must pass their original chamber and move to the other side.  Despite marathon floor sessions, some bills simply won’t make the deadline.  To paraphrase Matthew 22:14, many bills are filed but few are passed.  (Even those few are probably too many.)

Next Thursday, 12 March, the whole process starts over again, with House bills being heard in the Senate and Senate bills in the House.  They have to pass a policy committee, possibly a fiscal committee, then move on for a floor vote in the entire House or Senate.  Bills that pass without amendment go direct to Governor Inslee for his action — sign, veto, partial veto, or allow to become law without his signature.  Bills that are amended on the opposite side must be returned to the originating chamber for approval or a conference committee.

BILL STATUS:

Bill #	Subject	Prime sponsor	Status
*SHB 1713 OPPOSE	Mental health/guns	Cody (D-34)	H. Rules
*HB 1731 OPPOSE	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Ormsby (D-3)	“X”-file
SB 5036 NEUTRAL	Penalizes criminal misuse of body armor	O’Ban (R-28)	S. Rules
*SSB 5381 NEUTRAL	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Billig (D-3)	H. Judiciary
SB 5500 SUPPORT	Allows retired LEOs to carry on school grounds	Roach (R-31)	S. Rules
SB 5539 SUPPORT	Exempts LEO’s from three day waiting period	Roach (R-31)	S. Rules
SSB 5579 SUPPORT	Exempts licensed security guards from b/g checks	Dammeier (R-25)	S. Rules
SB 5615 SUPPORT	Exempts military members from b/g checks	Benton (R-17)	S. Rules
*SB 5658 NEUTRAL	Reporting of mental health commitment	Dansel (R-7)	Passed Senate
SB 5831 Support	Restoration of firearm rights	Honeyford (R-15)	S. Rules
SSB 6015 Support	NRA License Plate	Roach (R-31)	S. Rules

* indicates change in status this week

SHB/SSB = Substitute Bill (bill amended in committee), HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Aprop = House Appropriations, H. Jud. = House Judiciary, S. L&J = Senate Law & Justice, H. Ag/NatRes = House Agriculture & Natural Resources, S. NatRes/Parks = Senate Natural Resources & Parks, S. Hum Ser = Senate Human Services, Mental Health & Housing, H. GenGov = House General Government & Info Technology, S. Trans = Senate Transportation

HEARINGS 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 list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Puyallup 21-22 March

Monroe 4 April (Saturday only)

“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 2015 Gun Owners Action League of WA

 

GOAL Post	2015-8
Legislative Update from Olympia	28 February 2015

FISCAL COMMITTEE CUT-OFF

TWELVE SURVIVE

CHAMBER CUT-OFF 11 MARCH

FOCUS SHIFTS TO FLOOR ACTION

NO PUBLIC HEARINGS ON BILLS

Today is the fiscal committee cut-off for those bills that required the legislature to identify a funding source if the bill was to proceed.  As with the policy committee cut-off, bills that did not pass out of committee are considered dead for the session — probably.

Eleven bills remain under consideration.  Most are in their respective Rules Committees awaiting a floor vote.  Substitute Senate Bill (SSB) 5381 (return of firearms held by law enforcement) passed out of the Senate on a 49-0 vote.  The substitute bill cleared away our objections to the bill, although the House counterpart, HB 1731 is still unacceptable in its current form.

Wednesday, 11 March is the chamber cut-off for the 2015 Regular Session.  By 5 p.m. on the 11th, all House Bills must pass the House, Senate bills pass the Senate, for the bills to remain in play for the session.  This will result in another major culling of bills as the legislators simply run out of time to vote on more bills

The focus for the next 12 days will be on activity (voting) on the House and Senate floors — the entire chamber voting to pass bills.  There will be a few committee hearings but you can expect the full House and Senate to be on their respective chamber floors for most of the day (and some evenings) until 5 p.m. on the 11th.  If you can find the time, this is a great opportunity to see the entire House or Senate debating and voting on bills on the floor.  (They typically run bills in batches — maybe a dozen or more bill votes, then they recess and go into their caucus (Republican and Democrat) rooms to discuss the party position on the next batch of bills.

There are no more public hearings on bills of interest until after the 11 March chamber cut-off.  The process then starts all over again, with House bills being heard in the Senate and Senate bills in the House.  We’re five days short of being half-way through the 105-day session!

BILL STATUS:

Bill #	Subject	Prime sponsor	Status
*SHB 1713 OPPOSE	Mental health/guns	Cody (D-34)	H. Rules
HB 1731 OPPOSE	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Ormsby (D-3)	H. Rules
*HB 1857 OPPOSE	Extreme protective orders	Jinkins (D-27)	Died. H. Approp.
SB 5036 NEUTRAL	Penalizes criminal misuse of body armor	O’Ban (R-28)	S. Rules
*SSB 5381 OPPOSE	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Billig (D-3)	Passed Senate
SB 5500 SUPPORT	Allows retired LEOs to carry on school grounds	Roach (R-31)	S. Rules
SB 5539 SUPPORT	Exempts LEO’s from three day waiting period	Roach (R-31)	S. Rules
SB 5579 SUPPORT	Exempts licensed security guards from b/g checks	Dammeier (R-25)	S. Rules
SB 5615 SUPPORT	Exempts military members from b/g checks	Benton (R-17)	S. Rules
SB 5658 NEUTRAL	Reporting of mental health commitment	Dansel (R-7)	S. Rules
SB 5831 Support	Restoration of firearm rights	Honeyford (R-15)	S. Rules
SSB 6015 Support	NRA License Plate	Roach (R-31)	S. Rules

* indicates change in status this week

SHB/SSB = Substitute Bill (bill amended in committee), HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Aprop = House Appropriations, H. Jud. = House Judiciary, S. L&J = Senate Law & Justice, H. Ag/NatRes = House Agriculture & Natural Resources, S. NatRes/Parks = Senate Natural Resources & Parks, S. Hum Ser = Senate Human Services, Mental Health & Housing, H. GenGov = House General Government & Info Technology, S. Trans = Senate Transportation

HEARINGS 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 list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Puyallup                     21-22 March

Monroe                         4 April (Saturday only)

“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 2015 Gun Owners Action League of WA

GOAL Post	2015-7
Legislative Update from Olympia	20 February 2015

NEW BILLS

PUBLIC HEARINGS HELD

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF, BILLS DIE

NEXT CUT-OFF DATE FISCAL COMMITTEES

WHO DECIDES WHICH BILLS MOVE, WHICH DIE?

ATF PLAN TO BAN M855 AMMUNITION

Rep. Matt Shea (R-4) and 41 other House members (40 Republicans and two Democrats) filed HB 2164, a bill that would exempt almost everyone from the background check provisions of I-594.  The bill exempts, among others, law enforcement, corrections and security officers, CPL holders, active duty military, honorably retired military, members of a variety of veterans organizations, all certified firearm safety instructors, etc, etc.  The bill was assigned for action to the House Judiciary Committee, where it can be considered dead on arrival.  Bills like this (and many others filed this session) make nice statements of principal, but stand almost no chance of passage, or even of serious consideration.  Recall it takes a 2/3 vote of each chamber of the legislature to pass any bill amending a newly-passed initiative.

Public hearings were held this week, a few of which then passed out of committee.  It’s crunch time as bills had to pass their policy committee Friday.  The most critical bill to pass were SBs 5381 out of Senate Law & Justice and HB 1857 passed out of House Judiciary and sits in House Rules.  Both bills deal with taking guns away from dangerous persons (who could oppose that?), and establish criteria for the (possible) return of such guns when the period of danger has passed.  SB 5381 was cleaned up quite a bit prior to its passage from committee, although it still bears watching.

HB 1857 (extreme risk protection orders) is far broader, and allows seizure of weapons based on the complaint of a family member who consider a gun owner “dangerous.”  Those of you who have dealt with family law situations know all about false accusations as a soon-to-be-ex spouse or significant other looks for ways to hurt the other party.  The order is effective for ONE YEAR, and a hearing may be held by telephone!  It’s interesting to note that SB 5381 was passed by a unanimous vote of the Senate Law & Justice Committee, while HB 1857 was passed on a strict party-line vote.  All Republicans dissenting and all Democrats voting “:aye.”  Hint:  they DO want your guns.

A public hearing is scheduled for Monday, 2/23 at 1:30 p.m. on SB 6015, a bill that creates an “NRA” license plate to help fund the state’s hunter education program.  The hearing will be held in Senate Transportation, Senate Hearing Room 1.  A thoroughly commendable cause, but why not simply a “Second Amendment” license plate?  The NRA is without doubt the 900 pound gorilla in the fight to preserve our rights, but it is by no means the only organization.  There are two national gun rights advocacy groups headquartered right here in Washington, at this time the only organization to file suit over I-594.  Add to that earlier lawsuits expanding the scope of the Second Amendment nationwide (McDonald v Chicago), Mance v Holder, overturning the federal ban on interstate handgun sales, Palmer v D.C. that forced the District of Columbia to issue CPLs, and dozens more.  Visit www.saf.org to see a partial list of SAF victories in defending the Second Amendment.  (Disclosure: I am a former SAF employee.)

Friday, 20 February is the cut-off date for bills to pass out of their original policy committee.  This is the first major culling of bills for the 2015 session.  As can be seen in the “BILL STATUS” column below, 2/3 of the firearm-related bills (and most of the other 2,000 bills filed this year) nominally died today.  I say nominally because theoretically a bill can be revived, but such action is unusual.  And bills that have price tags attached (that spend taxpayer money) that require fiscal committee attention have an additional week (2/27) to identify funding source and pass one of the fiscal committees.

An interesting observation:  Fourteen gun-related bills were filed in the Senate, of which nine remain alive, eight moving forward at this point.  Of the 25 gun related bills filed in the House (most of which were sent to the House Judiciary Committee), 21 died.  Most of the 21 were pro-gun bills, and never even got a public hearing.  Recall I mentioned the fact that the committee chair has total control over which bills he or she hears.  So much for the “democratic” process!

Late last week the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) announced it was rewriting the framework by which ammunition could be prohibited under the 1986 Law Enforcement Officers Protective Act (LEOPA), banning so-called “cop killer” bullets.  LEOPA is supposed to be applied only to ammunition primarily intended for use in handguns — most rifle ammunition will penetrate the soft body armor (mostly Kevlar) used by police officers.  The first load in their sights is M855 ball ammunition, a subset of the original FN-developed “SS 109” bullet.  This ammunition has a steel “penetrator” in front of the lead core, but heretofore had NOT been considered “armor piercing.”  It does NOT meet the DOD or NATO definition of AP ammunition.  And 99% of M855 ammo is fired in rifles, not the small number of AR-derived handguns out there.  This is essentially BATFE adopting the Obama tactic:  I’ll use my pen to create laws if I need to.  The industry and gun rights advocacy groups are fighting this, but I wouldn’t expect a favorable outcome.  Whether you use M855 or not, the question to ask is where does this stop?  Arbitrary and unilateral action by regulatory agencies.

(Just for the record, the Vietnam-era M193 ball — 55 grain FMJ bullet — remains the most popular .223 load out there, and is perfectly satisfactory out to 300 yards or so.)

BILL STATUS:

Bill #	Subject	Prime sponsor	Status
HB 1119 OPPOSE	Hunter education issues	Blake (D-17)	Died
SHB 1131 OPPOSE	Prohibits sale/transfer of ivory	Pettigrew (D-37)	Died
SHB 1191 SUPPORT	CPL renewal notices	Taylor (R-15)	H. Approp
HB 1193 SUPPORT	Prohibiting gun owner data base	Taylor (R-15)	Died
HB 1245 SUPPORT	Repeals I-594	Shea (R-4)	Died
HB 1324 SUPPORT	Codifies castle doctrine and stand your ground  Shea (R-4)	Shea (R-4)	Died
HB 1433 SUPPORT	Modifies Gun Free School Zone law	Scott (R-38)	Died
HB 1442 SUPPORT	Exp. economic development via firearms/ammo	G. Hunt (R-2)	Died
HB 1474 SUPPORT	Defense against animal attack	Taylor (R-15)	Died
HB 1506 SUPPORT	Exempts security guard transfers from I-594	Kirby (D-29)	Died
HB 1521 SUPPORT	Returns NICS “delay” to three days (I-594)	Taylor (R-15)	Died
HB 1533 SUPPORT	Exempts guns loaned to museums from I-594	Van Werven (R-42)	Died
HB 1535 SUPPORT	Exempts active LEOs from waiting period	Klippert (R-8)	Died
HB 1594 OPPOSE	Imitation firearms	Wylie (D-49)	Died
HB 1692 OPPOSE	Imitation firearms	Wylie (D-49)	Died
*HB 1713 OPPOSE	Mental health/guns	Cody (D-34)	H. Rules
HB 1722 SUPPORT	Short barreled rifles	Hayes (R-10)	Died
HB 1731 OPPOSE	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Ormsby (D-3)	Died
HB 1747 OPPOSE	Safe storage of firearms	Kagi (D-32)	Died
*HB 1857 OPPOSE	Extreme protective orders	Jinkins (D-27)	H. Rules
HB 1886 SUPPORT	Repeals I-594 by popular vote	Hunt (R-2)	Died
HB 2031 SUPPORT	Tax exemption for firearm safety device	Harmsworth (R-44)	Died
HB 2088 SUPPORT	Lowers age for CPL from 21 to 18	Shea (R-4)	Died
HB 2089 SUPPORT	Expands CPL reciprocity; lowers age to 18	Shea (R-4)	Died
HB 2164 SUPPORT	594 Repair Bill	Shea (R-4)	Died
SB 5036 NEUTRAL	Penalizes criminal misuse of body armor	O’Ban (R-28)	S. Rules
SB 5241 OPPOSE	Prohibits sale/transfer of ivory	Litzow (R-41)	Died
*SSB 5381 OPPOSE	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Billig (D-3)	S. Rules
SB 5476 SUPPORT	Exempts active LEOs from waiting period	Dammeier (R-25)	Died
SB 5500 SUPPORT	Allows retired LEOs to carry on school grounds	Roach (R-31)	S. Rules
SB 5539 SUPPORT	Exempts LEO’s from three day waiting period	Roach (R-31)	S. Rules
SB 5579 SUPPORT	Exempts licensed security guards from b/g checks	Dammeier (R-25)	S. Rules
SB 5615 SUPPORT	Exempts military members from b/g checks	Benton (R-17)	S. Rules
SB 5643 OPPOSE	Mental health/guns	O’Ban (R-28)	Died
SB 5658 NEUTRAL	Reporting of mental health commitment	Dansel (R-7)	S. Rules
SB 5727 OPPOSE	Extreme protective orders	Frockt (D-46)	Died
SB 5789 OPPOSE	Safe storage of firearms	Kohl-Welles (D-36)	Died
*SB 5831 Support	Restoration of firearm rights	Honeyford (R-15)	S. Rules
SB 6015 Support	NRA License Plate	Roach (R-31)	S. Trans.

* indicates change in status this week

SHB/SSB = Substitute Bill (bill amended in committee), HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Aprop = House Appropriations, H. Jud. = House Judiciary, S. L&J = Senate Law & Justice, H. Ag/NatRes = House Agriculture & Natural Resources, S. NatRes/Parks = Senate Natural Resources & Parks, S. Hum Ser = Senate Human Services, Mental Health & Housing, H. GenGov = House General Government & Info Technology, S. Trans = Senate Transportation

HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

SB 6015	Senate Trans	SHR “1	John A. Cherberg Building
23 Feb	1:30 p.m.

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 list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Puyallup                     21-22 February

Puyallup                     21-22 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 2015 Gun Owners Action League of WA

Posted by: GOAL <[email protected]>

ox.net>

GOAL Post	2015-6
Legislative Update from Olympia	13 February 2015

NEW BILLS FILED

7 FEB “WE WILL NOT COMPLY” GATHERING

NEW BILLS FILED

10 FEB MOMS DEMAND ATTENTION DAY

HEARINGS HELD

HEARINGS SCHEDULED

FIRST POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF NEXT FRIDAY

PREEMPTION IN THEIR SIGHTS — SEATTLE TIMES

INTERSTATE HANDGUN SALE BAN STRUCK DOWN

On Saturday, 7 February, about 50 individuals associated with the “I will not comply” group of I-594 opponents once again met in Olympia to protest the initiative.  Again, the legislature was off for the weekend, and only a few legislators were present.

Three new firearm-related bills were introduced this weekend.  All three were referred to the House Judiciary Committee for action.  HB 2031, by Rep. Mark Harmsworth (R-44), expands the current sales tax exemption for gun safes to other firearm safety devices.  HB 2088, by Rep. Matt Shea (R-4), lowers the age for issue of a concealed pistol license from 21 to 18.  HB 2089, also by Rep. Shea, would amend the current CPL reciprocity law to recognize all licenses issued to any state.  The only restriction is that the nearer must be 18 years of age or over.

On Tuesday, 10 February, the “Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America” another gun control group supported by former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, held a rally in Olympia.  More appropriately titled “Moms Demand Attention,” the small gathering spent most of their time preaching to their own choir or like-minded legislators.

A funny thing happened at the public hearing on HB 1857 (extreme protection orders) this week.  Richard Bartholomew, legislative coordinator of the Family Law Executive Committee of the State Bar Association testified AGAINST the bill.  Bartholomew said current state law contains sufficient provisions to disarm those considered to be dangerous.  Judiciary Committee Chairwoman and bill sponsor Laurie Jinkins was none too happy to hear that.  Whether this will influence her intent to pass the bill out of committee, or influence any of the Judiciary Committee members remains to be seen.

Hearings were held on several other bills as well.  No further action was taken on some, while others passed out of committee.  SBs 5500 (retired LEO carry on school campus), 5579 (security guard exemption to I-594), 5615 (military/LEO exemption to I-594), and 5658 (reporting of mental health information) all passed out.  Executive session (committee vote) is scheduled on several bills next week (just before the policy committee cut-off).

At this point no additional public hearings are scheduled on gun bills.

The first major legislative session cut-off hurdle comes next Friday (20 February), when bills must pass their first policy committee or be considered dead for the session.  This is the first, and typically the biggest, cull of the session.  Many well intended bills, and some less than well intended, will die.  Technically, at least, because this hurdle, like the others in the session cut-off calendar can be waived if leadership wants to see a bill move.  New versions of bills that have died may also be introduced.

An article published earlier this week in the Seattle Times indicates many cities have placed state preemption in their sights.  The move is being led by MoveOn.org, the liberal Democrat activist group.  State preemption is the law, first passed in 1983, that prohibits cities and counties from passing their own gun control ordinances.  By passing preemption, the legislature has said it wants to see uniform firearm laws statewide, thereby NOT placing at risk a gun owners who travels into or through several jurisdictions with stricter gun laws.  Preemption is by no means unique or unusual – more than 40 states have some form of preemption law in force.  This is not the first time cities have attacked preemption.  Hopefully they will meet the same fate this time that they have in the past – failure.

Also earlier this week a federal judge in the Northern District of Texas struck down the prohibition contained in the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA 1968) that blocks purchase of a handgun across a state line.  GCA 1968 allowed long gun (rifle and shotgun) purchases from an out of state federal dealer (FFL), but blocked handgun sales.  Citing the 1998 creation of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which is a nationwide data base of individuals prohibited from possessing ANY firearm, the court said there is no reason why handgun sales through FFLs should be blocked.  Expect the Justice Department to appeal this.

BILL STATUS:

Bill #	Subject	Prime sponsor	Status
HB 1119 OPPOSE	Hunter education issues	Blake (D-17)	H. Ag/NatRes
SHB 1131 OPPOSE	Prohibits sale/transfer of ivory	Pettigrew (D-37)	H. Ag/NatRes
HB 1191 SUPPORT	CPL renewal notices	Taylor (R-15)	H. Jud.
HB 1193 SUPPORT	Prohibiting gun owner data base	Taylor (R-15)	H. Jud.
HB 1245 SUPPORT	Repeals I-594	Shea (R-4)	H. Jud.
HB 1324 SUPPORT	Codifies castle doctrine and stand your ground  Shea (R-4)	Shea (R-4)	H. Jud.
HB 1433 SUPPORT	Modifies Gun Free School Zone law	Scott (R-38)	H. Jud.
HB 1442 SUPPORT	Exp. economic development via firearms/ammo	G. Hunt (R-2)	H. Jud.
HB 1474 SUPPORT	Defense against animal attack	Taylor (R-15)	H. Jud.
HB 1506 SUPPORT	Exempts security guard transfers from I-594	Kirby (D-29)	H. Jud.
HB 1521 SUPPORT	Returns NICS “delay” to three days (I-594)	Taylor (R-15)	H. Jud.
HB 1533 SUPPORT	Exempts guns loaned to museums from I-594	Van Werven (R-42)	H. Jud.
HB 1535 SUPPORT	Exempts active LEOs from waiting period	Klippert (R-8)	H. Jud.
HB 1594 OPPOSE	Imitation firearms	Wylie (D-49)	H. Jud.
HB 1692 OPPOSE	Imitation firearms	Wylie (D-49)	H. Jud.
HB 1713 OPPOSE	Mental health/guns	Cody (D-34)	H. Jud.
HB 1722 SUPPORT	Short barreled rifles	Hayes (R-10)	H. Jud.
HB 1731 OPPOSE	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Ormsby (D-3)	H. Jud.
HB 1747 OPPOSE	Safe storage of firearms	Kagi (D-32)	H. Jud.
HB 1857 OPPOSE	Extreme protective orders	Jinkins (D-27)	H. Jud.
HB 1886 SUPPORT	Repeals I-594 by popular vote	Hunt (R-2)	H. Jud.
HB 2031 SUPPORT	Tax exemption for firearm safety device	Harmsworth (R-44)	H. Jud.
HB 2088 SUPPORT	Lowers age for CPL from 21 to 18	Shea (R-4)	H. Jud.
HB 2089 SUPPORT	Expands CPL reciprocity; lowers age to 18	Shea (R-4)	H. Jud.
SB 5036 NEUTRAL	Penalizes criminal misuse of body armor	O’Ban (R-28)	S. L&J
SB 5241 OPPOSE	Prohibits sale/transfer of ivory	Litzow (R-41)	S. NatRes/Parks
SB 5381 OPPOSE	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Billig (D-3)	S. L&J
SB 5476 SUPPORT	Exempts active LEOs from waiting period	Dammeier (R-25)	S. L&J
*SB 5500 SUPPORT	Allows retired LEOs to carry on school grounds	Roach (R-31)	S. L&J
SB 5539 SUPPORT	Exempts LEO’s from three day waiting period	Roach (R-31)	S. L&J
*SB 5579 SUPPORT	Exempts licensed security guards from b/g checks	Dammeier (R-25)	S. L&J
*SB 5615 SUPPORT	Exempts military members from b/g checks	Benton (R-17)	S. L&J
SB 5643 OPPOSE	Mental health/guns	O’Ban (R-28)	S. HumSer
SB 5658 NEUTRAL	Reporting of mental health commitment	Dansel (R-7)	S. L&J
SB 5727 OPPOSE	Extreme protective orders	Frockt (D-46)	S. L&J
SB 5789 OPPOSE	Safe storage of firearms	Kohl-Welles (D-36)	S. L&J
SB 5831 Support	Restoration of firearm rights	Honeyford (R-15)	S. L&J

SHB/SSB = Substitute Bill (bill amended in committee), HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Aprop = House Appropriations, H. Jud. = House Judiciary, S. L&J = Senate Law & Justice, H. Ag/NatRes = House Agriculture & Natural Resources, S. NatRes/Parks = Senate Natural Resources & Parks, S. Hum Ser = Senate Human Services, Mental Health & Housing, H. GenGov = House General Government & Info Technology

* indicates change in status this week

HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

No hearings scheduled at this time.

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 list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Monroe             14-15 February

Puyallup         21-22 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 2015 Gun Owners Action League of WA

__._,_.___

Posted by: GOAL WA <[email protected]>

GOAL Post	2015-5
Legislative Update from Olympia	06 February 2015

NEW BILLS FILED

MISSED A COUPLE LAST WEEK!

TOY GUN CONTROL

“SAFE STORAGE” BILLS BACK

BILLS MOVE

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

TWO WEEKS UNTIL FIRST POLICY CHAMBER CUT-OFF

FORMAT CHANGE:  MERGING “BILL STATUS” WITH “GOAL POSITION”

Only two new gun bills have been filed this week.  SB 5789, by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-36) is the Senate counterpart to HB 1747, the “this does not mandate how a firearm is stored” bill.  SB 5831, by Sen. Jim Honeyford (R-15) makes minor changes to the procedure to have firearm rights restored after certain misdemeanor convictions.

While on the road earlier, I missed a few bills that should have been listed last week:  HB 1442 by Rep. Graham Hunt (R-2) promotes expansion of firearms/accessories and ammunition  manufacturing in Washington;  HB’s 1594 and 1692 by Rep. Sharon Wylie (D-49) would ban the manufacture, sale or possession of realistic-looking toy guns unless they are made of or coated with some bright color to indicate their non-gun status; HB 1731 by Rep. Timm Ormsby (D-3) is the House counterpart to SB 5381, mandates a waiting period before a firearm held by law enforcement may be returned to the legal owner and that any complainant be informed that the firearm is being returned.

Toy guns in the crosshairs!  Not content to go after real guns, Rep. Sharon Wylie (D-49) has set her sights on toy guns as well.  She has filed HBs 1594 and 1692, both of which require all imitation (toy) guns sold or possessed in Washington to be made of some bright material or coloring to distinguish them from “real” firearms.  I guess Rep. Wylie isn’t familiar with the real pastel pistols offered these days by some manufacturers.

For the 11th time in the past 18 years, bills penalizing gun owners if they fail to lock up their gun(s) and it/they are accessed by a juvenile have been filed.  HB 1747 (Kagi, D-32) and SB 5789 (Kohl-Welles, D-36) are the bills in question.  There are two significant differences in these versions of the bill from previous versions:  they raise the age limit of unauthorized access from sixteen to eighteen, and they cover ALL firearms where previous versions only addressed LOADED firearms.  The previous versions failed in several Democrat-controlled legislatures… these should die as well, but you can expect they will receive wide media attention.

The bills contain a clear statement that “Nothing in this section mandates how or where a firearm must be stored.”  True statement, as far as it goes, but misleading.  If you DON’T lock up your gun(s), and a minor accesses it/them, YOU can be charged with a crime.  That’s the bottom line.  And while many legislators don’t believe or choose not to understand it, one size of gun security does not fit all.  Everyone’s circumstances vary, family configuration, maturity of children, security situation, etc.  It’s not up to someone sitting in the comfort of the legislative chamber to decide for you what works for you.

The existing reckless endangerment statute (RCW 9a.36.050) already criminalizes a person who unnecessarily endangers another person with ANYTHING.  A charge of reckless endangerment was deferred in the 2012 Kitsap school shooting.  Maybe they should run a bill requiring prosecutors to do their jobs.  But what the bill’s proponents want is a GUN BILL, that demonizes GUNS, ignoring the fact that unintentional gunshot injuries are far down the list of dangers to children (and others).  This isn’t about safety, it’s about politics.

(The next time a gun control proponents talks about “reasonable, common sense gun SAFETY” legislation, ask to see his or her firearms safety instructor certification, or even a gun safety course completion certificate.  They won’t have one.)

Several hearings have been held on bills in the past two weeks.  Executive action (a vote) has been taken on a few, others await a vote.  Hint: a committee chair can sit on a bill and not hold a vote… ever, if he or she doesn’t want to move the bill  HB 1131 (ivory sale/transfer) was passed in amended form and sent to the House General Government committee for further review.  SB5036 (use of body armor in a crime) passed out of Senate Law & Justice and now sits in Senate Rules, awaiting a pull to the Senate floor for a full Senate vote.

At this point seven bills are scheduled for public hearing this coming week.  Senate Law & Justice will take public testimony on five bills on Monday, 9 February, at 1:30 p.m.  The bills are SBs 5831 (return of firearms held by law enforcement), 5476  and 5539 (both exempt active law enforcement officers from the three-day waiting period on handgun delivery — just like that enjoyed by CPL holders today), 5579 (exempts security guards from the I-594 background check requirement) and 5615 (exempts active military personnel from I-594).  HB 1731 (House version of SB 5831 — return of guns held by law enforcement) will be heard in House Judiciary on 10 February at 10:00 a.m. and HB 1857 (allows confiscation of firearms) in House Judiciary on 11 February 8 a.m.

(If you can’t make it to a public hearing but want to submit comments on a given bill, you can do so via the legislative web site, on the specific page for each bill.  Go to http://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/, place the bill number in the box and click on “search.”:  When  the page appears for that specific bill, click on the green box labeled “Comment on this bill.”  Keep it polite, make a point or two, and cut it off.  This isn’t the place to vent — you do that on election day!)

The first major cut-off comes in two weeks.  There are two weeks remaining before bills that have not received a public hearing and committee vote will die.  Given the number of bills yet to receive hearings and the limited time left, it’s clear that the majority of bill will die — technically, at least — on 20 February.  You may see a few evening hearings scheduled as committee chairs try to cram bills in, but historically half or more of bills filed fail to clear to clear the first hurdle.

At the request of several subscribers, I have changed the GOAL Post format slightly.  Basically, I have merged the “Bill Status” and “GOAL Position” elements into a single section.  You can read the basics about the bill (number, subject, sponsor, status” and on the next line, the GOAL position on the bill.  I’ve tried putting all of it on the same line, but I run out of space.

I’ve also been asked to prioritize bills, in support of or opposition to.  I can’t do that for several thousand subscribers.  Each of you has differing priorities, differing interests.  You have to choose what’s important to you.  If a particular bill needs special attention, I’ll do that in the narrative above.,

 

BILL STATUS:

Bill #	Subject	Prime sponsor	Status
HB 1119 SUPPORT	Hunter education issues	Blake (D-17)	H. Ag/NatRes
*SHB 1131 OPPOSE	Prohibits sale/transfer of ivory	Pettigrew (D-37)	H. Ag/NatRes
HB 1191 SUPPORT	CPL renewal notices	Taylor (R-15)	H. Jud.
HB 1193 SUPPORT	Prohibiting gun owner data base	Taylor (R-15)	H. Jud.
HB 1245 SUPPORT	Repeals I-594	Shea (R-4)	H. Jud.
HB 1324 SUPPORT	Codifies castle doctrine and stand your ground  Shea (R-4)	Shea (R-4)	H. Jud.
HB 1433 SUPPORT	Modifies Gun Free School Zone law	Scott (R-38)	H. Jud.
HB 1442 SUPPORT	Exp. economic development via firearms/ammo	G. Hunt (R-2)	H. Jud.
HB 1474 SUPPORT	Defense against animal attack	Taylor (R-15)	H. Jud.
HB 1506 SUPPORT	Exempts security guard transfers from I-594	Kirby (D-29)	H. Jud.
HB 1521 SUPPORT	Returns NICS “delay” to three days (I-594)	Taylor (R-15)	H. Jud.
HB 1533 SUPPORT	Exempts guns loaned to museums from I-594	Van Werven (R-42)	H. Jud.
HB 1535 SUPPORT	Exempts active LEOs from waiting period	Klippert (R-8)	H. Jud.
HB 1594 OPPOSE	Imitation firearms	Wylie (D-49)	H. Jud.
HB 1692 OPPOSE	Imitation firearms	Wylie (D-49)	H. Jud.
HB 1713 OPPOSE	Mental health/guns	Cody (D-34)	H. Jud.
HB 1722 SUPPORT	Short barreled rifles	Hayes (R-10)	H. Jud.
HB 1731 OPPOSE	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Ormsby (D-3)	H. Jud.
HB 1747 OPPOSE	Safe storage of firearms	Kagi (D-32)	H. Jud.
HB 1857 OPPOSE	Extreme protective orders	Jinkins (D-27)	H. Jud.
HB 1886 SUPPORT	Repeals I-594 by popular vote	Hunt (R-2)	H. Jud.
SB 5036 NEUTRAL	Penalizes criminal misuse of body armor	O’Ban (R-28)	S. L&J
SB 5241 OPPOSE	Prohibits sale/transfer of ivory	Litzow (R-41)	S. NatRes/Parks
SB 5381 OPPOSE	Return of firearms held by law enforcement	Billig (D-3)	S. L&J
SB 5476 SUPPORT	Exempts active LEOs from waiting period	Dammeier (R-25)	S. L&J
SB 5500 SUPPORT	Allows retired LEOs to carry on school grounds	Roach (R-31)	S. L&J
SB 5539 SUPPORT	Exempts LEO’s from three day waiting period	Roach (R-31)	S. L&J
SB 5579 SUPPORT	Exempts licensed security guards from b/g checks	Dammeier (R-25)	S. L&J
SB 5615 SUPPORT	Exempts military members from b/g checks	Benton (R-17)	S. L&J
SB 5643 OPPOSE	Mental health/guns	O’Ban (R-28)	S. HumSer
SB 5658 NEUTRAL	Reporting of mental health commitment	Dansel (R-7)	S. L&J
SB 5727 OPPOSE	Extreme protective orders	Frockt (D-46)	S. L&J
SB 5789 OPPOSE	Safe storage of firearms	Kohl-Welles (D-36)	S. L&J
SB 5831 PENDING	Restoration of firearm rights	Honeyford (R-15)	S. L&J

HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Jud. = House Judiciary, S. L&J = Senate Law & Justice, H. Ag/NatRes = House Agriculture & Natural Resources, S. NatRes/Parks = Senate Natural Resources & Parks, S. Hum Ser = Senate Human Services, Mental Health & Housing

* indicates change in status this week

SHB/SSB = Substitute Bill (bill amended in committee), HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Jud. = House Judiciary, S. L&J = Senate Law & Justice, H. Ag/NatRes = House Agriculture & Natural Resources, S. NatRes/Parks = Senate Natural Resources & Parks, S. Hum Ser = Senate Human Services, Mental Health & Housing, H. GenGov = House General Government & Info Technology

HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

SBs 5381, 5476, 5539, 5579 and 5615 9 Feb  1:30 p.m.	Senate Law & Justice	SHR “`1,”	John A. Cherberg Bldg
HB 1731 10 Feb 10:00 a.m	House Judiciary	HHR “A”	John L. Obrien Building
HB 1857 11 Feb   8:00 a.m.	House Judiciary	HHR “A”	John L. O’Brien 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!!!

1-800-562-6000          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 list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Monroe           14-15 February

Puyallup         21-22 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 2015 Gun Owners Action League of WA

 

Posted by: GOAL <[email protected]>

Fight I-594  Donate now at: www.wagunrights.org