Author: wagoal_wp

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:

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:

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

GOAL Post                                                                       2015-2
Legislative Update from Olympia                                         16 January 2015

RALLY A SUCCESS

FEDERAL LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST I-594

WHY GOAL POST DOES NOT ADDRESS PURELY HUNTING ISSUES

NO CUT-OFF CALENDAR YET

GUN BILLS FILED

PUBLIC HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

PUBLIC HEARINGS 101

LEGISLATOR CONTACT INFORMATION POSTED

A “Rally for your rights” was held on the Legislative Building steps on Thursday. Turnout was “several hundred,” significantly fewer than the “I will not comply” rally conducted last month — but that rally was held on the weekend, with no legislators present, while this one was on a work day, with all legislators present and available to hear from their constituents.

As reported by SAF’s Dave Workman, one attendee noted, “Most of our people are at work, so they can pay taxes and support other people who come down here to restrict our rights.” About two dozen individuals from the “I will not comply” group were present, and reportedly some heckled lawmakers. That does not help. And why did they even bother? At last month’s rally they claimed they had already nullified I-594 by their civil disobedience, so why did they bother to come? (There’s nothing wrong with civil disobedience… in its place, as it was in December.). (BTW, those who chose to open carry inside the legislature after the rally may have provoked a move to ban such carry. There’s a time and a place for everything.)

A lawsuit was filed last week in federal district court in Tacoma challenging many provisions of I-594, mostly dealing with various forms of “transfer.” Plaintiffs include several individual citizens, both Washingtonians and non-residents of Washington, firearms training facilities, private security/investigative services, and others. Each category of plaintiff has been negatively impacted by I-594, in different ways.

We have been asked why I-594 was not simply challenged as a whole on constitutional grounds. The simple answer is, the suit would be dismissed almost immediately. Both the Heller (2008) and McDonald (2010) decisions by the Supreme Court upholding the right of the individual citizens to keep and bear arms allowed for various restrictions to remain in place. At this point, a piecemeal, provision by provision, challenge to 594 offers the greatest likelihood of success. Additional information may be found at http://www.saf.org/?p=4877

The focus of the GOAL Post is on firearms-related legislation (90% of which is contained in RCW 9.41). We do not address Title 77 (hunting code) unless it impacts firearms directly. We will address bills having an impact on self defense and/or the use of lethal force (typically in RCW 9A.16 or 9A.36). The Hunters Heritage Council DOES track most Title 77 issues.

The session cut-off calendar has yet to be published. The cut-off calendar contains all the dates by which bills must clear their policy committee or their chamber (House or Senate). Bills that fail to clear these hurdles are nominally dead for the remainder of the session, although exceptions can be made.

Note that HB 1245, by Rep. Matt Shea (R-4) would repeal all provisions of I-594. (Recognize that for a two year period following adoption, it takes a 2/3 vote of the legislature to amend in any way an initiative passed by the people. HB 1245 is unlikely to gain that level of support, but Rep. Shea is making an important statement by filing the bill. Other action is current under way — both legislative and through litigation — to limit the impact of I-594.)

Public hearings have been scheduled for next week for SB 5036 and HB 1119. The purpose of a public hearing is to gather information from the bill’s sponsor(s), other stakeholders (individuals or organizations with a direct interest in the bill), and members of the public. See the commentary below on how to participate in a public hearing. Most public hearings are two hours in length, with the time divided among several bills under consideration and other committee business to be addressed. Thus the time spent on each bill is limited. Keep in mind, too, that the committee chair has full discretion as to who is called to testify and who is not. SB 5036 will be heard in Senate Law & Justice on Monday, 19 January (the legislature does NOT close for holidays; both MLK Day and Presidents’ Birthday are legislative work days.). HB 1113 will be heard in the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee on 20 January. The hearing schedule appears below.

As the name implies, public hearings on bills are open to the public. A sign-in sheet will typically be found on a table just inside or outside the hearing room. Attendees are not required to sign in, but may do so. If you wish to speak on a bill, or take a position on the bill (“pro” or “con”), you must sign in. If called upon to testify, there is usually a three minute limit on comments. You should keep it short and sweet, preferably no more than one or two points. If someone before you already made that point, do not repeat it. No personal attacks or attacks on the motives of other speakers are allowed. Just make a positive or negative statement about the content of the bill in question. You do not have to wear a coat and tie or business attire to attend or speak at a hearing, but you should dress neatly. Your appearance says a lot about YOU.

The legislative web site is found at leg.wa.gov. Additional information is available at the following sites:

House member info: http://leg.wa.gov/House/Representatives/Pages/default.aspx

Senate member info: http://leg.wa.gov/Senate/Senators/Pages/default.aspx

Combined House and Senate e-mail addresses: http://app.leg.wa.gov/memberemail/Default.aspx

(Next week’s GOAL Post may run a day or so late as I will be at the annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trades (SHOT) show in Las Vegas. If I can’t send it out from my hotel room,. I’ll get it out when I get home.)

Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, Ag/NatRes = Agriculture/Natural Resources, HS&C = Human Services & Corrections, Jud = Judiciary, L&J = Law & Justice, , W&M = Ways and Means

* = status change this past week

HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

SB 5036                             Senate L&J                      SHR 1.
John A. Cherberg Building                                          19 Jan 1:30 p.m.

HB 1119                             House Ag/NatRes             HHR
John L. O’Brien Building                                              20 Jan 10:00 a.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 17-18 January

Monroe 14-15 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

GOAL Post 2015-1