Gun Owners Action League of Washington

Author: wagoal_wp

  • GOAL Post 2013-SPECIAL 6

    GOAL Post                                                                              2013-SPECIAL 6
    Legislative Update from Olympia                                                21 June 2013

    SECOND SPECIAL SESSION STARTS

    DEMOCRATS THREATEN GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN

    PRO-GUN COALITION FORMS

    BIDEN BLUSTERS

    BUNDESAMT fur VERFASSUNGSSCHUTZ (BfV)

    Ten days into the second special session, same as the first. Still basically the same deadlock on the budget. The Democrat-controlled House demanding more taxes, the Majority Coalition-led Senate (23 Republicans, two Democrats) sticking with its balanced budget. Some Democrat officials (Governor Inslee?) have hinted at the possibility of a government shutdown on June 30th, the end of the current fiscal biennium. Given that emergency services should remain (my understanding), a shutdown might not be a bad thing.

    No action on firearms. At least, in the legislature.

    Back in 1997, when we were threatened with anti-gun Initiative 676 — I-676 — a coalition was formed to oppose the initiative, opposition that resulted in a resounding success when the initiative failed with a 71-29% vote of the people. The WeCARE (Washington Citizens Against Regulatory Excess) coalition consisted of national gun rights groups (National Rifle Association and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms) and state groups (Washington Arms Collectors, the Washington State Rifle & Pistol Association and the Gun Owners Action League of Washington).

    Protect Our Gun Rights (POGR) is the new coalition formed to support pro-gun Initiative 591 to offer it as a reasonable alternative to I-594, the extremist anti-gun initiative filed by the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility (WAGR). Current POGR members are CCRKBA, WAC and GOAL. Other organizations are expected to join.

    The Protect Our Gun Rights web site is at http://protectourgunrights.net/

    Here’s a link to both initiatives:

    http://sos.wa.gov/_assets/elections/initiatives/FinalText_471.pdf

    http://sos.wa.gov/_assets/elections/initiatives/FinalText_483.pdf

    The ballot title and description for I-594 have yet to be issued.

    On Tuesday, Vice President Joe Biden held a gun control dog-and-pony show in the White House while the President was in Europe schmoozing with Vladimir Putin and missing the adoring crowd in Berlin. Biden bragged about the progress made with President Obama’s “23 executive actions” on guns (most purely administrative), blustered about alleged forward motion in the Senate on the various gun bills and amendments offered two months ago (but notice Majority Leader Reid hasn’t scheduled another vote) and threatened Senators who paid more attention to their constituents than to the Obama gun agenda.

    (WARNING: More Waldron editorializing, non-partisan in nature.)

    In my previous life I had the privilege of working with several allied organizations and agencies with a similar mission of counterterrorism (before terrorism was cool, just individual assassinations, kidnappings, rocket attacks, bombings, etc). Among them was the BfV, the Bundesamt fur Verfassungsschutz, West Germany’s national counterintelligence organization. Bundesamt fur Verfassungsschutz translates to “Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

    Think about that title for a minute: Office for the Protection of the Constitution. What a novel concept! I don’t know how faithful the BfV is to its title, but maybe some organizations in this country might want to look at the concept.

    BILL STATUS: All bills filed in during the regular session are available and may be acted upon. At this time there are no new gun bills, nor has there been any action on bills previously filed.

    GOAL POSITION ON BILLS: No active gun bills at this time

    HEARING(S) SCHEDULED: None

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

    · Puyallup 22-23 June

    · Monroe 13-14 July

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

    Article 1, Section 24 – Constitution of the State of Washington

    Copyright 2013 Gun Owners Action League of WA

  • I-591 and I-594 – A note from the proprietors…

    This morning Seattle Gun Rights Examiner Dave Workman wrote of the newly announced pro-rights Initiative 591 and the recently formed and growing coalition of firearms rights organizations emerging in Washington, Protect Our Gun Rights (POGR).

    Founded at an emergency meeting of the Washington Arms Collectors Board of Directors, POGR counts as member organizations WAC, the Gun Owners Action League of Washington, and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. CCRKBA and WAC have each committed a minimum of two hundred thousand dollars to the cause, with GOAL expected to join the effort in the near future.

    POGR is reaching out to individuals and organizations around the state and expects to grow swiftly in response to both the threat to civil rights presented by I-594 and in support of protections afforded civil rights by I-591. Interested parties are urged to contact temporary liaison Thomas McKiddie of the CCRKBA at (425) 454-4911. Contact information will be updated ASAP.

    In a momentary aside, WAC Webmaster Ray Carter observed “POGR was formed and continues to grow in response to  I-594,  sponsored by a clique of Seattle anti-gun elitists, and will oppose that initiative. POGR will instead support I-591 in support of preserving civil rights and a national standard for any necessary background checks.”

  • GOAL Post 2013-SPECIAL 5

    GOAL Post                                                                              2013-SPECIAL 5
    Legislative Update from Olympia                                                14 June 2013

    FIRST SPECIAL SESSION ENDS IN BUDGET STALEMATE

    SECOND SPECIAL SESSION STARTED NEXT DAY

    BACKGROUND CHECK INITIATIVE FILED

    BIDEN WHITE HOUSE GUN CONTROL GALA

    ASSAULTED:  CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER FIRE

    SCANDAL OF THE WEEK      (EPA)

    THE REAL ISSUE

    The first special session of the legislature adjourned on Monday without having reached agreement on a biennial budget.  A second special session was called by the governor, which began on Wednesday.  According to the governor, it’s all the fault of the Republican-dominated Majority Coalition in the State Senate, and Democrats are threatening a government shutdown if the Majority Coalition/Republicans don’t agree to raise taxes.

    Between the legislative gridlock and the filing of the new gun registration/background check initiative, I don’t expect them to tackle the gun issue during this session.  But eternal vigilance remains the price of liberty.

    The big news on the gun front is the “Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility” on Monday filing their background check initiative.  As an Initiative to the Legislature, they have until the next regular legislative session in January 2014 to gather the nearly 250,000 valid signatures needed to put the initiative before the legislature.  In the 2014 session, the legislature then gets three options:  pass the initiative into law, ignore it, or pass another bill on the same topic.  In the latter two cases it goes to the people for a vote in November 2014.

    Nearly $1 MILLION has reported already been pledged by Seattle fat-cats to push the initiative through.  A representative of  Michael Bloomberg’s “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” attended their opening fund-raiser and pledged support from that group.  (This is the same Michael Bloomberg who coerced the government of Bermuda to allow HIS bodyguards to enter the island country carrying guns… even though Bermudan police don’t carry guns.  Gun prohibitions are for little people, not the elite.  Bloomberg bought the New York City mayoralty, now he wants to buy gun control in Washington.)

    Beyond the de facto gun registration that comes with any universal background check system, another big issue with this initiative is the fact that it imposes a “ten business day” (fourteen calendar days) wait in the event of a “delay” response from NICS.  Under current federal law, a dealer may deliver a firearm to a purchaser if three days elapse from the original “delay” response.  This initiative extends that to almost two weeks.  Among other things, it could have a major impact on gun shows, as well as open the door to a firearms transfer “freeze” by shutting NICS down.

    This one is going to be with us for a long time.  If we are going to prevail, IT WILL BE THROUGH GRASSROOTS ACTION.  I’ll report more as the initiative moves through the process, being assigned a number, ballot title, ballot description, etc.   And more as the gun rights community organizes to defeat it.

    Vice President Joe Biden is conducting a gun control event at the White House next Tuesday.  Details of the event, to include attendees/invitees, has yet to be released.  Without doubt there will be families from Newtown, Connecticut, and other survivors of “gun violence.”  This is another opportunity for Obama and his media allies to use the White House bully pulpit to push for more gun control — gun control that would NOT have prevented the Newtown incident nor most other shootings.  But let’s not confuse the public with facts.

    The documentary film, “Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire, will begin a limited showing on Thursday, June 20th, at the AMC Loews Alderwood Mall 16, 18733  33rd Ave W, Lynnwood, WA.  It runs 79 minutes in length and is narrated by Law & Order: SVU star Ice-T (one of the rare pro-gun Hollywood types).  It addresses the evolution of  the Second amendment and the continuing assaults on it by the Hollywood elite.  The trailer can be found at http://deadpatriotfilms.com/#

    The latest scandal to hit Capitol Hill is the revelation of the release of farmers’ personal data to environmental extremist groups.  This was acknowledged by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in correspondence with elected officials from mid-western states.  EPA says it “retrieved the data” from the groups involved… was that BEFORE or AFTER they copied the data?  One more case of a government agency collecting data for legitimate purpoises, then misusing that data for political ends.

    Here’s where I alienate some readers.  The news media this week has been jammed with talk of the D.C. scandals, mostly focused on cellphone and internet data collection by various elements of the intelligence community.  (Disclaimer: I spent most of my Marine Corps career in the intelligence business, including time at the National Cryptologic School at Fort Meade, MD.)

    The ABILITY of the nation’s intelligence community to collect such data should come as no surprise to anyone who has outgrown belief in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.  (Santa Claus is a separate issue:  too many people look to Uncle Sam as Santa Claus.)   If we did NOT collect that data, and as a result some horrific terrorist — or any other — attack were to occur undetected, you’d be screaming “intelligence failure.”  So recognize that in the real world, this data is subject to collection.  And subject to oversight.

    In fact, there is all kinds of private data about YOU in all kinds of data bases, private, business and government.  Medical information, school grades, tax data, purchase patterns… the list goes on and on.  That’s the kind of world we live in today.  Commercial interests have developed data mining to an art — an art that may even be used to push you in directions profitable to those interests.  And I haven’t even mentioned drones!

    What you SHOULD be outraged about is an administration that intentionally USES that data to achieve a political goal.  The data collected, of whatever nature, is held in a form of trust, trust that it will only be used for the legitimate purpose for which it was collected.  If NSA were to intercept some form of communication about a planned terrorist attack, it would help immeasurably to be able to search PAST communications from that source to identify linkages.  The ability to go BACK in time may be critical in preventing a FUTURE attack.

    But the only time that search for, or use of, collected data should take place is when you have probable cause that a crime is being planned/committed, and the intelligence community is in a form of hot investigative pursuit.  .

    Some readers will be outraged by that perspective, I am sure.  But having been “in the business,” I readily accept the value of COLLECTING the data, with the caveat that it is not further accessed without probable cause.  And the law should be amended to include SEVERE PENALTIES for any such misuse.

    The purpose of GOAL Post is to inform subscribers on issues dealing with the lawful acquisition, possession and use of firearms, primarily from a legislative perspective.  The fact that the current administration has demonstrated the willingness to use private data for political purposes is becoming more obvious as time goes by.  Such a pattern of activity bodes ill for gun owners as it does for all Americans.  I will refrain from addressing future such activities unless a linkage to the gun issue is clear — such as the ATF’s role in gun trafficking to Mexico as part of the Fast & Furious debacle.

    BILL STATUS:

    All bills filed in during the regular session are available and may be acted upon.  At this time there are no new gun bills, nor has there been any action on bills previously filed.

    GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

    No active gun bills at this time

    HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

    None

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

    Puyallup               22-23 June

    Monroe                13-14 July

     

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

    Article 1, Section 24  – Constitution of the State of Washington

    Copyright 2013 Gun Owners Action League of WA

  • GOAL Post 2013-SPECIAL 4

    GOAL Post                                                                            2013-SPECIAL 4

    Legislative Update from Olympia                                              7 June 2013

    FOUR DAYS LEFT IN SPECIAL SESSION

    REP. STEVE O’BAN REPLACES SENATOR MIKE CARRELL

    SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF JOHN LOVICK APPOINTED COUNTY EXECUTIVE

    NJ SENATOR FRANK LAUTENBERG PASSES

    BIDEN, REID, MANCHIN MEET ON S. 649

    UN ATT – 71 COUNTRIES SIGNED SO FAR

    SCANDAL(S) OF THE WEEK

    There are four days left in the 30-day special legislative session.  At this point the focus remains on closing the gap between the House and Senate budget offerings.  The House passed a few bills this week, mostly affecting education budgets.

    Freshman Representative Steve O’Ban (R-28-Lakewood) was selected by the Pierce County Council to replace Senator Mike Carrel, also of Lakewood.  That restores the 25-24 balance for the Majority Coalition in the state Senate.  The County Council will now choose a House replacement for O’Ban, but that appointment is less critical as it has no impact on the Democrat majority in the House (55D-43R).

    Former State Representative and later Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick was sworn in on Monday to replace disgraced Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon.  Both are Democrats.  Representative/Sheriff Lovick was no particular friend of gun owners, but his office door was always open and he would rationally discuss gun-related issues.  John is a gentleman.  For the record, he is also a 30+ year Washington State Trooper, now retired.

    Undersheriff Tom Davis will fill in until the County Council appoints a replacement, who must stand for election in 2014.  While the sheriff’s position is non-partisan, the incumbents attitude on guns could influence the County Council, among others.

    Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ,) author of the 1996 “domestic violence misdemeanor” gun ban and most recently of the failed magazine ban amendment to S.649, passed away earlier this week of viral pneumonia.  He was 89.  NJ Republican Governor Chris Christie has set a date for a special election, and in the interim has appointed NJ Attorney General (and Republican) Jeffrey Chiesa as Lautenberg’s temporary replacement.  Reportedly Chiesa is equally anti-gun.

    Vice President Biden and Senators Harry Reid and Joe Manchin reportedly met behind closed doors this week to strategize about passage of S. 649, the omnibus Senate gun control bill.  No further information as to what was discussed is available at this time.

    71 nations have now signed the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (UN ATT).  Earlier this week the White House announced President Obama will sign the treaty in August during the summer Congressional recess, usually a slow season from a political perspective.  It appears he is trying to stretch out his controversies!  A complete list of the countries that have signed the treaty can be found at  http://www.un.org/disarmament/ATT/

    Two new scandals have erupted this week.  A British newspaper revealed the existence of a FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) court order directing Verizon Wireless to turn over to the National Security Agency all “metadata” (externals of wireless communications: telephone numbers, subscribers’ names, duration and location of call, etc).  If they’re getting it from Verizon, they’re getting it from all the other providers as well.  That was followed by a report from another British newspaper about the existence of an alleged top secret program called “PRISM,” where NSA is supposed to have back door access to Google, Facebook and a host of other internet media programs.

    The initial Obama administration response was something to the effect that “it started in the Bush years” as a response to 9/11.  Apparently true.  But all of these programs have been continued by the Obama administration, as the President himself acknowledged at a presentation in California today.  He called it an acceptable balance between security and personal privacy.  I believe Benjamin Franklin had the proper response to that one more than 200 years ago.  “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

    I’m not going to get into this in any detailed way.  ANY time you post something, or search for something, on the internet, it crosses many lines.  Internet privacy is nonexistent.  And cellphones are RADIOS.  If it goes out over the air, it can be intercepted.

    But I do see one major difference between what went on in the Bush years and what has been happening here since Obama took office.  There is no record that the Bush administration used non-partisan government agencies for partisan political purposes.  It’s clear now that Obama & Co used the IRS to target political opponents.  Congress is still attempting to determine the degree — and source — of that abuse.  The question is, what else has the current administration used/abused in the name of partisan politics?, what else have they used/abused?

    BILL STATUS:

    All bills filed in during the regular session are available and may be acted upon.  At this time there are no new gun bills, nor has there been any action on bills previously filed.

    GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

    No active gun bills at this time

    HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

    None

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

    Monroe                 8-9 June

    Puyallup               22-23 June

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

    Article 1, Section 24

    Constitution of the State of Washington

    Copyright 2013 Gun Owners Action League of WA

  • GOAL Post 2013-SPECIAL 3

    GOAL Post                                                                             2013-SPECIAL 3
    Legislative Update from Olympia                                               31 May  2013

    SENATOR MIKE CARRELL (R-28) PASSES

    LOSS SPLITS SENATE 24-24

    STILL NO FOCUS ON GUNS — YET

    GUN CONTROL INITIATIVE FUNDING GETS A BOOST

    SCANDALS DISTRACT ANTIS IN D.C.

    UN RELEASES ATT FOR SIGNATURE/RATIFICATION

    TECH ACTIVIST CONFERENCE IN BELLEVUE TOMORROW

    On Wednesday of this week Washington gun owners lost one of our closest friends in the legislature, State Senator Mike Carrell, Republican, of Lakewood.  Carrell, a retired educator, passed away on May 29th.  He was diagnosed earlier this year with a form of pre-leukemia, and had been undergoing treatment for several months. For 18 years he was one of the strongest defenders of the right to keep and bear arms in Washington.  Mike was first elected to the House of Representatives in the Republican Revolution of 1994, and served five terms there before moving up to the state Senate in 2004. He was just reelected to a third Senate term last November.

    Carrel’s death may spark a crisis for the ruling Majority Coalition (now only 22 Republicans and two Democrats organizing with Republicans versus 24 Democrats) in the state Senate.  It will be June 11th before the Pierce County Council can appoint a successor to Carrell, coincidentally the last day of the current special session.  Meanwhile, there is a Constitutional question as to whether the Lieutenant Governor, as President of the Senate,  is allowed to vote as a tie-breaker on bills.  While the focus is on the passage of a biennial budget (the Democrat-controlled House passed a budget with more than $1 BILLION in tax increases, the Majority Coalition-led Senate previously passed a balanced budget), this could also have implications for gun bills as well.

    The procedure for succession calls for the Pierce County Republican Party to nominate three possible replacements.  In a meeting last night, they chose former County Councilman Dick Muri, current freshman Representative Steve O’Ban, and University Place City Councilman Javier Figuroa, in that order of preference.  Now we wait until at least 11 June for the County Council to review the nominations and select Carrell’s successor.  That individual will serve until the 2014 general election, when he will undergo a confirmation election to fill the remaining two years of the term.

    Today is Day 19 of the 30-day special session.  SO FAR there has been zero action taken on gun bills.  Given the loss of Senator Carrell, there is no way to guarantee that situation will hold.  It likely will, because any gun bill would still have to pass out of the Senate Law & Justice Committee, not likely at this time.  The critical issue still facing the legislature is a biennial budget, made worse now by the damage to the I-5 bridge in Burlington.  The Democrat budget tax increases go FAR beyond any bridge-building.

    Allegedly 1,200 supporters attended a fund raiser in Seattle and pledged $750,000 to support an initiative for “gun safety.”  There is no language for such an initiative, so at this time I cannot comment on it’s potential impact on gun owners.  More as it develops.

    The circus continues in Washington, D.C. with most attention focused on the three scandals currently distracting many of the pols: the IRS, Benghazi and Justice Department snooping on journalists (notice I successfully resisted adding a -gate to the three).  There may be some back room negotiating ongoing on S. 649, but nothing specific has emerged.

    This coming Monday, 3 June, the United Nations will formally sign the Arms Trade Treaty passed last month and open it to signature by member nations.  Many member states are expected to sign in the formal ceremony on Monday, but it remains open for signature indefinitely.  Obama administration officials have indicated the President will sign the treaty sooner rather than later, although it does not appear he will travel to New York City Monday.  ANY TREATY must still be ratified by a 2/3 vote of the U.S. Senate to become law…

    Regret short fuse, but a “tech activist” conference will be conducted tomorrow in Bellevue.  The conference runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time and takes place at the Coast Hotel, 625  116th Avenue in Bellevue.

    The Second Amendment Foundation is a co-sponsor, and the event will inform attendees how to make best use of technical resources in promoting their message.

    There is a $50 registration fee,  although that may be waived for up to 20 students.  For further information, see the links below.

    Website:  http://techactivist.com/

    Registration page:  http://techactivist.eventbrite.com/

    BILL STATUS:

    All bills filed in during the regular session are available and may be acted upon.  At this time there are no new gun bills.

    GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

    No active bills at this time

    HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

    None

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

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

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

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

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

    If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at “jwaldron@…” 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                 8-9 June

    Puyallup               22-23 June

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

    Article 1, Section 24

    Constitution of the State of Washington

    Copyright 2013 Gun Owners Action League of WA

  • GOAL Post 2013-SPECIAL 2

    GOAL Post                                                                              2013-SPECIAL 2
    Legislative Update from Olympia                                                24 May  2013

    NO ACTIVITY IN OLYMPIA

    SESSION ENDS NO LATER THAN 11 JUNE

    D.C. FOLLIES

    AL UNIVERSAL RECOGNITION       9/01/2013

    As the second week of the special session of the legislature ends, there has been no action taken on any firearm-related bills.  At this time it appears guns are off the table for the session.  Keep in mind that could change in an instant if there is an incident that generates sufficient emotion to push a gun bill through.

    Assuming they take the full 30 days allowed, the special session will end on Tuesday, 11 June.

    The circus continues in Washington, D.C. with most attention focused on the three scandals currently distracting many of the pols.  There may be some back room negotiating ongoing on S. 649, but nothing specific has emerged.

    Earlier this week, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley signed a bill significantly revising gun laws in that state.  Effective September 1st Alabama will shift from “may issue” to “shall issue” for CPLs.  Also on that date Alabama will recognize ALL CPLs issued nationwide.  Y’all come visit!

    BILL STATUS:

    As noted above, all bills filed in the previous regular session are available and may be acted upon.  At this time there are no new gun bills.

    GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

    No active bills at this time

    HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

    None

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

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

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

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

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

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

     

    Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

    Monroe                 8-9 June

    Puyallup               22-23 June

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

    Article 1, Section 24

    Constitution of the State of Washington

    Copyright 2013 Gun Owners Action League of WA

  • GOAL Post 2013-SPECIAL 1

    GOAL Post                                                                             2013-SPECIAL 1
    Legislative Update from Olympia                                               17 May  2013

    SPECIAL SESSION CONVENES

    NOMINAL 30-DAY SESSION

    GUNS OFF THE TABLE?

    DISTRACTED IN D.C.  (Benghazi, IRS, AP)

    The special session of the legislature convened earlier this week.  Called by the governor specifically to pass a biennial budget, once they convene, the legislature can work any issues they choose.  All of the bills filed in the regular session are still in the hopper, and may be called up for reconsideration.

    The first week of the special session ended with no action taken on any firearms-related bills.  Even Governor Inslee acknowledges that not much — if anything — will be done concerning guns during the special session.  The legislature remains split on the budget, with the Republican coalition controlled Senate insisting on no new taxes and the Democrat House pushing for a more-than-$1-BILLION tax increase (which some analysts believe will be even larger).

    Most of the focus in Olympia right now is back room negotiating as legislators try to reach consensus on the budget.  While it does not appear they will take up the gun issue this time around, we can never be sure.  The 24 Republican-2 Democrat ruling coalition in the Senate appears to be holding, but if it should break up, we could be in big trouble.  As I noted in a previous GOAL Post, we’re just one major shooting incident away from all the gun bills they can pass.

    Nor are we out of the woods in the other Washington — D.C.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid could bring S. 649 back for a vote any time he thinks he has the votes to pass the bill.  President Obama and VP Biden remain committed to passing as much of the Obama gun control agenda as they can push through the system.

    Fortunately for gun owners (and probably all Americans), the administration is distracted at the moment with the crisis du jour.  The Benghazi hearings and release of e-mails concerning the Benghazi cover-up, the IRS admission that they were giving “extra scrutiny” to applications for tax exempt status from conservative groups, and the revelation of the seizure of telephone records of several Associated Press reporters has kept the White House spin machine in overdrive.  The phrase of the day appears to be “I do not recall,” followed closely by “I had no knowledge…”  When your hand is caught in the cookie jar, deny, deny, deny.  It didn’t happen, we didn’t do it, we won’t do it again, and besides that was a long time ago.

    For a change the mainstream media appears to be greeting the administrations denials with a healthy dose of skepticism, but I don’t expect that to last.  They’ve given Obama & Company their blind support for more than four years now -0- it’s hard to admit you were wrong.  Time will tell.

    Hopefully the next few GOAL Posts will be as boring as this one!

    BILL STATUS:

    As noted above, all bills filed in the previous regular session are available and may be acted upon.  At this time there are no new gun bills.

    GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

    No active bills at this time

    HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

    None

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

    Monroe                 8-9 June

    Puyallup               22-23 June

     

    “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 2013-15

    GOAL Post 2013-15

    Legislative Update from Olympia 29 April 2013

    SESSION ENDS, NO BUDGET

    THREE FIREARM-RELATED BILLS PASS

    INSLEE CALLS SPECIAL SESSION, TO BEGIN 13 MAY

    FOCUS: BUDGET AND GUNS

    GUN CONTROL PRESS CONFERENCE

    OBAMA ET AL PROMISE RE-VISIT OF GUN BILL(S)

    GOAL POST TO CONTINUE THROUGH SPECIAL SESSION

    NRA CONVENTION IN HOUSTON 3-5 MAY

    The 2013 Regular Legislative session ended Sunday evening, 28 April without passage of a biennial budget, the principal function of the long session. Both chambers passed budgets, but were far apart in details. The GOP-controlled Senate passed a balanced budget, the House budget called for more than $1 BILLION in tax increases.

    Of the more than 30 firearm-related bills filed in the regular session, only three made it out of the legislature to the Governor’s desk. HB 1383, clarifying stalking protection orders, HB 1612, creating a “firearm offender registry” similar to the sex offender registry, and SB 5282, requiring DSHS to provide certain mental health data to the Washington State Patrol. Overall, we got a major pass this session, especially given the environment when it started back in January, exactly a month after the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting.

    Governor Inslee has called for a 30-day Special Session to begin on Monday, 13 May. While the governor listed specific issues he wanted addressed in the special session, once they convene the legislature can choose to go anywhere they want. Gun control — background checks as a minimum — are on the governor’s list. How well they’ll do in the special session remains to be seen. In the regular session they couldn’t even agree to pass a bill out of the Democrat-controlled House. The Senate is likely less receptive to the issue. But we won’t know until they convene.

    A coalition of gun control advocates and “religious leaders” held a press conference today in downtown Seattle to announce their plan to run an Initiative to the Legislature later this year. The initiative will allegedly focus on universal background checks, but if past history is any indication, that will be their cover for more comprehensive gun control measures (just as today’s Seattle Times article about the conference referred to I-676 as a “trigger lock” initiative — when only one section of 28 in that initiative dealt with trigger locks — it’s called bait & switch). As always, the devil is in the details. I’ll provide more information about the initiative process, and the initiative itself, some time next month after the actual language is filed.

    President Obama, Vice President Biden and several Democrat leaders in the U.S. Senate have appeared on television and in other fora since the failed votes on S. 649 ten days ago to commit to reviving the gun control bill and force it through Congress. No schedule has been set at this time, meaning they’re still working in the background to urge Senators to change their votes to support the measures. Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey, co-author of the Manchin-Toomey compromise amendment, says he’s done with the issue and will not pursue another vote. The bill could come back for a vote next week, or next month… or never. But SOME FORM of new and more intrusive gun control is a major goal of the Obama administration.

    This would normally be the last regular issue of the GOAL Post until next year’s regular (2014) session. Due to the special session, I will resume publishing GOAL Post after the start of the session in about three weeks.

    The NRA annual meetings and convention is being conducted in Houston this weekend, 3-5 May. I’ll be working the Second Amendment Foundation booth (#2955) on the exhibition floor. If you’re attending the convention, stop by and say hello.

    BILL STATUS:

    The following firearm-related bills remain under consideration in the 2013 session

    Bill # Subject Sponsor Status

    SHB 1383 Stalking protection orders Goodman (D-45) To Governor

    SHB 1612 Firearm offender registry Hope (R-44) To Governor

    SSB 5282 DSHS/WSP info exchange Carrell (R-28) To Governor

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

    GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

    HB 1383 NEUTRAL

    HB 1612 CONCERNS

    SB 5282 SUPPORT

    HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

    None

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

    Monroe 4-5 May

    Monroe 8-9 June

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

    Article 1, Section 24

    Constitution of the State of Washington

    Copyright 2013 Gun Owners Action League of WA

  • GOAL Post 2013-14

    GOAL Post                                                                            2013-14
    Legislative Update from Olympia                                                      19 April 2013

     

    HAPPY PATRIOTS DAY!

    BILLS MOVE, BILLS DIE

    GOAL POST DELAYED NEXT WEEK

    GUN CONTROL FAILS IN U.S. SENATE — THIS TIME

    OBAMA VOWS TO CONTINUE THE FIGHT

    SEATTLE ANTI-GUN GROUP THREATENS INITIATIVE — NEXT YEAR

    GRASSROOTS TRAINING EVENT 30 APRIL

    On a cool spring morning just outside Boston 238 years ago today, events were set in motion that would literally change the world.  Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson best summed it up in his Concord Hymn, the first stanza of which reads:

    “By the rude bridge that arched the flood.

    Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,

    Here once the embattled farmers stood,

    And fired the shot heard ’round the world.”

    Written nearly a century after the incident, it’s understandable that Emerson got a few of the details wrong.  It wasn’t at the Old North Bridge in Concord that the first shot of the American Revolution was fired, it was six miles away in Lexington, along the road from Boston to Concord, where British (government) troops first encountered armed colonists.  The troops’ mission was to seize stores of gunpowder and shot believed to be held in Concord.  But their first run-in came at tiny Lexington, where militiamen of the local “minute company” (militiamen  ready to respond on a minute’s notice) stood guard on the village green.  The British commander reportedly ordered them to “Disperse, damn ye, ye rebels.”  A single shot rang out, followed by a ragged volley.  The train was set in motion, motion that didn’t end until 1783 and the Treaty of Paris.

    That first lone shot was probably fired by a nervous militiaman with his finger on the trigger (in violation of basic firearm safety rules), facing what was at the time the world’s best army.  I would have been nervous, too.  But it serves as a reminder that little events can trigger(!) bigger things and lead us to something no one could have imagined on that sleepy April morning.

    As the remainder of this GOAL Post will show, this is the time to keep one’s finger off of the trigger and keep using that pen, keyboard or cellphone to tickle our elected representatives and remind them of their duty.

    The legislature is winding down its 2013 regular session.  The second chamber cut-off (House bills out of the Senate, Senate bills out of the House) was two days ago, and now it’s clean-up on the budget and either concurrence votes or conference committees on bills that were amended in the opposite chamber.

    HBs 1383 and 1612 and SB 5282 passed the Senate and House respectively, with amendments.  HB 1612 and SB 5282 await a concurrence vote in the chamber of origin or a conference.  Then on to the Governor if concurrence is given.  The House concurred in the Senate changes to HB 1383 and that bill is on its way to the Governor.  (Basically, the other side has to agree on the changes made before a bill can go to the Governor.)

    HB 1840 and SB 5452 appear to have died without a respective Senate and House floor vote, as did SB 5865.

    Given the historical number of gun bills filed in January, good and bad, we approach the end of the session with almost no forward motion for any of the bills.  Three passed out of 30+ filed.  Given hostile control of the House, that’s a plus in my estimation, although you don’t win wars fighting defense.

    The legislative session ends on Sunday, 28 April.  Rather than distribute a GOAL Post next Friday night, followed by a wrap-up a few days later, I’ll just hold off of sending it out until Monday.  At that point the fat lady will have sung, the gavel will have come down, and there will be no surprises.

    The big news of the week is the action (or inaction) on S. 649 (“Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act”), Majority Leader Harry Reid’s flagship background check/gun trafficking/school safety bill on the floor of the U.S. Senate.  A total of nine amendments were voted on for S. 649.

    Seven of the nine failed, including the Manchin-Toomey compromise background check substitute, the Grassley background check substitute, and amendments to ban assault weapons (Feinstein) and ban magazines (Lautenberg), along with pro-gun amendments to mandate nationwide recognition of CPLs and to ensure veterans receive due process before they are stripped of their gun rights.  Under the rules of the Senate, it took 60 votes to pass an amendment.  Most of the amendments offered fell 2-6 votes short of passage.  Encouraging was the fact that the amendment that fared the worst was Dianne Feinstein’s assault weapon ban, receiving only 40 votes.  One Republican (Mark Kirk of Illinois) voted FOR the Feinstein amendment, 15 Democrats voted against it (of course Washington’s two Senatrixes, Murray and Cantwell voted anti-gun every time).  About 5-6 Senate Democrats, mostly from western, southern or rural states, sides with Republicans to defeat the gun control amendments.

    Two amendments did pass Thursday, one that would cut some federal law enforcement grant money to any state that releases sensitive or confidential information on gun owners, and the second to fund additional mental health programs.

    Later on Thursday Reid pulled S. 649 from further consideration, likely killing the bill… for the present.  He has promised to bring it back to the floor when he has the votes to pass it.  The Wednesday/Thursday votes were just one battle; the war continues.

    President Obama held a televised temper tantrum shortly after Wednesday’s votes on S. 649, calling the NRA’s characterization of some of the bill’s amendments “lies.”  He vowed to continue pressure to promote his gun control agenda, through the use of executive orders where he could (an executive order cannot directly go against a vote of Congress).  Hell hath no fury like a president scorned….

    Other gun control fanatics, such as Vice President Joe Biden, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and others, also lost it in their public criticism of the votes on S. 649.  Like the President, all vowed to do whatever it takes to attain their agenda.  There are reports of an advertising campaign planned in the states whose Democrat Senators voted on our side, to pressure the Senators to change their votes.

    The newest Seattle-based gun control group, the “Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility.” is also making vows:  to run some form of gun control initiative NEXT year.  Look for the usual Seattleite fat-cats to pour money into the program, just as they did in 1997.  This time around, don’t be surprised if Mayor Bloomberg kicks in a few million — he just threw 12 million for broadcast advertising in selected states to push S. 649.  The mayor is a billionaire with money to burn.

    The discussion to date has been on background checks, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them overreach and throw in a few extra items from the gun grabbers’ wish list.  And that will work to our advantage.   The more trash they put in there, the easier it is to pick apart and defeat.

    The Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the Gun Owners Action League are joining with the Leadership Institute to conduct a grassroots training program at the Pierce County Library in Tacoma on Tuesday, 30 April.  The evening event will focus on several topics to include the legislative process, persuasive communications, traditional citizen (grassroots) lobbying and “new generation lobbying” — employing social media and other new methods of outreach.

    Cost to attend is $10 and additional information may be obtained from Phil Watson, Special Projects Director at the Second Amendment Foundation, (425) 454-7012.  You may also register directly at https://www.leadershipinstitute.org/Training/register.cfm?ID=22877

    BILL STATUS:

    Bill # Subject Sponsor Status Goal Position
    SHB 1383 Stalking protection orders Goodman (D-45) To Governor Neutral
    SHB 1612 Firearm offender registry Hope (R-44) Passed Senate Concerns
    SHB 1840 Firearms/restraining orders Goodman (D-45) Died in S. Rules Support
    SSB 5282 DSHS/WSP info exchange Carrell<(R-28) Passed House Support
    SSB 5452 Stalking protection orders Conway (D-29) Died H. Rules Neutral
    SB 5865 Use tax exemption for non-profits Roach (R-31) Died S. Rules Support

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

    HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

    None

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

    Puyallup             27-28 April

    Monroe                 4-5 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 2013 Gun Owners Action League of WA

  • GOAL Post 2013-13

    GOAL Post                                                                                    2013-13
    Legislative Update from Olympia                                                      12 April 2013

    SSB 5282 PASSES HOUSE IN AMENDED FORM

    SB 5465 DIES

    SECOND CHAMBER CUT-OFF NEXT WEDNESDAY

    17 DAYS LEFT IN SESSION

    INITIATIVES

    MISSOURI CPL FIASCO

    S. 649

    POLICE-ONE SURVEY — COPS ARE PRO-GUN

    GRASSROOTS TRAINING EVENT 30 APRIL

    SSB 5282 (State Patrol mental health data base) has passed out of the Senate, but it was amended while there.  If the House concurs in the Senate amendment, it goes to Governor Inslee for his signature.  If the House does NOT concur, it goes to a conference committee for resolution of differences.

    SB 5465 (use tax exemption for non-profits) died in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.

    The remaining bills (HBs 1383, 1612, 1840 and SB 5452) must pass out of their second chamber by next Wednesday.  All four are awaiting a floor vote.

    There are 17 days left in the 2013 regular legislative session.  By the State Constitution, the legislature must adjourn no later than midnight, Sunday 28 April.  If necessary, the Governor may call a special session to last no more than 30 days to resolve major issues.

    At least one pro-gun initiative has been filed with the Secretary of State.  A second anti-gun initiative may be filed as well.  More on these at the end of the session.

    Gun owners in Missouri report a very disturbing development.  In 2011 and again in January of this year, the Social Security Administration asked the state of Missouri to turn over to them the complete listing of individuals with a Missouri concealed carry license.  The reason?  To compare with lists of individuals drawing Social Security Disability payments because of mental illness.  One report claims they also asked for and received biometric identifying data of the licensees.  (Missouri does not issue a separate concealed pistol license, it places an “endorsement” (code) on the driver’s license, although those who don’t want this “mark of Cain” on their d/l’s can get a separate state ID with the endorsement.)

    Our own Dave Workman checked with the Department of Licensing in Olympia, who say no such request has been received by Washington.  Maybe not, but it appears Big Brother is spreading his tentacles even further.

    I have been told some individuals whose unemployment benefits are running out are applying for SS disability payments due to PTSD related to failed job searches.  That might not be such a smart move if you want to keep your guns!

    In the other Washington, an attempt was mounted by Senator Rand Paul (R-TN) and more than a dozen other Republicans to filibuster S. 649 and kill the bill from the outset.  That filibuster failed when 16 Republicans sided with Democrats on a cloture vote (to allow the bill to proceed to debate and amendment).  Two Democrats voted with the remaining 29 Republicans to block the bill.  (I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that both are from rural states and both up for reelection next year.)  In all honesty, the likelihood of a successful filibuster on this bill was slim at best.

    From the time of its release in late March, it was clear that S. 649 as filed was in trouble.  NRA-A-rated West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin and A-rated Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey to the rescue!  They reportedly got together on Manchin’s yacht, over drinks, to come up with “acceptable” compromise.

    While the “compromise language” has yet to be released, rumors and alleged leaks abound.  One section would contain a specific prohibition against using the data collected in background checks for any form of gun registry, but Schumer is reportedly demanding all transfers be processed through a federally-licensed firearms dealer (FFL), and current law requires ALL transfers to be recorded by the dealer.  When dealers go out of business, their records are required to be turned over to the ATF.  Dealer records (ATF Form 4473 and the dealer’s “bound book”) contain a full description of the buyer AND the firearm.  Another section is supposed to require states to recognize ALL other states’ concealed carry licenses (passed last year by the Republican House but ignored by Harry Reid in the Senate), a provision that has gun control advocates and senior law enforcement officials screaming bloody murder.

    The cloture vote took place on 11 April, and full debate on the bill will begin on 16 April.  The final Senate vote on S. 649 should come by the end of April.  It’s future in the House is uncertain, but if several Republicans join Democrats to pass it out of the Senate, passage of some form of the bill in the House is likely.

    A recent survey of 15,000 active and retired police officers  by PoliceOne.com revealed rank and file law enforcement officers nationwide overwhelmingly SUPPORT licensed concealed carry by private citizens.  But bureaucrats with badges who “lead” police agencies historically bow to their political masters and oppose most pro-gun measures.

    The Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the Gun Owners Action League are joining with the Leadership Institute to conduct a grassroots training program at the Pierce County Library in Tacoma on Tuesday, 30 April.  The evening event will focus on several topics to include the legislative process, persuasive communications, traditional citizen (grassroots) lobbying and “new generation lobbying” — employing social media and other new methods of outreach.

    Cost to attend is $10 and additional information may be obtained from Phil Watson, Special Projects Director at the Second Amendment Foundation, (425) 454-7012.  You may also register directly at https://www.leadershipinstitute.org/Training/register.cfm?ID=22877

    BILL STATUS:

    The following bills remain under consideration in the 2013 session

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

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

    HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

    None

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

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

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

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

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

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    Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

    Puyallup             27-28 April

    Monroe                 4-5 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 2013 Gun Owners Action League of WA