GOAL has been a major force protecting and restoring Second Amendment rights in Olympia for over twenty years with its dedicated efforts to defeat ill-considered legislation attacking firearms owners and to press for laws recognizing and protecting fundamental firearms rights and an early supporter of efforts opposing the poorly written and deeply misguided I-594. Often fighting uphill battles against anti-gun legislative majorities and governors, GOAL has consistently held its ground or made actual advances in the face of long odds.
Joined on the legislative scene by Protect Our Gun Rights Washington, GOAL will only be more effective with a strong ally by its side.
GOAL’s efforts – whether through direct legislative action or through supporting pro-gun candidates – have held the line nearly alone for Washington gun owners rights for decades. Today they are being reinforced with grass roots support, new allies in Olympia and ever more vital relationships on both sides of the aisle.
Join GOAL and your fellow gun owners at the January 15th Rally for Your Rights to hear a wide variety of gun rights viewpoints before visiting your legislator and helping them understand the importance of repealing or amending I-594 and other bad gun laws.
WAFLAG will provide help at the rally to folks unsure of who their legislator is and how best to meet with them. In the meantime, locate your legislator by going to www.app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/ or contact the legislative hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Let them know your views!
MAJORITY OF RANK AND FILE WASHINGTON COPS OPPOSE 594
WHY ARE YOU RECEIVING THIS ALERT?
The following article was published in the Tacoma News Tribune on Sunday, 19 October. The author, Phil Shave, is the retired Chief of Law Enforcement for Washington State Parks and a long-time instructor with the Criminal Justice Training Commission. He is currently the Executive Director of the Washington Arms Collectors (WAC).
NO ON 594: DON’T TURN NEIGHBORS INTO ACCIDENTAL CRIMINALS
Would you vote for a law that would make criminals of half your neighbors? Initiative 594 would do exactly that.
In their zeal to impose “universal background checks,” the creators of I-594 have written a law that would require nearly all “transfers” of firearms to be conducted at the premises of a Federal Firearms License (FFL) dealer.
I-594 defines transfers as a change of possession, no matter how temporary, including gifts and loans. There are exceptions for family gifts, organized competitions and youth activities, but they are so narrow that most recreational, non-sale transfers would be crimes.
The father who loans a hunting rifle to an adult son during hunting season would commit a misdemeanor (upon the first violation). When the rifle is returned, both father and son would be two-time offenders, and thus felons under I-594.
Shooting buddies who met on public land or their own property to target practice with shared firearms would violate I-594. Routine gun repairs would also be criminalized. The initiative would effectively forbid you from dropping your firearm off with a gunsmith friend unless he had a federal license. Most gunsmiths in this state, often the most skilled, lack federal licenses.
Women are targeted by several provisions. Instructors could no longer provide loaner firearms during introductory women’s self-defense classes. And if your sister were being stalked and in fear of her life, and you loaned her a firearm, you would both be criminals. I-594 has an exception to “prevent imminent death,” but the legal definition of imminent means “about to happen.”
Widows and heirs beware: If your spouse died and you found a couple of handguns in your husband’s sock drawer 61 days after death, then you’d be an accidental felon.
I-594 only allows you 60 days to register those guns; after that, they’d become contraband. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, and intent to commit a crime is not an element written into 594. Why write a law that makes inheritance of grandpa’s old guns a crime?
Colorado passed a law in 2013 requiring universal background checks, but the Colorado law includes exceptions for temporary transfers without change of ownership, transfers while hunting or target shooting, transfers for gun repairs and loans for 72 hours. The transfer fee is capped at a reasonable $10 (fees are unlimited in I-594).
If only I-594 were that reasonable. Failure to complete the Colorado paperwork is a misdemeanor, whereas I-594 makes the first offense a gross misdemeanor and the second a Class C felony.
I urge you to follow the lead of our state’s law enforcement officers, those who deal with crime and criminals on a daily basis; they oppose I-594 and support passage of Initiative 591. Vote yes on I-591 because it leaves intact our current background check laws while allowing our state to implement future enhancements adopted at the federal level for all 50 states.
I-594’s penalty provisions are one huge reason that law enforcement officers oppose this flawed initiative. Its promoters cleverly revised the law to define an I-594 felony as a “serious” offense, placing it in the same category as child molestation, third-degree rape, leading organized crime and drive-by shootings.
You could loan your gun to a friend for the weekend, and the judge hearing your paperwork crime would have to follow “serious” crime-sentencing guidelines, including consecutive sentences for these newly defined “serious” crimes.
No law enforcement organization supports Initiative 594.
The Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs represents the majority of law enforcement line-level officers in our state; it opposes the initiative. The Washington State Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association opposes it. These are the firearm professionals who would be tasked with enforcing this unreasonable law.
Nineteen elected sheriffs oppose I-594. They understand that the initiative will consume scarce resources in the prosecution and imprisonment of its accidental violators.
(When Phil’s column was submitted to the T-N-T, nineteen sheriffs had joined us in opposing I-594. In the past few days, six more sheriffs have climbed aboard, bringing the total to 25 of the state’s 39 county sheriffs.)
As noted above, 25 county sheriffs have added their names to the list of those opposing I-594. In addition to their law enforcement expertise in addressing this issue, there is one more important thing you should understand: all of these sheriffs are ELECTED OFFICIALS, and answerable to their constituents.
At this time, the 25 sheriffs who are opposing I-594 are (in county alphabetical order):
Sheriff John Hunt — Adams County
Sheriff Steven Keane – Benton County
Sheriff Brian Burnett — Chelan County
Sheriff Bill Benedict – Clallam County
Sheriff Rocky MIller — Columbia County
Sheriff Mark Nelson — Cowlitz County
Sheriff Harvey Gjesdal – Douglas County
Sheriff Pete Warner — Ferry County
Sheriff Richard Lathim – Franklin County
Sheriff Ben Keller — Garfield County
Sheriff Thomas Jones – Grant County
Sheriff Rick Scott – Grays Harbor County
Sheriff Rick McComas — Klickitat County
Sheriff Steve Mansfield — Lewis County
Sheriff Wade Magers – Lincoln County
Sheriff Frank Rogers — Okanogan County
Sheriff Scott Johnson — Pacific County
Sheriff Alan Botzheim — Pend Orielle County
Sheriff Dave Brown, Skamania County
Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich — Spokane County
Sheriff Kendle Allen – Stevens County
Sheriff John Snaza – Thurston County
Sheriff Mark Howie – Wahkiakum County
Sheriff John Turner – Walla Walla County
Sheriff Brett Myers — Whitman County
If YOUR sheriff isn’t on this list, you might ask him why?
Note that sheriffs AND rank and file police officers — the officers that actually patrol the streets, oppose 594 and support 591. The Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs (WACOPS), the largest police union in Washington representing a majority of sworn officers, has formally adopted a position opposing I-594 and supporting I-591. The same is true of the Washington State Law Enforcement Firearm Instructors Association (WSLEFIA). Who would know better the negative impact of I-594 than these dedicated officers.
What about police chiefs? As noted above, sheriffs are elected by residents of their county. They pay attention to their constituents. Rank and file officers that daily patrol our streets have minds of their own, and opinions of their own Neither support 594.
So how about chiefs? One thing to keep in mind: police chiefs work for City Hall, and hold their positions at the pleasure of the mayor or city council. Their opinions tend to match those of their bosses. Having said that, police chiefs statewide are represented by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs — WASPC. WASPC does not have a dog in this fight, they’re neutral.
Why are you receiving this e-mail? Theoretically no one on this list should need this e-mail. I would hope all of you are going to vote the right way on both initiatives: YES on 591, NO on 594. So why am I preaching to the choir, as it were?
Because we need YOUR HELP in getting the word out — to fellow gun owners who are not as politically-attuned as are you, and more importantly to the non-gun owning voters out there who are NOT getting the full story, especially on I-594. Our budget is extremely limited. The other side has nearly $9 MILLION to throw into television, radio and print media advertising.
As Joseph Goebbels observed more than 70 years ago, if you repeat a big lie often enough, people WILL believe it. And that is what billionaires Michael Bloomberg, Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, Paul Allen and Chip Hanauer are counting on (all with private security details). They don’t need to fool all of the people all of the time, they only need to fool 51% of the people through election day.
I’m sending this information out in the hope that YOU will pick up pen, or sit at keyboard, and help get the word out to others. A simple and cheap way to do this is letters to the editor of your local newspaper. Newspapers DO print letters whose position they do not agree with. Over the years I have been reasonably successful in getting several letters published in the Seattle Times and P-I, no friends of gun owners.
Letters should be brief — ideally 150 words or less, and limited to one or two points. Taking your cue from this alert, you might bring out the fact that law enforcement statewide is opposed to I-594 and supports I-591. That message is NOT being conveyed by the mainstream media. This is your opportunity to do that, using their print space!
E-mail and snail mail addresses for your paper’s Letters to the Editor may be found on the letters page, usually in a box at the side or on the bottom. Policy on word limits are usually there, too, but 150 is a good number. Enough to get your point across.
I haven’t said much about I-591 here. I’m saving that for another alert. But it’s there on the ballot, too, and it needs and deserves your YES vote. That’s another way of fighting 594.
GOAL Post 2014-4
Legislative Update from Olympia 3 February 2014
HEARINGS ON INITIATIVES
HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL
I-591 CERTIFIED BY SECRETARY OF STATE
NEW BILLS FILED
HBs 2164, 2459 PASS OUT OF COMMITTEE
CHANGE IN POSITION ON HUNTER ED BILLS
FRIDAY IS FIRST POLICY CHAMBER CUT-OFF
Public hearings on the competing gun initiatives were conducted on Tuesday in House Judiciary and Wednesday in Senate Law & Justice. The House hearing got all the media attention, with former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her former-astronaut husband Mark Kelly leading those testifying. The overflow crowd of attendees had to be sent to the House chamber. The crowd on Wednesday was smaller, but still filled more than just the Senate Law & Justice hearing room.
Testimony in both hearings, especially the House hearing, was very interesting, and points out the difficulty we have in getting the pro-gun message across. Almost all of the pro-594/anti-591 testimony was very emotional, consisting primarily of victims tales, with a few statistics thrown in. On our side, most anti-594/pro-591 testimony was fact based, focusing on the difficulties in implementing I-594, it’s near-impossible enforcement, etc. Calm, cool and logical, just as we’re supposed to be when we choose to carry a defensive firearm. Unfortunately, emotion tugs at the heartstrings.
Unfortunately, a few individuals chose to exercise their right to openly carry firearms at the Tuesday event, and they’re the ones who drew the media attention for the pro-591 side. An interview with a camouflage-clad, AR-15 toting gunman beats a cold recitation of facts any time. This is the kind of image we have ten months to overcome, or we lose.
The prevailing attitude in Olympia seems to be that this is an election year, and controversial social issues are best left off the table. At this point, neither initiative is likely to receive a vote out of either committee. If the session ends in five weeks without action on either initiative, they both go to the voters in November. And it’s going to be a long campaign up until election day.
Testimony was also heard on HB 1561, by Rep. Brian Blake (D-19), a bill that would open the door to legal possession of short-barreled rifles. Given the previously-stated attitude about staying away from controversial topics, getting this one voted out of committee is an uphill battle. I would urge all of you to contact your legislators and ask that HB 1561 receive a vote out of committee and a vote of the full House on the House floor.
I-591 (pro-gun) was officially certified Friday by the Secretary of State. Both initiatives will now likely go to a vote of the people in November.
Three new firearm-related bills were filed last week, bringing the total I am tracking to 45 (if I counted accurately). This is a record in recent years, but will change significantly at the end of the week with the first policy committee cut-off.
HB 2551, by Rep. Jason Overstreet (R-42), removes the ability of the governor or other official to restrict the use, possession , sale or transfer of any firearm or ammunition during a declared state of emergency. Under current law, possession of firearms outside the home, as well as sale/transfer, can be prohibited. Bills similar to this passed in several states following the gun confiscation policies practiced by New Orleans authorities after Hurricane Katrina. HB 2664, by Rep. David Taylor (R-15), extends the right of self defense, or defense of others, to those threatened by animal attack, both domestic and/or wild. SB 6416, by Sen. Brian Hatfield (D-19), is a counterpart bill to HB 2502, and allows immediate delivery of a handgun to full-time commissioned law enforcement officers, just as a holder of a CPL can take immediate delivery.
HB 2164, by Rep. Tina Orwall (D-33), passed out of the House Judiciary Committee on a unanimous vote. The bill requires intervention training for juveniles adjudicated (convicted) of firearm offenses. HB 2459, by Rep. Brian Blake (D-19) passed out of House Agriculture to House Finance. SB 6199, by Sen. John Braun (R-20), prohibits incendiary targets or ammunition in certain circumstances.
As I alluded to in my GOAL Alert last week, I have received several from hunter education instructors asking that we reverse our position on the Hunter Education fee increase bills. I defer to their perspective on service today as Hunter Ed instructors (my experience goes back 25-35 years, in California). Effective immediately, the GOAL Position on HB 2459 and SB 6039 is now “SUPPORT.”
Friday, 7 February, is the first policy chamber cut-off date. Theoretically, any bills that have not passed out of their original policy committee, are effectively dead for the session. Except that nothing is truly dead until the session is over. A vote of the entire Senate or House can “relieve a committee” of consideration of a bill, and move it to the floor for a full chamber vote. It’s an unusual maneuver, but it does happen occasionally.
My travels are done for the immediate future, so GOAL Post should be back to its normal Friday evening dissemination at the end of the week. I’m also trying another format change — placing the GOAL position on a bill on the same line as the bill status. Theoretically this will make it easier to read. I expect I’ll get input on that as well!
Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, Ag/NatRes = Agriculture/Natural Resources, Fin = Finance, Jud = Judiciary, K-12 = Education, L&J = Law & Justice, NatRes = Natural Resources & Parks, Trans = Transportation, W&M = Ways and 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]” or 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.
Upcoming WAC gun show(s):
Monroe 15-16 February
Puyallup 22-23 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.”
GOAL Alert 1-2014
Legislative Update from Olympia 26 January 2014
PUBLIC HEARING ON INITIATIVES
LEGISLATURE INUNDATED WITH PRO-I-594 E-MAILS
CHANGE IN POSITION ON HUNTER ED BILL
This is a repeat, but it bears repeating. Public hearings will be conducted on Initiatives 591 (pro-gun) and 594 (anti-gun) on 28 January (House Judiciary) and 29 January (Senate Law & Justice). It is critical that as many individuals as possible turn out to attend BOTH of these hearings.
A strong turnout sends a strong signal to both the legislature and to the media present of the support for, or opposition to, each of the initiatives. Signs and posters are not allowed inside the buildings, but we will be distributing “Guns Save Lives” stickers to participants. Parking in the vicinity of the Campus is tight, and Olympia loves to give tickets for illegal parking, so car pools are strongly encouraged. http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Parking.aspx
The House Judiciary Committee will conduct it’s hearing on both initiatives at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, in House Hearing Room “A” in the John L. Obrien (House) Office Building. The Senate Law & Justice Committee will hear both initiatives at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Senate Hearing Room “1” in the John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building. Sign-up sheets will likely be posted outside the hearing rooms. Please come early and sign in FOR I-591 and AGAINST I-594.
House Judiciary chair Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D-27) announced she would also hear HB 1561 — legalizing short-barreled rifles under state law — in conjunction with her hearing on the initiatives Tuesday afternoon.
We are receiving reports legislators are being inundated with e-mails asking them to support I-594 (anti-gun) and oppose I-591 (pro-gun). Whether you can or can’t make it to Olympia on Tuesday and/or Wednesday, and especially if you can’t make either day, it is imperative you communicate with your legislators and tell that that I-594 is not only too extreme for Washingtonians, it’s possibly in conflict with federal law as well.
Speaking of being inundated with e-mails, I have received several from hunter education instructors asking that we reverse our position on the Hunter Education fee increase bills. Given that they are far more current with the program (my experience goes back 25-35 years), I defer to their judgment. The position will change to “SUPPORT” in the next GOAL Post.”
I look forward to seeing all of you on Tuesday and Wednesday.
GOAL Post 2014-3
Legislative Update from Olympia 23 January 2014
PUBLIC HEARINGS ON INITIATIVES
I-594 CERTIFIED BY SOS; I-591 NEXT
FIREARMS ON THE CAPITOL CAMPUS
FORMAT CHANGE
NEW BILL(S) FILED
ADDITIONAL PUBLIC HEARING(S) SCHEDULED
OPPOSE HB 2459/SB 6039
Public hearings will be conducted on Initiatives 591 (pro-gun) and 594 (anti-gun) on 28 January (House Judiciary) and 29 January (Senate Law & Justice). It is critical that as many individuals turn out as possible to attend BOTH of these hearings. A strong turnout sends a strong signal to both the legislature and to the media present of the support for, or opposition to, each of the initiatives.
Signs and posters are not allowed inside the buildings, but we will be distributing “Guns Save Lives” stickers to participants. Parking in the vicinity of the Campus is tight, and Olympia loves to give tickets for illegal parking, so car pools are strongly encouraged. http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Parking.aspx
The House Judiciary Committee will conduct it’s hearing on both initiatives at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, in House Hearing Room “A” in the John L. Obrien (House) Office Building. The Senate Law & Justice Committee will hear both initiatives at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Senate Hearing Room “1” in the John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building. Sign-up sheets will likely be posted outside the hearing rooms. Please come early and sign in FOR I-591 and AGAINST I-594.
(And just before I sent this, House Judiciary chair Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D-27) announced she would also hear HB 1561 — legalizing short-barreled rifles under state law — in conjunction with her hearing on the initiatives Tuesday afternoon.)
The Secretary of State announced on Wednesday that the count of signatures for I-=594 was completed, and the initiative has sufficient signatures to move forward. The count on I-591 is underway as you read this.
And here is where I alienate some of you on the list. Carry is legal on the Capitol Campus. But both committee chairs have asked that no one OPEN carry in deference to the victims the other side is expected to bring in. I know, and for the most part agree with, the arguments for open carry. But occasionally discretion is the better part of valor. This is NOT the time to push the issue. In fact, the most likely reaction to such activity is a change in the law banning ALL firearms on the Campus. That does no one any good. Please be discrete.
I’ve merged the “Bill Status” and “GOAL Position” segments to make for easier linking of the two. The GOAL position on a given bill will appear immediately below the bill information.
One new firearm-related bill was filed this week. SB 6245, by Sen. Brian Dansel (R-7) makes technical fixes to the existing law requiring surrender of a CPL held by anyone convicted of certain offenses.
A public hearing will be conducted on SB 6199, a bill restricting the use of incendiary or tracer ammunition and incendiary devices.
I have taken a position to oppose HB 2459 and SB 6039, bills dealing with hunter education training. I support the intent of hunter education training. I was first certified by the State of California as a Hunter Safety instructor in 1973. Hunter education training was developed by the NRA in the 1930s. Hunter Ed instruction is currently conducted by volunteer instructors. But this bill allows the Department of Fish and Wildlife to set a registration fee “of not more than $20” to take the course. Revenues collected shall be used to reimburse volunteer instructors for out-of-pocket expenses and other purposes. I oppose the bills as written because I believe $20 is too high and will evolve into a cash cow for DFW. Instructors deserve to be reimbursed, but a $20 fee for the course may act as a bar to certifying young hunters.
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]” or 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.
Upcoming WAC gun show(s):
Monroe 15-16 February
Puyallup 22-23 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 2013-UPDATE 3
Legislative Update from Olympia 17 October 2013
KERRY SIGNS UN ARMS TRADE TREATY
BI-PARTISAN GROUP OF SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES OPPOSE
LEGISLATIVE “WORK SESSION” ON BACKGROUND CHECKS
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE GOES HOG WILD FOR GUN CONTROL
COLORADO RECALLS SENATORS FOR ANTI-GUN VOTES
INITIATIVES
GRASSROOTS ACTIVISM TRAINING EVENTS
On 25 September, United States Secretary of State John Kerry signed the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, making the United States the 113th country to sign. However, at this time only seven countries have actually ratified the treaty (not all countries require ratification, especially those countries that are effectively dictatorships). At this point, the United States is a l-o-n-g way from ratification. Sooner or later, Senate Majority Leader Harry “Friend of the NRA” Reid will undoubtedly push for a ratification vote, but there are far too many other controversial issues facing the Senate right now.
Bi-partisan groups of 51 U.S. Senators and 101 Representatives sent separate letters to President Obama opposing the UN ATT. While ratification by the Senate is unlikely, there is something to keep in mind: the Constitution requires approval of 2/3 of Senators to ratify a treaty. This DOES NOT necessarily mean 67 Senators. The Constitution says “2/3 of Senators PRESENT” when a vote is taken. A case of a Republican-only flu or similar legislative shenanigans could put us at risk. Would Harry Reid do that?
On Thursday, 3 October, the Washington state House Judiciary Committee conducted a “legislative work session” on firearm background checks. This was not a public hearing, but an internal workshop intended to provide information to lawmakers on the tops of the session. Of the 13 members of the House Judiciary Committee, only five members attended the session — all Democrats. In addition to state employees from the Washington State Patrol, the Department of Licensing, the Department of Social and Health Services, and Thurston County Sheriff John Snaza testifying, input was taken from a Special Agent from the Seattle Office of the ATF and two representatives of the gun community: myself and a Federal Firearms Licensee from Vancouver.
While the session was supposed to inform legislators about how the current background system works, most of the testimony from the state employees sounded like it was a budget development session, with several complaints about inadequate staffing, inadequate funding, inadequate time to conduct background checks, etc. (And gun control advocates want to EXPAND the background check requirement EXPONENTIALLY by requiring background checks on ALL firearm transfers (including loans)?
DSHS recommended expanding the current mental health prohibition to include individuals put on a 72-hour mental health “hold” for evaluation. ABSOLUTELY NOT. Haven’t they heard about fundamental Constitutional rights and due process?
There was brief discussion of extending the state handgun background check process (separate white form, etc) to long guns. No one was hot for the idea, but that doesn’t mean it won’t come up in January!
The sole FFL present had very little to say.
I covered gun show procedures, both as conducted by the Washington Arms Collectors and commercial gun shows, then spent time addressing other background check-related issues, as well as answering questions posed by the Representatives present.
During its 2013 session, the Democrat-dominated California legislature passed at least 11 gun control bills. Given the demographics in the Golden State, that is likely all we can expect from Sacramento as long as our republic lasts. To his credit, Governor Jerry “Governor Moonbeam” Brown (D) only signed four of the bills into law. He vetoed the remaining SEVEN.
Bills that are now law in the State of California include those prohibiting the use of lead ammunition for hunting (!), expanding the child access prevention (CAP) law (i.e. “lock up your safety” adding full civil liability for parents/guardians, banning the sale of parts or repair kits that could be used to build a magazine with a capacity of greater than ten rounds, and finally, expanding the current requirement for a buyer to obtain a “handgun safety certificate” to buy a handgun to long gun firearm transfers as well.
Brown vetoed bills expanding and adding new registration fees to semi-automatic “assault weapons” not previously covered as well as banning future sale/transfer, further restricting the sale of handguns not on the official “Attorney General’s approved handgun list” (almost all older handguns), effectively repealing California’s existing already-less-than-perfect state preemption law, making it a crime to fail to report to police a stolen firearm, banning gun shows at the Cow Palace (a hot issue in San Francisco), banning certain non-traditional shotguns, and lastly, expanding the list of persons prohibited from possessing a firearm to include anyone convicted of DUI Of a motor vehicle or boat.
As sure as death and taxes, most of those bills will be back before the governor in the future.
Colorado is another state where Democrat-dominated politics resulted in passage of restrictive gun control laws this year, including a ban on normal capacity magazines. Colorado gun owners did not take this sitting down. They ran recalls on two of the leading state Senators involved in the gun control feeding frenzy: Senate President John Morse and Senator Angela Giron. The recall petition drives were successful AND the recall elections themselves were successful by strong margins. Both long-term state Senators are now drawing unemployment. The Democrats now hold only a one-seat majority in the state Senate, 18 to 17, and gun owners have initiated a THIRD recall election for another gun-grabbing Senator.
The success of the Colorado recalls has sent signals throughout the western states and perhaps nationwide about what can happen to elected officials who demonstrate a willingness to deny fundamental rights. Meanwhile USA Today reported that pro-gun-control Democrat Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper is urging outside gun control groups (such as soon-to-be-unemployed Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns) to STAY OUT OF COLORADO. Bloomberg contributed $350,000 to Morse and Giron, money thrown down the tube.
Both pro-gun I-591 and anti-gun I-594 are moving forward. The Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility says it turned in 150,000 petition signatures to the Secretary of State a short time ago. They’re now collecting additional signatures to ensure they have a margin of safety for the 246,000 VALID signatures needed to get the initiative before the legislature in January. I-591, too, is close to the necessary amount of signatures needed to move forward. They should be turning over signatures in the near future.
I expect BOTH initiatives will be certified by the Secretary of State and move over to the legislature for action during the 2014 regular session, which begins in mid-January. It is up to the legislature to pass either or both, to ignore either or both, or to pass an amended version of either of the initiatives. 2014 is an election year, so I expect at this time that the legislature will punt, and kick BOTH initiatives to a vote of the people in November 2014. That means another major campaign during 2014 to ensure we prevail on election day.
While we’re discussing initiatives, two “grassroots campaign workshops” will be conducted in Western Washington this weekend. These political action workshops run 8 hours and cover different material than the previous meeting in Tacoma.
This Grassroots Campaign Workshop teaches you how to manage or contribute to a winning campaign, advocacy organization, or legislative initiative. Ideal attendees are campaign staff, candidates, activists, or groups interested in working on ballot initiatives, propositions, or legislation.
Topics to be covered include developing a persuasive message, building grassroots infrastructure, recruiting and managing volunteers, getting voters to the polls, building strong coalitions and targeting voters with a specific message.
The workshops will be conducted on Saturday and Sunday — this weekend. Saturday’s event is at the Silverdale Beach Hotel, 3073 NW Bucklin Hill Rd, Silverdale, WA. On Sunday, the event goes down at Picasso Catering, 3822 S. Union Ave Suite D, Tacoma, WA. Both events run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Registration: $25.00 + breakfast and lunch will be offered at the training for $10.00 total.
Downloadable event flyers and agendas are also on the RSVP links.
BILL STATUS, BILL POSITION and PUBLIC HEARING SECTIONS DELETED UNTIL THE LEGISLATURE RESUMES ACTION.
GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “[email protected]”or 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 2-3 November
Puyallup 23-24 November
“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.”
GOAL Post 2013-UPDATE 1
Legislative Update from Olympia 26 July 2013
NO ACTION IN D.C.
ZIMMERMAN VERDICT REACTION
STAND-YOUR-GROUND UNDER ATTACK
AUGUST 6 PRIMARY ELECTION
I-591 ADVANCES
SAF SUES SEATTLE
CPL TRAINING REQUIREMENT?
There has been no action on S. 649 or any other anti-gun legislation on Capitol Hill since the last GOAL Post. Congress begins its 30-day summer recess in a week (in other words, a vacation, where many members fly around the world — at taxpayer expense — on “fact-finding” trips). Some meetings may be held during the recess.
The acquittal of George Zimmerman in the February 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin has generated outrage from the left. From the President and Attorney General on down, “Trayvon” has become the latest god in the pantheon of the left, with generally — but not entirely — non-violent rallies all across the country. By finding George Zimmerman not guilty by reason of self defense, the jury in effect indicted Martin for aggravated assault — thus justifying Zimmerman’s use of lethal force.. But the mainstream media has yet to make that connection. Just as they haven’t bothered to delve into Trayvon’s school disciplinary record, or his diversion into a non-criminal program when he was allegedly found in possession of burglary tools and stolen jewelry.
(Retired police officer, gun writer, frequent “expert witness” on gun issues — and SAF board member — Massad Ayoob has written a series of blogs analyzing the Zimmerman case. They’re published in Backwoods Home magazine. Next update I’ll try to include links to all of his coverage of the issue.)
Some vocal African-American leaders (or those who claim to speak for African-Americans) immediately started a crusade against stand-your-ground laws, claiming they are racist (especially interesting, given that in Florida at least, African-American defendants use stand-your-ground as a defense much more frequently than do whites; proportionately, and they have a higher acquittal rate with that defense). President Obama and Attorney General Holder jumped on the “pile-on-stand-your-ground” bandwagon as well, and the Congressional Black Caucus (their name, not mine) has started hearings about this evil, evil law. .(Meanwhile totally ignoring the fact that Zimmerman did NOT invoke stand-your-ground, nor did the prosecutor raise it at trial.)
The Black Congressional Caucus also conveniently ignores the fact that stand-your-ground is STATE LAW, not federal. Congress doesn’t write — or repeal — state law. I guess they pick and choose “facts” to suit their current agenda.
Just as President Obama conveniently forgot the fact that when he was a state Senator in Illinois, in 2004, he signed on as a co-sponsor to SB 2386, an EXPANSION of Illinois’ stand-your-ground law. And the Illinois Senate passed it UNANIMOUSLY, while the House had two dissenting votes of 116 Representatives voting. I guess President Obama was “FOR it before he was AGAINST it” (where have I heard that before?).
August 6th is primary day in Washington. As an off-year election, most activity centers on local races, but there are a couple of races that need our attention. Representative Jan Angel (R) is running against appointed Senator Nathan Schlicher (D) in the 26th District. At the county level, 9th District King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn (R) has been solid on the gun issue since he was first elected several years ago. (Please note that those names will only appear on ballots of those who reside in the 26th Legislative District or District 9, King County.
Signature gathering for Initiative 591 (I-591) is progressing well. More than 50,000 signatures have been gathered to date, of the 246,000 required before January 4, 2014. I-591 simply prohibits firearm confiscation without due process, and prohibits the state from adopting a background check standard more stringent than the current federal standard (as I-594 will do, if passed). Additional information about I-591, to include requests for blank petitions, may be obtained at http://protectourgunrights.net/ Blank petitions may also be found at WAC gun shows in Puyallup and Monroe. Protect Our Gun Rights also has a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/protectourgunrights.
Last week the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation filed a lawsuit in King County Superior Court against the City of Seattle, alleging that the City failed to turn over complete records requested under state public disclosure law. The records involved the gun buyback program conducted by Seattle last January. In the suit, SAF claims the city withheld some documentation and only learned of its existence when it was quoted in an on-line Seattle P-I article and severely redacted (blacked out sections of) others. The original document request was fulfilled when Seattle turned over a disk containing selected documents to SAF, then charging them 10 cents per “page” for the disc. The documents sought include internal communications between city employees and with outside gun control advocates and/or organizations.
A western Washington gun club has distributed a flyer offering classes to qualify an individual to apply for a concealed carry license issued by the State of Utah. There are three states that issue licenses to non-residents that offer the greatest variety of reciprocal carry states: Arizona, Florida and Utah. Of those, Utah is the only one that requires a state-unique training class. The training requirements for Arizona and Florida may be satisfied with a variety of courses or by proof of military service. My principal reason in bringing this up is the notice at the bottom of the flyer: “Washington is moving towards a training requirement for the Washington Concealed Pistol License. Get ahead of the curve by taking this highly respected concealed firearm training. !!!”
To the best of my knowledge, based on 20 years lobbying on the gun issue in Olympia, that statement is not true. The last time the legislature attempted to add a training requirement to obtain a CPL was in 1994. It was defeated. No bills nor amendments have been offered since to force that issue. There is no legislation currently under consideration that would require such training. Studies have demonstrated that there is no difference in “bad” shootings in states that do not have a training requirement versus those that do.
For the record, I am an NRA-certified firearm safety instructor. I firmly believe that if an individual chooses to keep a firearm, and especially if he or she chooses to carry one in public, they assume a moral obligation to obtain the best training they can afford. But I am totally opposed to allowing the state to determine what that training might be. A test to exercise the fundamental right of self defense is the same as a poll test, and the Supreme Court ruled that unconstitutional decades ago. (I would add that, in my opinion, ignorant voters cause far greater harm to society than do ignorant gun owners.)
BILL STATUS, BILL POSITION and PUBLIC HEARING SECTIONS DELETED UNTIL THE LEGISLATURE RESUMES ACTION.
GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “[email protected]“or 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 Posts 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.
“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.”
The Gun Owners Action League, today announced that it would join the Washington Arms Collectors, I Love Guns & Coffee, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership and the Second Amendment Foundation as sponsors of the January 15th I-594: Rally for Your Rights at 9:00 a.m. at the Capitol in Olympia.
1-800-562-6000. Let them know your views!