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!
GOAL Post 2014-10
Legislative Update from Olympia 14 March 2014
IT’S OVER! LEGISLATURE ADJOURNS
RECORD NUMBER OF BILLS FILED, FEW SURVIVE
COMPLETE BIENNIUM LIST OF BILLS INCLUDED
BEWARE STEREOTYPES REGARDING PRO- OR ANTI-GUN POLITICIANS
INITIATIVE WARS TO COMMENCE
ELECTION EIGHT MONTHS AWAY
GOAL POST WEEKLY PUBLICATION ENDS… FOR NOW
The regular 2014 legislative session ended late Thursday, 13 March, as required by the state constitution. Although a record number of firearm-related bills were filed during the biennium, no major pro- or anti-gun legislation passed over the two year period. One clear pro-gun bill passed, albeit of limited impact to those individuals who are willing to pay a $200 federal transfer tax to acquire a short barreled rifle: SB 5956 (Hatfield, D-19), That bills is on Governor Inslee’s desk, awaiting his signature… or his veto. A third option would be to let the bill become law without his signature (Washington’s chief executive does not have a “pocket veto” capability). The supplemental budget bill passed — a second session must-have, so no special session is on tap at this time. Unless a special session is called, all of the bills filed but not passed in 2013-2014 are dead.
A record (in my 21 years of lobbying) 51 firearm-related bills were filed during the 2013/2014 biennium. Three passed in 2013 and were signed by the governor, four more bills passed this year and are awaiting the governor’s signature (HBs 1840 and 2164, SBs 5956 and 6199).
This week SB 6025 (use of body armor during the commission of a felony) was sent back to House Appropriations, where it died. The House concurred in the Senate amendment to HB 2164 (counseling for juveniles with firearm convictions/adjudications) and the bill was sent to the governor. The Senate concurred in the House amendment to SB 6199 (prohibiting the use of incendiary targets during wildfire season) and that went to the governor as well.
As the session ended, we have four bills awaiting Governor Inslee’s action: HB 1840, HB 2164, SB 5956 and SB 6199. I expect he will sign at least three. The one big question mark is SB 5956 (short barreled rifles).
I have rolled ALL of the bills filed back into the “Bill Status” section, with their final status. Most died at various stages of the process..
I think it’s important to remind readers that while in general, Republicans support gun owners and Democrats oppose us. But generalities only go so far. There are significant exceptions to that observation. In this biennium we had seven pro-gun bills introduced by Democrats. But it should also be noted that only two of those bills passed the legislature. Having a Democrat sponsor doesn’t give the bill an automatic pass. There are a handful of Democrats in the legislature, who come from suburban or rural districts, who are committed to protecting and advancing the rights of gun owners, usually in opposition to their caucus mates. Without their support — and vocal opposition to anti-gun bills while inside caucus meetings — the outcome would be far different. At election time we need to support these individuals. More on these Democrats as election time nears.
Neither chamber took any action on either of the gun initiatives (I-591 and I-594) sent by petition to the legislature. Given this is an election year, the lack of action is no surprise. Let the electorate decide! In no way is this the end, it’s only the beginning of the battle. Without doubt you will see advertising on both initiatives, pro and con. It’s going to be interesting to see how much cash the Seattle elite gang supporting I-594 are willing to throw into the fight. The pro-gun side, Protect Our Gun Rights, will likely have a much more limited budget.
What all that means is that a greater part of the FOR 591/AGAINST 594 will fall on the shoulders of every gun owner in Washington. I guarantee the other side will portray I-594 as a simple background check bill with no greater impact. After all, if you have nothing to hide, why should you fear a background check?
HINT: IT’S NOT ABOUT BACKGROUND CHECKS. Ignore the de-facto tax imposed on ALL firearm transfers, via the FFL’s processing fee ($25-50 in most cases) and the extended waiting period of up to 30 days in the event of a “delay” response (most “delays” eventually pass, just a question of ensuring the “John Smith” attempting to buy the gun isn’t the “John Smith” with a long criminal record).
As a background check proponent testified in Olympia in 2007, it’s not about background checks, it’s about an “audit trail on guns.” That’s REGISTRATION. Under current law, universal background checks would immediately result in the registration of ALL handgun transfers. For long guns, it amounts to decentralized gun registration — law enforcement would have to query FFLs to determine who bought/transferred what. Universal GUN REGISTRATION has been gun grabbers goal for decades. Why? Because no effective GUN CONFISCATION program can be effective without prior registration. Just ask the gun owners of New York City and California, and happening now in Connecticut.
2014 is mid-term election year. All 98 House members and 24 of 49 Senators are up for reelection (or election of new candidates) in November. Action this week in the 30th Legislative District as Senator Tracey Eide (D-Federal Way) announced her retirement, and former Democrat Representative Mark Miloscia (D-Federal) announced his intention to run for the Senate seat… as a Republican. This is not without precedent. After the 1994 Republican revolution, two Democrat House members switched parties to become Republicans, and several years later Republican switch sides to become a Democrat. Over the coming months I expect we’ll see more retirements announced, and several new faces when candidate filing begins in mid-May. I expect to see more retirement announcements before the May filing deadline. More on election activity in future GOAL Updates.
This will be the last of the GOAL Post weekly updates from Olympia. Barring a special session, GOAL Posts will not resume until the next regular session of the legislature in January 2015. I will continue to publish GOAL Updates throughout the year, probably on a monthly basis, as events develop in Washington and elsewhere in the U.S.
BILL STATUS/GOAL POSITION:
The following bills remain under consideration in the 2014 session:
Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, Ag/NatRes = Agriculture/Natural Resources, HS&C = Human Services & Corrections, Jud = Judiciary, L&J = Law & Justice, , W&M = Ways and Means
* = status change this past week
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
You can also use the direct link available on each bill’s web page to contact your legislators by clicking on “Comment on this bill.”
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):
Puyallup 22-23 March
Monroe 5-6 April
“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”
Article 1, Section 24 – Constitution of the State of Washington
GOAL Post 2014-9
Legislative Update from Olympia 7 March 2014
SECOND CHAMBER CUT-OFF
LIFE AFTER DEATH
CONCURRENCE OR CONFERENCE COMMITTEE?
LAST WEEK
The second chamber cut-off passed at 5 p.m. this afternoon. Bills that had not passed out of the second chamber are theoretically dead for the session (see the next item). It appears SB 6025 (body-armor) died, while four total bills passed out of the House and Senate (two each). Two are on their way to Governor Inslee, two are headed for a concurrence vote or conference committee (see below).
Last week I reported that SB 5956 (short-barreled rifles) had died in Committee. But as I noted earlier, dead doesn’t mean dead. In an unusual move, yesterday the entire House voted to pull the bill away from the House Judiciary Committee and brought to the floor, where it was voted 95-3. The bill now goes to Governor Inslee for his signature… or veto. Congressman Inslee had a dismal record on guns. Now we’ll see what Governor Inslee does. The bill passed with only three dissenting votes out of 147, so it obviously had strong support — and a veto-proof majority.
If a bill is amended in the second chamber before passing out (House bill in the Senate or Senate bill in the House), it has to go back to the originating chamber for a concurrence vote on the amended bill. If they concur, the bill goes to the governor. If the original chamber does not concur, it is sent to a conference committee (made up of Senators and Representatives) where they will try to reach compromise language. If a compromise is adopted, it goes back to both chambers for an up or down vote.
Two of the bills still under consideration passed their second chamber in amended form, and now await concurrence/conference. These bills are marked “con” in the Bill Status section.
Next week is the final week of the regular session. Per the state constitution, the fat lady will sing some time Thursday evening, and the legislators will go home, hopefully until next January. The supplemental budget was passed, so at this point it does not appear a special session will be necessary. But it’s a long time until January 2015!
I’ll be publishing at least one more GOAL Post for the session, a wrap-up. With both I-591 and I-594 going to the electorate in November, I’m sure I’ll be posting additional GOAL Updates for the remainder of the year, probably bi-monthly or monthly. This is an election year, so GOAL will also be posting a list of candidates we are supporting.. or opposing.
BILL STATUS/GOAL POSITION:
The following bills remain under consideration in the 2014 session:
Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, Ag/NatRes = Agriculture/Natural Resources, HS&C = Human Services & Corrections, Jud = Judiciary, L&J = Law & Justice, , W&M = Ways and Means
* = status change this past week
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
You can also use the direct link available on each bill’s web page to contact your legislators by clicking on “Comment on this bill.”
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):
Puyallup 22-23 March
Monroe 5-6 April
“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”
Article 1, Section 24
Constitution of the State of Washington
Copyright 2014 Gun Owners Action League of WA
Support the I-591 campaign! Donate now at: www.wagunrights.org
GOAL Post 2014-8
Legislative Update from Olympia 28 February 2014
SECOND CHAMBER POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF
BILLS MOVE, BILLS DIE
SECOND CHAMBER CUT-OFF NEXT FRIDAY
NO ACTION ON INITIATIVES
SESSION ENDS IN TWO WEEKS
UKRAINIAN GUN OWNERS SPEAK OUT
Today marks the second chamber policy committee cut-off, the day when all bills must pass out of the policy committee in the opposite chamber or be considered dead for the session. Of the five bills still under consideration at the beginning of the week, four moved on to the next step and one — SB 5956 (short-barreled rifles) — died in committee. See “Bill Status” for the current location of each bill.
Next Friday is the second chamber cut-off, the day by which all House bills must come out of the Senate and Senate bills out of the House. The final week of the legislature is devoted to reconciling conference bills (differing versions passed by the House and Senate) and initiatives.
The legislature has until the last day of the session to take action on any Initiatives to the Legislature presented at the beginning of the session. Both I-591 and I-594 remain in their respective committees, where they will likely ride out the session.
2014 has a short legislative session — 60 days. The session must end by midnight, Thursday, 13 March.
As tension in the Ukraine increases, this was posted on the home page of the Ukrainian Gun Owners Association late last week :
“Today every citizen of Ukraine understands why our country has hundreds of thousands of policemen. Last illusions were crushed when riot police used rubber batons and boots at the Independence Square on peaceful citizens.
“After such actions we realize that it is not enough to only adopt the Gun Law. As of today Ukrainian Gun Owners Association will start to work on the preparation of amendments to the Constitution, which will provide an unconditional right for Ukrainian citizens to bear arms. People should have the right to bear arms, which will be put in written into the Constitution.
“Authorities should not and will not be stronger than its people!
Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, Ag/NatRes = Agriculture/Natural Resources, HS&C = Human Services & Corrections, Jud = Judiciary, L&J = Law & Justice, , W&M = Ways and Means
* = status change this past week
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
You can also use the direct link available on each bill’s web page to contact your legislators by clicking on “Comment on this bill.”
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):
Puyallup 22-23 March
Monroe 5-6 April
“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”
Article 1, Section 24 – Constitution of the State of Washington
GOAL Post 2014-7
Legislative Update from Olympia 21 February 2014
CHAMBER CUT-OFF PASSES; BILLS DIE
TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED
NEXT HURDLE NEXT FRIDAY
DEAD BILLS DELETED FROM “BILL STATUS” LIST
BACKGROUND CHECKS USED FOR CONFISCATION?
Tuesday, 18 February was chamber cut-off day, the day when all House bills must move out of the House or die, and all Senate Bills out of the Senate (with a limited exception for fiscal/budget bills). Then the whole process starts over again, with House bills in the Senate and Senate bills in the House. The number of bills to be processed has shrunk significantly, though. Only those bills that passed out of their original chamber will be considered in the other. Of the nearly three thousand bills filed over the biennium, only a few hundred remain in play. And from 46 gun bills, we’re down to five. Legislators have until next Friday to pass bills from the opposite chamber out of their policy committee. The train is moving pretty fast now, but it ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings.
A couple of bills that passed their original chamber were quickly scheduled for a public hearing that I missed on the weekly round-up. At this point, two of the five remaining bills is scheduled for a public hearing next week: SB 5956 (short-barreled rifles) in House Judiciary and HB 1840 (restraining orders), in Senate Law & Justice, both on Wednesday, 26 February. HB 2164 (juvenile firearm possession), and SBs 6025 (use of body armor) and 6199 (incendiary devices) had public hearings yesterday or today, and will be voted on in committee next week.
Next cut-off: second chamber policy committee, next Friday, 28 February.
As I reported previously, I’ve cleaned up the “Bill Status” section to reflect only those bills still under consideration. To paraphrase Matthew 22:14, For many are filed, but few are chosen. Typically in a biennium, three to four thousand bills are filed. Most of these never even get a hearing. Some of these are “hero” bills, bills that make the individual sponsoring the bill look good in the home district, or to keep a promise to a constituent or a group. Others are bills with good policy ideas, but are not in line with what leadership wants, or what the party in power likes (many good gun bills fall in this category). Bills with good policy ideas that have consensus across party lines are typically the bills that move. This is true at both the state and federal levels. Congress is much the same, although with 535 total members, more bills get filed! And most go nowhere.
A little drama is underway in Connecticut right now regarding newly-banned “assault weapons.” Under the new law, sales or transfers are banned, but individuals who already own such firearms are grandfathered and allowed to keep them — PROVIDED they register them with the state. The registration date passed with very limited compliance, so the Hartford Courant, Connecticut’s newspaper of record, opined that the state has a crisis on its hands that can only be met with confiscation of the firearms in question. And they suggest “Authorities should use the background check database as a way to find assault weapon purchasers who might not have registered those guns in compliance with the new law.“ (The editorial closes with, “If you want to disobey the law, you should be prepared to face the consequences.” And what about those, including elected officials, who choose to disobey the Constitution?)
I’ve already heard from gun owners who have no problem with background checks, and who characterize linkage between background checks and gun confiscation as irresponsible scare-mongering. I myself am not particularly concerned about background checks… in and of themselves. I’ve held the highest security clearances, hold concealed carry licenses from five states… I’ve even offered legislators ways to conduct background checks WITH NO RECORD KEEPING (they rejected it, as I knew they would). It’s about what ELSE might be done with the records created, especially with federally mandated dealers’ records.
Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, Ag/NatRes = Agriculture/Natural Resources, HS&C = Human Services & Corrections, Jud = Judiciary, L&J = Law & Justice, , W&M = Ways and Means
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
You can also use the direct link available on each bill’s web page to contact your legislators by clicking on “Comment on this bill.”
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 m ay 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):
Puyallup 22-23 February
Puyallup 22-23 March
“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”
– Article 1, Section 24 Constitution of the State of Washington
GOAL Post 2014-6
Legislative Update from Olympia 14 February 2014
FIRST FISCAL CUT-OFF PASSES
BILLS DIE, BILLS MOVE
CHAMBER CUT-OFF NEXT TUESDAY
INITIATIVES DORMANT IN COMMITTEE
GOVERNOR DECLARES MORATORIUM ON EXECUTIONS
Bills requiring fiscal/appropriations action are given a few more days to pass out of those committees. That cut-off passed earlier this week. A few more bills died at that time.
A few bills changed status over the past week. HBs 1840 (restraining orders/guns) and 2164 (juvenile firearms/counseling) passed out of the House and now sit in Senate Law & Justice awaiting action. The GOAL position on HB 1840 changed from OPPOSE to NEUTRAL after an NRA-approved amendment was adopted to limit its impact. HB 2459 (hunter safety) and SB 6416 (delivery to LEOs) passed out of committee to House and Senate Rules, respectively, awaiting a vote of the full chamber.
Reminder: next week I’ll drop off the Bill Status list all of the bills that died over the past two cut-off dates. That will cut the list down to a manageable number and not distract you with bills no longer in play.
Next Tuesday, 18 February, is the chamber cut-off. All House bills must pass out of the House, Senate bills out of the Senate, to remain under consideration. Exceptions are allowed, especially for fiscal bills.
Both Initiatives 591 (pro-gun) and 594 (anti-gun) remain in the House Judiciary and Senate Law & Justice Committees, where they will likely remain for the remainder of the session — then automatically go on to the public in the November general election. http://wagunrights.org/
Earlier this week, Governor Inslee announced a moratorium on carrying out the death sentence on the small number of inmates on Washington’s death row. Inslee claims he has reservations about the criminal justice system. It is fully within his authority as governor to sign execution warrants or decline to do so. The question to be asked is, is this a belief he has held for some time. He swore an oath as governor to “faithfully execute the laws of the state.” That includes signing death warrants.
I doubt if the governor’s “reservations” developed overnight. In that case, it should have been brought up during the campaign. I also note that the governor declined to consult with most County Prosecutors before making this decision. If he thought the state’s criminal justice system was broken, maybe he should have run for Attorney General rather than Governor. The way he did it looks like simple pandering to his liberal base.
BILL STATUS/GOAL POSITION:
The following bills remain under consideration in the 2014 session:
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
* = status change this past week
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
You can also use the direct link available on each bill’s web page to contact your legislators by clicking on “Comment on this bill.”
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 Post 2014-5
Legislative Update from Olympia 7 February 2014
POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF PASSES; BILLS “DIE”
A FEW BILLS MOVE
NO ACTION ON INITIATIVES
ASTERISK TO DENOTE STATUS CHANGE
NEXT MAJOR CUT-OFF: CHAMBER CUT-OFF 18 FEBRUARY
GUN CONFISCATION IN CALIFORNIA
The first policy committee cut-off in the legislature was at close-of-business today. At least theoretically, all bills that had not passed out of their original policy committee (for gun bills, mostly House Judiciary and Senate Law & Justice) are considered dead for the session. Keep in mind that “dead” doesn’t always mean dead if leadership wants to bring a bill back to life. But barring unusual circumstances, once the cut-off passes, no further action will be taken on those bills. Note the new “Bill Status” update in this GOAL Post.
This is the first opportunity to cull the list of bills under consideration. As of tonight. most of the 46 bills and two initiatives we are tracking will die. I’ll carry the full list one more week, then cut it back to the small handful still in play for 2014. But remember, no bill is really dead until the fat lady sings on 13 March (last day of the session).
HB 2459 (hunter safety), and SBs 5956 (short-barreled rifles), 6025 (use of body armor in a crime), 6199 (use of incendiary ammunition and exploding targets) have moved from their original committees, along with SB 6245 Position on SB 6245 changed to neutral; all it does is repeat existing procedure regarding surrender of CPL if convicted or committed.
Initiatives 591 and 594 remain in both the House Judiciary and Senate Law & Justice committees. The initiatives are not subject to the cut-off calendars and may be acted on at any time. The unofficial word is that the legislature will decline to act on either initiative, sending both to the voters in November.
I-591 needs the support and help from every gun owner in Washington. Additional information about the initiative and a link to made donations is available at http://wagunrights.org/
One more format change — an addition, actually. I’ve added an asterisk in front of the bill number in Bill Status to identify a change in status during the reporting period, most commonly passage from a committee or chamber. A quick scan down the list will alert readers to action taken on a bill.
The next major cut-off date, when bills still in play may die, is Tuesday, 18 February, when all bills must pass out of their original chamber (House bills out of the House, Senate bills out of the Senate).
The bottom line here is that while many people who support various gun control schemes do so with the honest intent of reducing “gun violence,” the ultimate goal of the leadership of that movement is the abolition of the private ownership of firearms. Any time you hear the term “background checks” being used, think “gun registration,” which is a necessary first step to any effective gun confiscation program. We have offered ways of conducting background checks without record retention; they have been rejected. It’s not about background checks. 20 years ago California did away with “private transfers” of guns, and required all transfers to go through licensed dealers. It is those lists they are now using to confiscate guns from newly-identified prohibited persons.
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 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 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 2014-2
Legislative Update from Olympia 20 January 2014
LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR ADOPTED
FOUR NEW BILLS FILED
NEW METHOD TO CONTACT LEGISLATORS
COMPETING RALLIES
INITIATIVES TO BE HEARD
One of the first orders of business for the legislature is adopting internal controls called “cut-off dates.” These cut-offs force action on bills or allow them to die for the session. If a bill fails to pass the specified cut-off, it is nominally dead for the session (subject to revival if the chamber – House or Senate – want it). The cut-off dates for the 2013 session:
February 7 Bills must pass original policy committee
February 11 Bills with fiscal impact must pass first chamber fiscal committee
February 18 Bills must pass original chamber (House bills out of House, Senate bills out of
Senate)
February 29 Bills must pass second chamber policy committee
March 3 Bills with fiscal impact must pass second chamber fiscal committee
March 7 Bills must pass second chamber (except initiatives and alternate bills)
March 13 Legislature adjourns
Five new gun-related bills have been filed for this session. HB 2324, by Rep, Matt Shea (R-4) codifies Washington’s “stand your ground” law and provides both criminal and civil immunity for individuals exercising their rights under the law, up to and including the use of lethal force if the situation warrants. HB 2502, by Rep. Brad Klippert (R-8), waives the waiting period for handgun purchase for commissioned, full-time peace officers, just as the period is waived for CPL holders.
SB 6025, by Sen. Steve O’Ban (R-28), makes it a separate offense to use body armor during the commission of certain felonies. SB 6066, by Sen. Jim Honeyford (R-15), provides for restoration of rights in some domestic violence misdemeanor cases. SB 6198, by Sen. Pam Roach (R-31), provides immunity to established shooting ranges from nuisance noise-related lawsuits.
The Legislature has created a new means of input on bills directly to your legislators. On the “Bill Information page at www.leg.wa.gov, type the bill number into the “search by bill number” block. That will take you to the information about that particular bill… a link to the bill itself, a list of sponsors, a bill analysis when available, and the current status of the bill. There is a new, dark green block just to the right of the bill number that reads “Comment on this bill.” Clicking on that box takes you to a format page that allows you to identify your district’s legislators, state a position on the bill (support, oppose or neutral), and leave comments. This can be a very useful tool in communicating directly with your elected officials.
Moms Demand Action, a gun control groups founded after the Newtown, CT, school shooting, held a rally in Olympia on Friday, 17 January. Approximately 50 individuals participated. The group claims statewide membership[ of about 1,200. Washington Ceasefire, our state’s longtime gun control advocacy group, claims 5,000+ members. On Sunday, approx imately 200 individuals fell out for a pro-gun rally on the Capitol Campus. Washington has more than 400,000 CPL holders, NRA membership approaches (or surpasses — I don’t have current figures) 100,000, and the Washington Arms Collectors alone boasts 20,000 members.
Although next week’s schedule has not been published yet, we have been informed Initiatives 591 and 594 will be the subject of public hearings in the House Judiciary and Senate Law & Justice Committees on Tuesday, 28 January and Wednesday, 29 January, respectively. MOre information on this as it becomes available. If you can make it to Olympia on either or both of these days, please plan to do so. In 2007, when SB 5197 (a “gun show loophole” bill) was heard in Senate Labor & Commerce, about 60 supporters of the bill showed up — versus more than 350 opponents. We forced them to open three overflow rooms to accommodate the participamnts.
BILL STATUS:
The following 28 bills filed in 2013 remain under consideration in the 2014 session:
Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, Jud = Judiciary, K-12 = Education, L&J = Law & Justice, Trans = Transportation, W&M = Ways and Means
HEARING(S) SCHEDULED:
None scheduled
LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993. Also toll free!!!
1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993
OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at “www.leg.wa.gov“. Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at the TVW web site).
By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the “roll call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.
GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “[email protected]” 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
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!