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.

For those who were not able to make it to the hearings, they’re both available on TVWashington.  Each runs a few minutes under two hours.  The 28 January House Judiciary hearing is at http://tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2014010151   The Senate Law & Justice hearing is here at http://tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2014010154

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.”

Article 1, Section 24

Constitution of the State of Washington

Copyright 2014 Gun Owners Action League of WA