GOAL Post 2013-3<\/p>\n
Legislative Update from Olympia1 February 2013<\/p>\n
NUMEROUS NEW GUN BILLS FILED<\/p>\n
STAND BY FOR GUN REGISTRATION<\/p>\n
FOUR NEW PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED<\/p>\n
ABOUT PUBLIC HEARINGS<\/p>\n
LEGISLATOR CONTACT INFO<\/p>\n
Seven new gun-related bills were filed in Olympia this week.HB 1561, by
\nRep. Brian Blake (D-19), would reauthorize possession of short barreled
\nrifles, provided federal requirements were met.We lost this one in the
\n1994 rewrite of state firearms code. HB 1588, by Rep. Jaime Pedersen
\n(D-43), nominally calls for background checks on ALL firearm transfers
\nin Washington.More on this one a few paragraphs below.HB 1612, by Rep.
\nMike Hope (R-44), would create a “firearm offender” registry, similar to
\nthe current sex offender registry.Sounds nice, but sex offenses and
\nfirearms offenses are two entirely different kinds of violation.SB 5376,
\nby Sen. Adam Kline (D-37) is the Senate counterpart (duplicate) to HB
\n1096.SB 5452, by Sen. Steve Conway (D-29), is the Senate counterpart to
\nHB 1383, adding firearm restrictions to those subject of a stalking
\nprotection order.SB 5479, by Sen. Karen Keiser (D-33), a bizarre bill
\nthat creates a system whereby firearms may be “voluntarily” surrendered
\nto law enforcement authorities for safekeeping for a 30-day period,
\nsubject to extensions.While the term “voluntarily” appears several times
\nin the bill, it appears to allow family members and mental health
\nprofessionals to “recommend” surrender.A firearm not properly returned
\nto the legal owner may be “disposed of in accordance with agency
\nprocedures” (usually destruction).SB 5483, by Sen. Adam Kline (D-37) is
\nanother firearms safe storage bill that — technically at least — does
\nnot “mandate” safe storage of a firearm, but imposes severe penalties,
\nup to a Class “C” felony, if an unauthorized person access your firearm(s).<\/p>\n
Several bills are being run this session in an attempt to identify and
\ncontrol the possession of firearms by prohibited persons, be they gang
\nmembers or mentally incompetent or juveniles… and occasionally the
\notherwise innocent young person with a gun.The problem with bills
\nwritten so tightly as to catch ALL offenders is that they also catch
\nsome people the law was never intended to catch, or where no criminal
\nintent existed.I have listed the GOAL Position on these bills as
\n“CONCERNS” in the hope that the bill sponsor will accept recommended
\namendments to ensure the bill stays focused on the bad guys.”Concerns”
\nis NOT an endorsement of the bill.<\/p>\n
A long time ago (and it seems in a land far away), then-Senate Majority
\nLeader Lyndon Johnson made this observation about bills\/proposed
\nlaws:”It is better to consider a bill in light of the HARM it will do if
\nIMPROPERLY administered, rather than in light of the GOOD it will do if
\nPROPERLY administered.”Far be it from me to accuse legislators of
\nintentionally passing misleading bills.But consider the 1970s RICO
\n(racketeering) statute, supposedly targeting organized crime, and how it
\nhas been misapplied over the decades.It’s called the law of unintended
\nconsequences, and the wrong people can be — and have been — harmed by it.<\/p>\n
I expect several more extreme gun control bills to be offered during the
\nsession, but at this point HB 1588 is the most dangerous bill under
\nconsideration.Using classic bait & switch tactics (just as at the
\nfederal level), HB 1588 nominally requires background checks — only —
\nof any firearm transferred in Washington state.It also allows up to a
\n$20 “fee” (tax?) for such background check.What this really is is a
\nfirearm registration bill in disguise.Two methods of background check
\nare offered: processing by a federally-licensed firearms dealer (FFL) or
\nvisit your local police or sheriff’s station and have them run a
\nbackground check.For an FFL to conduct a NICS background check on a
\ntransfer, he or she must first log the firearm into the business’s
\n“bound book,”Then the buyer must fill out a Form 4473 before the
\ncall.Between the bound book and the 4473, a permanent record of the
\nfirearm and the buyer is created, subject to ATF inspection upon
\ndemand.(If the buyer fails the background check, the FFL CANNOT return
\nyour firearm to you until after another NICS check is conducted — on
\nyou, with suitable fee.)<\/p>\n
The second method is to ask your local police to do the check for
\nyou.The bill mandates a form similar to the current state “white” form
\nused on all handgun transfers, complete with description of the buyer
\nand the firearm.Two problems here:the big one is that there is no
\nprohibition on law enforcement, or the Department of Licensing, from
\nkeeping the records, either the form itself or transferred to a computer
\ndata base. We call that “registration,” as in the State Pistol
\nRegistry.The second problem here is that under federal law, local
\nagencies do not have legal access to NICS for simple transfers.<\/p>\n
Let there be no doubt in your mind, HB 1588, and similar bills to be
\noffered at the federal level, are after one thing only: gun
\nregistration.If they want to debate registration, by all means do so.But
\ncall it what it is.Don’t try to sell it under a false flag, and one that
\nis likely to gain widespread support even among gun owners. There ARE
\nways to conduct background checks WITHOUT the record-keeping. We showed
\nthem that in Olympia twice in the past decade.They rejected it, and
\nadmitted that what they wanted was the “audit trail” — the paperwork.<\/p>\n
Four public hearings are scheduled next week on bills of gun owner
\ninterest.The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on HB 1383
\n(Stalking) at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, 7 February in House Hearing Room
\n“A.”The Senate Human Services & Corrections Committee will hear THREE
\nbills next week: SBs 5282 (DSHS\/WSP data exchange) and 5452 (Stalking)
\nat 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 5 February in Senate Hearing Room 1.SB 5376 (Juvi
\nfirearms) will be heard at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 7 February, also in
\nSenate Hearing Room “1.”<\/p>\n
Public hearings 101.A public hearing is exactly that — an opportunity
\nfor the public to provide input on bills under consideration.Each bill
\nstarts with an explanation of the bill’s effect by committee staff, then
\na statement by the bill’s prime sponsor.It is then opened to public
\ninput, controlled by the committee chair.If you want to speak on a bill,
\nyou must sign up prior to the hearing.Tables just outside or inside the
\nhearing room have sign-up sheets available.You can also sign on and
\nstate your position on a bill (“pro” = support, “con” = oppose) without
\ngiving public testimony.Public testimony is usually limited to a maximum
\nof three minutes, to allow as many as possible to speak, so keep your
\ntestimony to one or two points.Start with your name, any organization
\nyou might represent (you must be a designated representative, NOT just a
\nmember), and your home town.In short, simple terms explain why you
\nsupport or oppose the bill.Do not repeat earlier testimony if another
\nperson has made that point and do NOT attack or criticize people on the
\nother side of the issue.You may also leave a written copy of your
\ntestimony with staff.<\/p>\n
The Legislature has published new telephone and office directories for
\nthe 2013 session.The following links can be used to identify direct
\ncontact information:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.leg.wa.gov\/Senate\/Senators\/<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.leg.wa.gov\/House\/Representatives\/<\/a><\/p>\n BILL STATUS:<\/p>\n House Bill numbering begins with 1000; Senate Bills with 5000.The Bill #SubjectSponsorStatus<\/p>\n HB 1096Juvi illegal firearm possessionHurst (D-31)H. Jud<\/p>\n HB 11471^st degree juvi unlawful possess.Goodman (D-45)H. Jud<\/p>\n HB 1184Range protectionTakko (D-19)H. Jud<\/p>\n HB 1318CPL renewal noticeTaylor (-15)H. Jud<\/p>\n HB 1371WA Firearms Freedom ActTaylor (R-15)H. Jud<\/p>\n HB 1383Stalking protection ordersGoodman (D-45)H. Jud<\/p>\n HB 1561Short barreled riflesBlake (D-19)H. Jud<\/p>\n HB 1588Background checksPedersen (D-43)H. Jud<\/p>\n HB 1612Firearm offender registryHope (R-44)H. Jud<\/p>\n SB 5282DSHS\/WSP info exchangeCarrell (R-28)S. HS&C<\/p>\n SB 5376Juvi illegal firearm possessionKline (D-37)S. HS&C<\/p>\n SB 5452Stalking protection ordersConway (D-S. HS&C<\/p>\n SB 5479Safekeeping of firearmsKeiser (D-33)S. L&J<\/p>\n SB 5485Mandatory safe storageKline (D-37)S. L&J<\/p>\n Key to abbreviations:SB = Senate Bill, HB = House Bill, Jud = Judiciary, GOAL POSITION ON BILLS<\/p>\n HB 1096CONCERNS<\/p>\n HB 1147CONCERNS<\/p>\n HB 1184SUPPORT<\/p>\n HB 1318SUPPORT<\/p>\n HB 1371SUPPORT<\/p>\n HB 1383UNDER REVIEW<\/p>\n HB 1561SUPPORT<\/p>\n HB 1588OPPOSE<\/p>\n HB 1612OPPOSE<\/p>\n SB 5282SUPPORT<\/p>\n SB 5376CONCERNS<\/p>\n SB 5452CONCERNS<\/p>\n SB 5479OPPOSE<\/p>\n SB 5485OPPOSE<\/p>\n HEARING(S) SCHEDULED<\/p>\n 5 FebSBs 5282 & 5452Senate Human Services & Corrections Committee<\/p>\n 10:00 a.m.Senate Hearing Room “1”John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building<\/p>\n 7 FebSB 5376Senate Human Services & Corrections Committee<\/p>\n 10:00 a..m.Senate Hearing Room “1”John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building<\/p>\n 7 FebHB 1383House Judiciary Committee<\/p>\n 1:30 p.m.House Hearing Room “A”John L. O’Brien House Office Building<\/p>\n LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE:You may reach your Representatives and Senator by 1-800-562-6000TDD 1-800-635-9993<\/p>\n OTHER DATA:Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill, GET THE WORD OUT:If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me Upcoming WAC gun show(s):<\/p>\n Monroe16-17 February<\/p>\n Puyallup23-24 February<\/p>\n “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, Article 1, Section 24<\/p>\n Constitution of the State of Washington<\/p>\n Copyright 2013 Gun Owners Action League of WA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" GOAL Post 2013-3 Legislative Update from Olympia1 February 2013 NUMEROUS NEW GUN BILLS FILED STAND BY FOR GUN REGISTRATION FOUR NEW PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED ABOUT PUBLIC HEARINGS LEGISLATOR CONTACT INFO Seven new gun-related bills were filed in Olympia this week.HB 1561, by Rep. Brian Blake (D-19), would reauthorize possession of short barreled rifles, provided federal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-legislative-update"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nfollowing bills have been filed so far in the 2013-14 biennium:<\/p>\n
\nL&J = Law & Justice, HS&C = Human Services & Corrections<\/p>\n
\ncalling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000.Toll free!!!The
\nhearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993.Also toll free!!!<\/p>\n
\nand other information are available on the legislature’s web site at
\n“www.leg.wa.gov http:\/\/www.leg.wa.gov<\/a>>”.Bills are available in Acrobat
\n(.pdf) format.You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader
\nfrom Adobe’s web site (http:\/\/www.adobe.com<\/a>).You may also obtain hard
\ncopy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room
\nFREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573.Copies of bills may also be
\nordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800)
\n562-6000.You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at
\nhttp:\/\/www.tvw.org\/<\/a>(you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at
\nthe TVW web site).<\/p>\n
\nyou can see how individual committee members voted.By reading the “roll
\ncall” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on
\nany bill.The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is
\navailable, on line, to any citizen.<\/p>\n
\nsend a message to “jwaldron@halcyon.com<\/a>
\njwaldron@halcyon.com<\/a>>”.Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you
\nbelieve may have an interest in protecting our rights.Better yet, make a
\ncouple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin
\nboard, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s).PERMISSION IS HEREBY
\nGRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED
\nIN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO
\nGOAL.I can be reached at “jwaldron@halcyon.com<\/a>
\njwaldron@halcyon.com<\/a>>” or by telephone at (425)
\n985-4867.Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to
\nindividuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the
\nSecond Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.<\/p>\n
\nat “jwaldron@halcyon.com<\/a>” jwaldron@halcyon.com<\/a>>with the words
\n“Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the subject line.I will remove your name
\nimmediately.Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun
\nlists.If you received GP via a lit, you must contact that list’s admin
\nto unsubscribe.<\/p>\n
\nor the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall
\nbe construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize,
\nmaintain or employ an armed body of men.”<\/p>\n