GOAL Post 2013-2<\/p>\n
Legislative Update from Olympia 25 January 2013<\/p>\n
(There was no GOAL Post published last week as I was at the annual
\nShooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, back home for
\n20 hours, then back to Washington to visit Olympia.Tomorrow I’m in
\nOrlando for the annual meeting of the Florida Sport Shooting
\nAssociation.Then things slow down a bit after that!)<\/p>\n
WALDRON’S VIEW<\/p>\n
PRO-GUN RALLIES NATIONWIDE<\/p>\n
LEGISLATIVE CUT-OFF DATES ADOPTED<\/p>\n
HB 1012 DISAPPEARS!<\/p>\n
PUBLIC HEARING HELD ON HB 1096<\/p>\n
NEW GUN BILLS FILED<\/p>\n
NO NEW PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED<\/p>\n
THE OTHER WASHINGTON<\/p>\n
REID WEAKENS FILIBUSTER<\/p>\n
LEGISLATOR CONTACT INFO<\/p>\n
I’m taking an unusual opportunity for an editorial (opinion) statement
\non what is going on — or may go on — in Olympia.Those of you who know
\nme, or have worked with me in the past, know that I tend to take a “cup
\nhalf empty” view… of just about everything!That’s my background in
\nintelligence work:I’ll tell you the worst that can happen, then if
\nthings turn out better, we can all smile.<\/p>\n
I just spent several days in Olympia, talking with legislators in both
\nchambers and on both sides of the aisle.Most were generally optimistic
\nthat — with pro-gun Republicans and Democrats working together — we
\ncan block bad gun bills from moving forward.The numbers SEEM to be on
\nour side.But the NRA just released a very pessimistic statement about
\nthe potential for disaster in Olympia.Who is correct?Everyone.But as the
\nNRA notes, it’s going to take work on EVERYONE’S part to stop bad things
\nfrom happening.<\/p>\n
That means TALK TO YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS.Call, write, e-mail… it
\ndoesn’t matter,But let them know — politely and courteously — where
\nyou stand on bills.No really bad bills have been filed yet, but rest
\nassured they are coming.And when they’re filed, expect a full court
\npress to pass them — IN BOTH WASHINGTONS.The President is already
\npumping up his 2012 campaign team to push for HIS gun control agenda.<\/p>\n
(And don’t believe the hype about surveys indicating significant gun
\nowner support for various gun control schemes.They’re lying, using
\n“self-identified” gun owners.Right.In 1997, Washington Ceasefire claimed
\ntheir polling showed 65% support for Initiative 676.On elevtion day, the
\nonly poll that counts, it was 71% — AGAINST.)<\/p>\n
On Saturday, 19 January, tens (hundreds?) of thousands of gun owners
\nrallied in state capitols and elsewhere from Olympia, Washington to
\nTallahassee, Florida to show support for the Second Amendmentand the
\nfundamental right of self defense.Estimates of the Olympia rally run
\naround 2,000-2,500, but one State Patrol officer who was there said it
\nwas closer to 4,000.Contrast that with the 200 or so who attended
\nWashington Ceasefire’s “assault weapon ban” rally in Seattle the Sunday
\nbefore!The turnout in Olympia would have been significantly higher, but
\n11,000 people attended the Washington Arms Collectors show in Puyallup
\nthe same weekend.That’s a WAC record!!!I guess we can thank President
\nObama for that.<\/p>\n
One of the first orders of business for the legislature is adopting
\ninternal controls called “cut-off dates.”These cut-offs force action on
\nbills or allow them to die for the session.If a bill fails to pass the
\nspecified cut-off, it is nominally dead for the session (subject to
\nrevival if the chamber — House or Senate — want it).The cut-off dates
\nfor the 2013 session:<\/p>\n
February 22Bills must pass original policy committee<\/p>\n
March 1Bills with fiscal impact must pass first chamber fiscal committee<\/p>\n
March 13Bills must pass original chamber (House bills out of House,
\nSenate bills out of Senate)<\/p>\n
April 3Bills must pass second chamber policy committee<\/p>\n
April 9Bills with fiscal impact must pass second chamber fiscal committee<\/p>\n
April 17Bills must pass second chamber<\/p>\n
April 28Legislature adjourns<\/p>\n
In the first GOAL Post I reported the filing of HB 1012, a bill that
\nwould have limited self defense and required retreat.Several people
\ne-mailed back to say that HB 1012 was another bill entirely.I was right
\n— and THEY are right.Typically when a bill is filed, that bill number
\nis taken and not reissued.If a bill dies, it dies with that
\nnumber.Apparently by withdrawing a pre-filed bill (filed before the
\nlegislature convenes), the number is released.You learn something new
\nevery session!<\/p>\n
A public hearing was held on HB 1096, a bill that would strengthen
\npenalties against juveniles illegally possessing a firearm under a
\nvariety of circumstances.While the intent of the bill is legitimate, by
\nclosing or reducing flexibility (i.e. “loophole”) in existing law, the
\noccasional “good guy” may be trapped into a stiffer sentence than he or
\nshe deserves.The NRA has drafted an amendment which will be offered for
\nthe bill next week.Please ask your legislators to support the AMENDED
\nVERSION of the bill, not the original draft.<\/p>\n
Several new firearm-related bills were filed in Olympia this week.Like
\nHB 1096, HB 1147 (Goodman, D-45) also addresses juvenile possession of
\nfirearms.I haven’t had time to do a line-by-line analysis of the bill at
\nthis time.HB 1184 (Takko, D-19) is a bill intended to protect shooting
\nranges from malicious lawsuits resulting from alleged noise
\nviolations.The bill is narrowly crafted in the hope that it will pass
\nthis time around.Previous range protection bills have either been vetoed
\nby the Governor or failed to pass the legislature.HB 1318 (Taylor, R-15)
\nis our second attempt at getting the legislature to require DOL to mail
\na renewal notice to CPL holders approximately 90 days prior to license
\nexpiration.HB 1371 (Taylor, R-15) is titled the Washington State
\nFirearms Freedom Act.Like its counterpart in Montana and other states,
\nthe FFA declares that firearms and accessories made solely within the
\nstate of Washington, for use by Washington residents only, are not
\nsubject to federal regulation, as no “interstate commerce” was
\ninvolved.It’s a great statement of principle, and in that sense worthy
\nof passage, but the ATF takes a dim view of these laws.HB 1381 (Goodman,
\nD-45) creates a new class of protection orders for the crime of
\nstalking.It’s a long bill and I haven’t had time to thoroughly digest it
\nyet.Next week.SB 5242 would direct DSHS to share limited mental health
\ninformation with the Washington State Patrol that would assist in
\nidentifying potential threatening behavior.<\/p>\n
There are no new public hearings scheduled for next week on any of the
\ngun bills currently filed.Remember under the cut-off calendar they have
\nmore than three weeks left to consider bills.<\/p>\n
I normally do not cover “the other Washington” in GOAL Post, but given
\nthe level of activity and media hype, I will cover it briefly.Several
\nanti- and a few pro-gun bills have been filed in Congress so far this
\nyear.The ones of big interest are HR 138 (McCarthy, D-NY), a normal
\ncapacity magazine ban bill, a similar counterpart bill (duplicate) by
\nSenator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Senator Dianne Feinstein’s infamous
\n“assault weapon ban” bill.The McCarthy\/Lautenberg magazine ban bill
\nallegedly grandfathers existing magazines.It also EXEMPTS retired law
\nenforcement officers from the ban (a tactic employed to eliminate law
\nenforcement objections to the bill; most gun laws exempt cops for
\nexactly that reason).The final language on the Feinstein bill has not
\nbeen posted as of Friday night.Her bill allegedly grandfathers existing
\n“assault weapons,” but requires their registration under the National
\nFirearms Act, just like REAL machines, together with the six month
\nbackground check, fingerprinting and photographing of owners, etc.It’s
\nnot clear yet whether the Feinstein language allows future transfer of
\nexisting “assault weapons” (it bans future manufacture) — with the $200
\nfederal transfer tax — or require surrender upon the death of the
\nregistered owner.<\/p>\n
The filibuster is a long-standing Congressional procedure used to block
\nor slow certain legislation.In modern history, it is most commonly
\npracticed in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to move a bill
\nforward for a vote, while only a simple majority is needed to pass the
\nbill.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) earlier this week
\nattempted to get the Senate to exercise the “nuclear option” to
\neffectively eliminate the filibuster.While that effort failed, he did
\nget Senators to agree to weaken the proves, making it easier to get
\nbills to the Senate floor for a vote.This bodes ill for gun owners, as
\nthe filibuster was an effective way to block bad legislation.<\/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 1381Stalking protection ordersGoodman (D-45)H. Jud<\/p>\n SB 5282DSHS\/WSP info exchangeCarrell (R-28)S. L&J<\/p>\n Key to abbreviations:SB = Senate Bill, HB = House Bill, Jud = Judiciary, GOAL POSITION ON BILLS<\/p>\n HB 1096SUPPORT IF AMENDED<\/p>\n HB 1147UNDER REVIEW<\/p>\n HB 1184SUPPORT<\/p>\n HB 1318SUPPORT<\/p>\n HB 1371SUPPORT<\/p>\n HB 1383UNDER REVIEW<\/p>\n SB 5282SUPPORT<\/p>\n HEARING(S) SCHEDULED:<\/p>\n None<\/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 2013-2 Legislative Update from Olympia 25 January 2013 (There was no GOAL Post published last week as I was at the annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, back home for 20 hours, then back to Washington to visit Olympia.Tomorrow I’m in Orlando for the annual meeting of the Florida […]<\/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-43","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, Fish\/Ecol = Fisheries, Ecology & Parks, JuvJust =
\nJuvenile Justice, Educ = Education, LocGov = Local Government, NatRes =
\nNatural Resources, Ecology & Parks, PubSaf = Public Safety & Emergency
\nPreparedness, W&M = Ways and Means<\/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