WA - Repeal I-1639!

A petition is being circulated to put Ballot Initiative 1094 on the next ballot.

Ballot Initiative 1094 ("The People's Defense of the Second Amendment Act of 2020") would have the effect of repealing I-1639, that mish-mash of social justice virtue signalling and feel-good measures that make life ore difficult for the law-abiding, while doing nothing about crime, that was passed despite blatant illegal and unethical behavior.

Just another election in Seattle, in other words.

The text of I-1094 is here. (Opens as a .pdf.)

The website Washington State Gun Control has links to lists of "where to sign", in both map and spreadsheet format.

I walked over to my Friendly Local Gun Store, which is listed, and they said they were waiting on a fresh batch; the owner showed me a stack of completed petitions, and commented that they had been cautioned to only hand them to someone who is known to them as a representative of the organizers, as "the opposition" is known to have sent folks out to pick them up with promises to turn them in, although what they would turn them into, is another question.

Compost, no doubt.

I made the comment that it might be worthwhile to check ID, and preferably voters registration cards, of those signing: Given the shenanigans the backers of I-1639 got up to, it would not surprise me if they were to steal completed petitions, or send people out to deliberately make false entries, hoping to get them tossed out.I had my own voter's registration card out as I walked in, to make sure I put my address on the petition exactly as the state has it, to make sure my signature wouldn't be tossed out.

Recently, we had a rather egregious example of the kind of bull shit the left in this state gets up to: Olympia regularly ignores the wishes of the people, and passes various and sundry rate increases over our vote. It costs an absurd amount to register your vehicle in this state -- two hundred dollars or more to register a fairly new car in King County, most of which goes to the "Regional Transit Authority", to subsidize mass transit.

We keep passing initiatives to limit the cost of car tabs to $30, and they keep imposing these surtaxes.

A new initiative passed.

King County announced it was going to sue to have the initiative tossed out.

Apparently they feel subsidized bus rides are a Constitutional Right.

GOAL Post 2019-10

The new GOAL Post is out, and has arrived in email but is not yet posted at the Gun Owners Action League of Washington web site. Since this has some significant info in it -- and ties in with my previous post -- I'll revert to my past practice of reproducing the entire thing here, with minor editing for formatting.

***

FROM: GOAL WA goalwa@cox.net (Joe Waldron)

TO: undisclosed recipients

SENT: Fri 3/15/2019 2:14 PM

SUBJECT: GOAL Post 2019-10

Legislative Update from Olympia 15 March 2019

• SB 5954 PASSES LEGISLATURE
• CHAMBER CUT-OFF/TURNOVER DAY
• BILLS LIVE – BILLS DIE
• PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

In an unusual move, SB 5954 (bump stock buyback funding) passed out of the Senate on 28 February, was fast-tracked through the House on March 11th  where it was amended, so it went back to the Senate, who concurred in the House amendment.  It’s on its way to the Governor.

Of the 23 bills that survived the original chamber policy committee cut-off, only 13 made it through the second cut by passing out of their chamber of origin.  House bills moving to the Senate include HBs 1225 (firearms/DV), 1465 (handgun delivery w/CPL), 1739 (undetectable/untraceable firearms – the Senate version died), 1786 (protective orders/firearms), 1934 (military CPL renewal by mail) and 1949 (single point of contact for background checks).

Senate bills moving to the House include SBs 5027 (underage extreme risk protection orders), 5181 (firearms/Mental health), 5205 (firearms/incompetent for trial), 5434 (new/expanded gun free zones), 5508 (WSP background checks for CPLs) and 5782 (spring-blade knives).  I mentioned SB 5954 above.

Bills that died include HB 1010 (WSP destruction of forfeited firearms), 1068 (high capacity magazine ban), 1381 (UAVs/contraband delivery), 5016 (arming animal control officers), 5061 (undetectable/untraceable firearms), 5062 (high capacity magazine ban), 5099 (target shooting on DNR land), 5143 (firearms/DV incidents). 5150 (college safety officers/weapons) and 5174 (CPL training).

Note BOTH “high capacity magazine” bills (HB 1068, SSB 5062) died, as did the mandatory training requirement for a CPL (SSB 5174).  

There is a public hearing scheduled for HB 1949 (single POC for background checks) in Senate Law & Justice at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, 18 March.  Public hearings scheduled for SB 5508  (WSP background check) in House Civil Rights & Judiciary at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 19.  For SB 5181 (firearms/mental health) in House Civil Rights & Judiciary at 9 a.m. on March 20.  For SB 5782 (spring assisted knives) in House Civil Rights & Judiciary at 10 a.m. on March 22.

If you are tracking a specific bill, you might want to check the bill’s page on “Bill Information” to ensure a hearing was not added later.

(I added a note below in “Other data.”  The same bill information page for each bill that tells you where/how to get copies of bills and bill reports also mentions public hearings are available on TV Washington, both live and archived.  Links to airings are available at the very bottom of the bill page – no need to search the archives.)

{Continued after the jump -- DWD}

Good News/Bad News

NRA-ILA | Washington: Gun Ban Bills Fail Crossover Deadline

Today, March 13th at 5:00PM, was the cutoff deadline for all bills to be voted out of the chamber in which they originated. Having failed to receive a floor vote, the following bills are likely dead for this year.

The Substitute to Senate Bill 5062, sponsored by Senator Patty Kuderer (D-48), and House Bill 1068, sponsored by Representative Javier Valdez (D-46), were filed at the request of Attorney General Bob Ferguson. SB 5062 would have banned the possession of ammunition magazines with a capacity greater than 10 and HB 1068 would have banned those greater than 15. They would have encompassed the standard capacity magazines for many handguns and rifles commonly owned by law-abiding citizens for self-defense. SB 5062 would have required that those who owned non-compliant magazines prior to the ban would only be allowed to possess them on their own property and in other limited instances such as at licensed shooting ranges and nationally sanctioned sport shooting events. These magazines would have had to be transported unloaded and locked separately from firearms and stored at home locked, making them unavailable for self-defense.

Senate Bill 5174, sponsored by Senator Guy Palumbo (D-1), would have increased the time, cost, and government red tape that law-abiding adults must go through in order to obtain a Concealed Pistol License by requiring a mandatory training course that meets arbitrary standards. Adding additional barriers to law-abiding citizens who wish to exercise a constitutional right would not improve public safety. Concealed carry permit holders have consistently demonstrated themselves to be one of the most law-abiding segments of the population in Washington and across the country. Hindering them from being able to defend themselves and their families would not affect criminals who do not obey the law.

Senate Bill 5745, sponsored by Senator Marko Liias (D-21), would have expanded Washington’s existing Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO) to allow Second Amendment rights to be suspended for individuals alleged to make certain threats by third party accusers with little, if any, real evidence and limited “due process” for the respondent. Hearings for the orders would have been ex parte, where the respondent would not have been present to challenge the accuser and defend against allegations made against them. The issuance of an order would have immediately prohibited the respondent from exercising their Second Amendment rights. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms should not be treated as a second-class right and should only be restricted consistent with the constitutional requirements of due process.

House Bill 1010, sponsored by Representative Tana Senn (D-41), would have allowed the Washington State Patrol to destroy forfeited firearms rather than raise funds by selling them to licensed firearm dealers.

However, several anti-gun bills did receive a floor vote and passed their chamber of origin, and are still alive for the session.

House Bill 1225, sponsored by Representative Laurie Jinkins (D-27), would require law-enforcement to seize firearms and ammunition when they are called to the scene of an alleged domestic violence incident and hold them for at least five business days. This would result in property being confiscated without first going through due process and subjecting citizens to bureaucratic red tape to get their property returned.

House Bill 1465, sponsored by Representative Roger Goodman (D-45), would require CPL holders to undergo a state background check on handgun purchases instead of the instant NICS check that is currently being conducted as a courtesy by the FBI. Unfortunately, beginning July 1st, the FBI will no longer be conducting these courtesy NICS checks for CPL holders.

House Bill 1786, sponsored by Representative Laurie Jinkins (D-27), would expand firearm seizures to a wider range of protective orders with little to no due process, and in some cases, would remove a judge’s discretion as to whether to impose firearm restrictions upon respondents of protective orders.

Senate Bill 5027, sponsored by Senator David Frockt (D-46), would expand Washington’s existing Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO). It would affirm that the ERPO can be issued against minors while also infringing upon the self-defense rights of law-abiding parents or others in the household without due process.

Senate Bill 5181, sponsored by Senator Kuderer, would suspend Second Amendment rights without due process for six months from individuals who are admitted for a 72-hour mental health evaluation, but who are not subsequently involuntarily committed.

The Substitute to Senate Bill 5434, sponsored by Senator Claire Wilson (D-30), would increase the areas where law-abiding citizens are prohibited from possessing firearms, including holders of a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) carrying a handgun for self-defense. It would mandate that child care facilities be “gun-free zones” where law-abiding citizens would be unable to defend themselves and their loved ones against criminals who simply ignore such arbitrary boundaries. In addition, they would be required to post signs indicating their “gun-free zone” status.

In addition, pro-gun legislation, House Bill 1934, also passed its chamber of origin and will be advancing. Sponsored by Representative Michelle Caldier (R-26), HB 1934 would allow military members who are stationed or assigned out-of-state to renew their CPL by mail.

Thank you to all the NRA members and Second Amendment supporters that attended committee hearings and contacted legislators. While your NRA is at the Capitol on a daily basis throughout the session, it is your continued involvement that makes the difference. Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org and your email inbox for further updates on these bills and others affecting our Second Amendment rights in Washington.

Washington: Hearing for Bill to Expand Gun Seizures Without Due Process (NRA-ILA)

NRA-ILA | Washington: Hearing for Bill to Expand Gun Seizures Without Due Process

On February 19^th, the Washington state Senate Committee on Law & Justice will be holding an executive session on Senate Bill 5745 to expand the circumstances under which Second Amendment rights may be revoked without due process.  In addition, the committee is also scheduled on February 21^st to vote on Senate Bill 5434 to expand arbitrary zones where law-abiding citizens are left defenseless while nothing is done to hinder criminals.  Please contact committee members and urge them to OPPOSE Senate Bills 5745 and 5434.  Click the “Take Action” button below to contact committee members.

TAKE ACTION

Senate Bill 5745, sponsored by Senator Marko Liias (D-21), would expand Washington’s existing Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO) to allow Second Amendment rights to be suspended for individuals alleged to make certain threats by third party accusers with little, if any, real evidence and limited “due process” for the respondent.  Hearings for the orders would be ex parte, where the respondent would not be present to challenge the accuser and defend against allegations made against them.  The issuance of an order would immediately prohibit the respondent from exercising their Second Amendment rights.  The Right to Keep and Bear Arms should not be treated as a second-class right and should only be restricted consistent with the constitutional requirements of due process.

Senate Bill 5434, sponsored by Senator Claire Wilson (D-30), would increase the areas where law-abiding citizens are prohibited from possessing firearms, including holders of a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) carrying a handgun for self-defense.  It would turn child care facilities, libraries, public parks, and recreational facilities into “gun-free zones” where law-abiding citizens would be unable to defend themselves and their loved ones against criminals who simply ignore such arbitrary boundaries.  In addition, child care facilities would be required to post a “Gun-Free Zone” sign.

Again, please contact committee members and urge them to OPPOSE Senate Bills 5745 and 5434.

GOAL Post 2019-1

Is up here, as seen at the top of the right hand sidebar.  (I seem to have fallen off the mailing list.)

Being the first GOAL post of the year, it's a long one, as Joe usually takes the time to explain the legislative process. (See also my earlier post in which I shared everyone's favorite Schoolhouse Rock vids 😉...)

Bills, so far:
BILL STATUS/GOAL POSITION:
HB 1010 Disposition of forfeited firearms by WSP
Senn (D-41) H.CR&J OPPOSE
HB 1022 Prohibiting handgun sale data base
Walsh (R-19) H.CR&J SUPPORT
HB 1024 Prohibiting gun owner data base
Walsh (R-19) H.CR&J SUPPORT
HB 1068 High capacity magazine ban
Valdez (D-46) H.CR&J OPPOSE
HB 1038 Authorizing armed school personnel
Walsh (R-19) UnAsg SUPPORT
HB 1073 Undetectable and/or untraceable firearms
Valdez (D-46) H.CR&J OPPOSE
SB 5016 Authorizing armed animal control officers
Van De Wege UnAsg SUPPORT
SB 5027 Extreme risk protection orders, under age 18
Frockt (D-46) S.L&J OPPOSE
SB 5050 Sentence enhancement for body armor use in a crime
O’Ban (R-28) S.L&J NEUTRAL
SB 5061 Undetectable and untraceable firearms
Dhingra (D-45) S.L&J OPPOSE
SB 5062 High capacity magazine ban
Kuderer D-48) S.L&J OPPOSE
SB 5072 Extreme risk protection orders
O’Ban (R-28) S.L&J NEUTRAL
HB = House bill, SB = Senate bill. L&J = Law & Justice , CR&J = Civil Rights and Judiciary, PubSaf = Public Safety, HC = Health Care, H. K-12 = House Early education, Aprop = Appropriations, Fin = Finance, W&M = Ways & Means “S” before a bill number indicates Substitute (amended).

WA -- SAF, CCRKBA WARN I-1639 SPONSORS THAT ‘UNREADABLE’ PETITIONS VIOLATE LAW

The Second Amendment Foundation and Citizen's Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms send:

SAF, CCRKBA WARN I-1639 SPONSORS THAT ‘UNREADABLE’ PETITIONS VIOLATE LAW
BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today warned sponsors of anti-gun Initiative 1639 via a demand letter that their campaign “is utilizing unreadable petitions in violation” of state law, and demanded that this be corrected to “conform to the legal requirements.”
Olympia attorney Shawn Newman, writing on behalf of the two Bellevue-based organizations, noted, “The petitions for I-1639 have the proposed measure printed on the back of the sheets in such fine print as to be unreadable… Use of fine print is unconscionable.”
State law mandates that initiative petitions “have a readable, full, true, and correct copy of the proposed measure printed on the reverse side of the petition,” Newman’s letter warns.
“In the short time that I-1639 petitions have been in circulation,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb, “SAF and CCRKBA have been contacted by several people who could not read the initiative language. I’ve always been warned to read the small print before signing anything. I-1639, as it appears on the back of each petition, is all small print. That should tell voters something about its content.”
According to Newman’s letter, “Obviously, due to the microscopic maze of fine print used by the initiative sponsors to disguise the actual language of the initiative on the back of their petitions, voters cannot be fully informed.” He cautioned I-1639 sponsors that having their paid signature gatherers tell voters to “read it online” is “no substitute for following the law.” Newman suggested reprinting the petitions, and contact voters who have already signed to allow them the opportunity to sign a readable copy of the measure.
“We would prefer that you become compliant with the law,” Newman wrote, “but if you choose to continue in this illegal manner, we will be forced to litigate this matter.”
Copies of the letter were sent to Secretary of State’s office, the Washington State Attorney General, and “many other interested parties to ensure that everyone has been notified of the fundamental problem with your petitions.”
The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

 (More after the jump...)

WA: Court Rules For NRA in Legal Challenge to Ballot Title

As seen in The Clue Meter: WA: NRA Files Legal Challenge Against Misleading Ballot Title for Gun Control Initiative, a legal challenge was filed against a gun-grabbing ballot initiative here in Washington on the grounds that the title was illegally misleading.

This just in:
From NRA-ILA:

Yesterday, in a defeat for Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Initiative 1639 proponents, the Thurston County Superior Court sided in part with the NRA and found that certain parts of the ballot title were deceptive and misleading.  As a result, they ordered amendments to several key provisions of the initiative’s ballot title.  While the ballot title remains inadequate to inform voters of the real effects of the initiative, the outcome of yesterday’s hearings did result in clarifying changes that more accurately describe the sweeping provisions of the initiative’s text. With the title for Initiative 1639 now finalized, proponents of this 22-page initiative will have until July 6th to get 259,622 valid signatures to place the initiative on the November ballot. As previously reported, NRA filed a legal challenge in Thurston County Superior Court contesting the ballot title language as prepared by anti-gun Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson.  Yesterday, the court held a hearing on the legal challenges filed by NRA and other petitioners.   Some of the changes included: Changing “enhanced” background checks to “increased”.  Initiative 1639 would require state background checks on all purchases and transfers of commonly owned semi-automatic firearms. Added “allows fees” to the description.  The proposed initiative would allow the Department of Licensing to charge a $25 purchase fee (GUN TAX) on transfers of semi-automatic rifles. Clarified the description for the storage mandate provision.  If passed, Initiative 1639 would criminalize firearm owners that store firearms in a non-compliant manner if they are accessed by a prohibited person or minor. Initiative 1639, filed by Michael Bloomberg’s front group, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, is an egregious attack on Second Amendment freedoms and comes just months after they failed to enact their gun ban agenda in Olympia. Your NRA-ILA will continue to keep you updated on the status of the initiative, so please stay tuned to your email inbox and www.nraila.org .  Also, a couple more releases, after the jump...

GOAL Post 2018-9

 I was going to leave these to the GOAL web site (top of right sidebar) but SB6620 has been amended to make it worse, if possible...

***

FROM: GOAL WA <goalwa@cox.net> (Joe Waldron)
TO: undisclosed recipients
SENT: Fri 3/2/2018 3:45 PM

SUBJECT: GOAL Post 2018-9

Legislative Update from Olympia 2 March 2018

BILLS MOVE

SIX DAYS LEFT IN REGULAR SESSION

RESPONSE TO FLORIDA SHOOTING

WHAT DO POLICE OFFICERS THINK?

Bills continue to move as the session winds down.SB 5992 (bump stock ban) has been sent to Governor Inslee for his signature. HBs 2363 (drone delivery of contraband) and 2519 (return of CPLs) still await a floor vote. SBs 5553 (suicidal, waiver of rights) and 6298 (DV harassment firearm ban) were both amended in the House and thus require a concurrence vote by the Senate. HB 3004 (school safety/semi-auto rifles) was assigned to House Judiciary, where it sits without action.

The biggest news this week is that SB 6620, the newly-filed “School security and safety of students” bill, was significantly amended in the Senate Ways & Means committee before passing out to Senate Rules for a floor vote yesterday.Shotguns were completely removed from the bill, All reference to “tactical features” for semi-auto rifles was removed – meaning it now applies to ALL semi-auto rifles, even your 10-22. It grandfathers existing legal possession, meaning 18-20 year olds that currently possess semi-auto rifle(s) may keep them.The requirement for the dealer (FFL) to file a separate background check request to local law enforcement (as is done with handguns) remains, but it eliminates delivery of a copy to the Department of Licensing and prohibits DoL from entering the information into a data base. While arguably a slight improvement in the bill, it is still an unacceptable violation of both the 2nd Amendment and Article 1, Section 24.

There are six days left on the legislative session, which by law must end by midnight next Thursday. Most of that time will be taken up with House and Senate floor sessions, taking up the bills that haven’t had their final vote yet. Differences in bills as passed by both chambers, where they exist (bills amended in the second chamber) must be reconciled before a final vote may be taken.

For those of you who have been following the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and the mass, mainstream media-driven outrage that followed it, you might have questioned how the response could have been so well organized. The linked article below gives some background on that. Be prepared for similar performances (and that’s what much of it is, an orchestrated performance) following future incidents. Their end goal is effective repeal of the Second Amendment through further restrictions on firearms. Of all types (look how they amended SB 6620 (above) from semi-auto rifles with “tactical features” to include ALL semi-auto rifles).

http://thefederalist.com/2018/03/01/take-two-weeks-truth-emerge-parkland-students-astroturfing/

Read this the results of this survey by PoliceOne.com to see what 15,000 law enforcement professionals think of various gun control proposals.It’s dated, but came out shortly after the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, so it ties in with today’s happenings.

https://www.policeone.com/gun-legislation-law-enforcement/articles/6183787-PoliceOnes-Gun-Control-Survey-11-key-lessons-from-officers-perspectives/

BILL STATUS/GOAL POSITION:

HB 2363 Drone delivery of firearms to offenders Pellicciotti (D-30) S. Rules SUPPORT

HB 2519 Return of seized CPLs Lovick (D-44)S. Rules SUPPORT

HB 3004 Student safety/semi-auto rifles Jinkins (D-27)H. Jud. OPPOSE

SB 5553 Suicidal, waiver of rights Pedersen (D-43)Concurrence vote NEUTRAL

SB 5992 Bump stock ban Van De Wege (D-24)To Governor OPPOSE

SB 6298 DV harassment firearm ban Dhingra (D-45) Concurrence votes OPPOSE

SB 6620 Student safety/semi-auto rifles Frockt (D-3) S. Rules OPPOSE

HB = House bill, SB = Senate bill.L&J = Law & Justice, Jud = Judiciary, PubSaf = Public Safety, HC = Health Care, H. K-12 = House Early education, Aprop = Appropriations, Fin = Finance, W&M = Ways &Means

“S” before a bill number indicates Substitute, “E” means Engrosssed (both mean amended).

HEARINGS 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!!!

1-800-562-6000TDD 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, 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 "goalwa@cox.net ". 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 WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "joewaldron@cox.net" or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at "goalwa@cox.net" with the words "Unsubscribe GOAL Post" in the subject line. I will remove your name immediately.Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists. If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list's admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Puyallup 24-25 March

Puyallup 28-29 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 2018 Gun Owners Action League of WA

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Posted by: GOAL WA <goalwa@cox.net>

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GOAL Alert 2018-2

Action needed!

or

BOHICA!

***

FROM: GOAL WA (goalwa@cox.net)(Joe Waldron)

TO: undisclosed recipients

SENT: Sun 2/25/2018 6:27 AM

SUBJECT: GOAL Alert 2018-2

GOAL Alert 2018-2

Legislative alert from Olympia25 February 2018

HOUSE COUNTERPART TO SB 6620

ACTION NEEDED, NOW!

I’d say I’m sorry for the rush of messages, but I’m not.The rush is caused by end-of-session manipulation by Democrat “leadership” in Olympia, and calls for a strong response.

As I have posted frequently, it ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings.And she’s not scheduled to sing until midnight on 8 March (a week from this coming Thursday). While the legislature sets cut-off dates and other procedural processes to keep bills moving and cull out other bills, the bottom line is that these are not written in the state Constitution, they are internal rules adopted by the legislature and may be changed by the legislature at will.

The House has filed a “counterpart bill”, HB 3004, to SB 6620.A counterpart bill is a verbatim duplicate of the bill filed in the other chamber. If both pass unamended, it/they go straight to the governor for his signature.

SB 6620/HB 3004 is a 14 section, 28 page bill in their words, “Improving security in schools and the safety of our students.” What it is is a Trojan horse, gun control hidden under the guise of the standard Democrat mantra “It’s for the children.”

Part I of the bill is a single section less than one page in length and talks about unspecified funding for “school emergency response systems.” Part II, “Students protecting students,” is three more sections spread over 10 pages and discusses nominally establishes a program whereby students may – anonymously if so desired – report potential threats to school safety and sets out procedures, including court action, to be followed, as well as identity protection for all involved in the process up to and including law enforcement and court personnel.

Part III is the zinger, “Semiautomatic rifles or shotguns with tactical

features.” 18 pages, 24 sections describing the offending firearms as semi-auto rifles or shotguns with detachable magazines (mostly the features such as pistol grip, thumbhole stock, flash hider, grenade launcher – the standard litany of evil features from the federal 1994 Clinton/Feinstein “assault weapon ban”). There are some omissions here but I’m not going to identify them. Please note that these definitions do not include tube-fed firearms or manually operated firearms.

The principal focus in Part III is shifting “semiautomatic rifles and shotguns” to the same category as that applied to handguns: they can only be sold to individuals age 21 and over, and are subject to the additional requirements for handguns: additional state paperwork and waiting periods (with the existing CPL exemption).

Keep in mind, under I-594 ALL firearm transfers must be processed by a licensed dealer, meaning that de facto registration already exists via the FFL’s required record-keeping, but this would effectively add offending semi-auto firearms to the state pistol registry, creating an on-line data base of such firearms.

It also increases the state firearm dealers license fee from $125 to $150.

Text of SB6620: http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2017-18/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/6620.pdf

Text of HB 3004 has not been posted yet, but the bill’s home page is at: http://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=3004&Chamber=House&Year=2017:

It is the intention of legislative “leadership” to ram this bill through before the end of the session.How much time will be given to public testimony remains to be seen – at this point nu public hearings are scheduled.

It is imperative that you contact your legislators as soon as possible to ask that they remove Part III from the bill.Parts I and II are likely legitimate, but Part III is strictly a ploy to use school and children’s safety as a cover for more gun control.

You can find your legislators by visiting: http://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder

Once you find your district, simply scroll down to see your Senator and Representatives listed.Click on their name and it will take you to their information, including a link to e-mail them.

Or you can call the Legislative Hotline toll-free at (800) 562-6000.

We need to flood the legislature with you going on record opposing Part III of SB 6620/HB 3004.

This is just step one on their agenda.There is already discussion of raising the age limit for the purchase of ALL firearms to age 21. The Constitution does not impose an age limit on the exercise of fundamental, enumerated (listed) constitutional rights.Not to mention the fact that you can enlist in the military, or be drafted, and fight for your country at age 18.

If anyone receiving this is attending the WAC gun show in Puyallup today, please make copies of this and take them to the show.Thank you.

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Posted by: GOAL WA goalwa@cox.net

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GOAL Post 2018-8

I've skipped the last couple of GOAL Posts, they are linked in the right-hand sidebar. 

But I felt that this week's was important to post, if only for Joe's comments on the recent events in Florida.

As usual, minor editing for formatting, a couple of typos or elisions from the original are called out with "{sic}".

***

FROM: wa-ccw@yahoogroups.com (Joe Waldron)

TO: undisclosed recipients

SENT: Fri 2/23/2018 5:50 PM

SUBJECT: GOAL Post 2018-8

Legislative Update from Olympia23 February 2018

• BILLS MOVE
• NO PUBLIC HEARINGS NEXT WEEK
• CONFERENCE COMMITTEES
• TWO WEEKS LEFT IN SESSION
• FLORIDA SHOOTING

HB 2363 (drone delivery of contraband) passed out of Senate Law & Justice to Senate Rules awaiting a floor vote. HB 2519 (return of CPLs) also passed out of Senate Law & Justice to Rules, but not before they amended the bill to it’s original form, removing the language that allowed current and former military members aged 18-20 to apply for and receive a concealed pistol license (several states with age 21 CPL requirements have opened them up to military members over 18). ed {sic} on the House floor to reimburse those owners who surrender them to police. SB 5553 (suicidal, waiver of firearm rights) passed out of the House on a77-20 vote with one excused.SB 5992 (bump stock ban) passed out of the House on a 56-41 vote also. The bill was amended to create a buyback program for banned bump stocks. Seven other amendments to limit the impact of the bill failed.SB 6298 (DV harassment firearms ban) passed out of the House Judiciary committee with an important amendment. Back in 1994, when many DV-related misdemeanors were made firearm disqualifiers, it was retroactive – a listed DV-related conviction at any time in the past prohibited future possession of firearms.SB 6298 was amended to allow only DV harassment convictions after this law takes effect to act as a disqualifier.

Unfortunately, the amendment is still lipstick on a pig. No misdemeanor conviction of any law should allow denial of a fundamental, enumerated right listed in the Constitution. Period. Add to that the common he said, she said nature of many of these DV offenses, in many cases with no physical proof offered.(We’ve been over this before: domestic violence is a serious issue and must not be tolerated, but if it’s that serious, make it a felony.)

No public hearings involving firearms are scheduled for next week. It’s all floor action now.

If a bill is amended in the second chamber and passes, it must go back to the original chamber to approve the change. If approval (another floor vote) is not granted, it goes to a conference committee composed of members from both chambers to iron out the difference(s). Then it goes back to both chambers for approval.

At this point, and we’re pretty far along in the session, it appears there will be no immediate, direct impact of the Florida shooting in Olympia. For now.

If you’ve been following the national news all this past week, it appears the only thing in the world that has happened is the Parkland, Florida school shooting. The overwhelming media focus is on gun control, calling for bans on AR-15s and other “assault weapons,” raising the age to purchase ”assault weapons,” or in some cases, all firearms, to 21.Suggestions have also been made by some to arm SOME teachers (the establishment doesn’t like that, nor do teachers’ unions), or to provide for more school resource officers. The outcome remains to be seen.

A couple of things of note, though. The call for more gun control seems to be exceptionally-well organized. And funded. One Parkland survivor invited to attend a CNN episode on the shooting says he was denied the opportunity to ask the questions he wanted to ask, and instead was given a scripted question to ask. More and more information has come out about the shooter and the incident. He was a long term “problem kid,” with many fellow students reporting major issues with him including threats, he was expelled from Parkland, the Broward County Sheriff’s deputies had made more than three dozen calls to his home in the past few years. Clearly red flags were being waved – and ignored. Then the FBI dropped the ball after the “kid” posted a You Tube comment that he wanted to become a “professional school shooter” (a comment alleged made at other times and places, too).

The worst failure here was the fact that they just revealed that the on-scene School Resource Officer stayed outside under cover when the shooting started, and remained outside for at least four minutes. The major lesson learned in 1999 after the Columbine, CO, school shooting is that you don’t wait outside to see how things develop, you immediately enter. It’s called “running to the sound of gunfire” and has been “school shooter” Rule #1 since 1999.The news is reporting that the officer has resigned, but most fail to add that he was actually allowed to retire.

Just before I closed this out, another local police department whose officers responded to the Parkland H.S. shooting are reporting that when they arrived on scene, four additional Broward County deputies were also outside the school, guns drawn, but not going inside.

Former Milwaukee County Sheriff, NRA Director and staunch pro-gun advocate made the comment that George Soros fingerprints are all over this. I tend not to buy into conspiracy theories for a variety of reasons, but the number of coincidences in this one certainly raise questions. (And the media now says these conspiracy theories originated with the Russian{sic}. Maybe the shooter was a Russian immigrant?)

BILL STATUS/GOAL POSITION:

{After the jump. DWD}

GOAL Post 2018-4

I'll continue posting these, at least for now. As usual, I've tried to clean up punctuation and the like, which does not necessarily copy from the email well. However, I have to go to work shortly, so I may have missed some. Sorry...

Also before the legislature, but not in the GOAL Post, HB2000, would legalize concealed carry of a fixed blade knife with a blade less than 6 inches.

***

FROM: GOAL-WA (Joe Waldron)

TO: undisclosed recipients

SENT: Sat 1/27/2018 5:08 PM

SUBJECT: GOAL Post 2018-4

Legislative Update from Olympia 27 January 2018

SB 5992 PASSES SENATE

NEW BILLS FILED

ACTION ON BILLS

PUBLIC HEARING CONDUCTED

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

(Quick and dirty this week. I just got back on the redeye from the SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trades) Show in Las Vegas. All kinds of new toys that our Dave Workman will be covering in future articles.)

SB 5992 (“bump stock ban) passed the Senate on a 29-20 vote. It now goes to House Judiciary for their consideration. Given that the bill had a couple of Republican co-sponsors and four Republican Senators voted “aye” on final passage, it will likely sail through the House and go to the governor. The impact of this is very limited, and if this is all that passes the legislature this session, we will be very lucky indeed.

SB 6415, by Sen. Hunt (D-22), and HB 2736, by Rep. Doglio (D-22), would require “express permission” from the homeowner before allowing a CPL holder carrying a concealed pistol in a residence.Violation is a misdemeanor plus FIVE YEARS’ LOSS OF CPL. “Express permission” is not further defined in the law. What constitutes “express?” Permission in writing? Video of owner granting permission? Court affidavit? Notarized statement?

The version of HB 1122 that passed out of House Judiciary last week was amended to follow the original language from HB 2319 introduced in 1997 (and gave rise to I-676 when it failed to pass the legislature that year). It drops the term “community endangerment” and returns to a form of reckless endangerment, it applies only to children who unlawfully access a firearm, and it defines “child” as anyone under the age of 18.

SB 5553 (suicide prevention, voluntary waiver of rights) passed out of the Senate January 24^th on a 49-0 vote. It now moves over to House Judiciary.

A public hearing on several gun bills was conducted by House Judiciary on Thursday, 25 January. Testimony, pro and con, was taken on HBs 2666 (repeal state preemption), 1387 (background check on “assault weapons”), 2422 (restrict/ban “high capacity” magazines), 2293 (banning firearms in day care facilities) and 2519 (return of seized CPLs). It is interesting to note that not only were the anti crowd turned out in orange t-shirts for enhanced visibility, but for the first time (to the best of my

recollection) pizza was catered in for this. But this was just a spontaneous grassroots turnout. Right! It’s nice to have millionaire sugar daddies.

The Senate Law & Justice committee will hold a public hearing on SB 6418 (possession of concealed firearm(s) in someone else’s residence) at 10:00 a.m. on January 30^th. Senate Law & Justice will consider SBs 6297 and 6298 in Executive Session (vote to pass out of committee) on Friday, February 2^nd , at 10:00 a.m.

BILL STATUS/GOAL POSITION:

New home for the GOAL Post

So, for while my friend Ray Carter was posting the GOAL Post here.

Shortly before he passed he contacted me about taking it over for him, but the conversation never went beyond my saying "sure", and I didn't know who to contact after.

Obviously someone has picked up the task.

Which is great, as I sit here, getting ready for work and wondering if there'll be GOAL Post this week, post-SHOT Show: If one does come out, someone will post it before I do.

Need to add that link to the sidebar.

(Also, they need to update things like "2016 Legislative calendar"...)

(Also also, it's NOT a "new" home, Ray, or someone, was posting there years ago. I didn't know.  It's a big Internet, after all...
(Which is what I tell myself when pondering what I would have to do to get a significant fraction of, say, Tamara's readership...)

Boo-frickin'-hoo

Dave Workman writes: WA Anti-Gunners Whine: Gun Owners Are Contacting Lawmakers - Liberty Park Press

“We’re less than 72 hours from our next hearing day,” the Alliance for Gun Responsibility lamented in a Monday email, “and we just learned the gun lobby is bombarding state legislators with calls and emails speaking out against the gun safety legislation at the top of our agenda.”
The “gun lobby” they are talking about consists of thousands of Evergreen State gun owners who are not letting the well-financed gun control crowd waltz into Olympia like they own the place, simply because Democrats now control the Legislature.