User Panel
Posted: 1/9/2017 7:32:49 PM EDT
can an ag do that?
wtf? eta linkhttp://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/ag-bob-ferguson-unveils-assault-weapons-ban-and-a-backup-plan/ |
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[#1]
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[#2]
I don't own any assault weapons and if I did I would sure as hell have no problem going to some of the bad ass "featureless" offerings out there.
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[#3]
Theory of incrementalism. Ignorance of what an 'assault weapon' truly is does not stop anti-gun people from trying to ban semi-automatic modern sporting rifles. Californification. Start contacting your representatives!
SFC out. |
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[#4]
We have to start stomping this fire out now! Or else next year it will be an initiative pushed through with billionaire bucks like 594, and extreme protection orders.
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[#5]
They went full monty pretty much all they left out was full on confiscation.
Banning the sale of assault weapons and large capacity magazines. http://agportal-s3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/uploadedfiles/Another/News/Press_Releases/Z-0388.1.pdf Concerning enhanced background checks and licensure for assault weapons and large capacity magazines. http://agportal-s3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/uploadedfiles/Another/News/Press_Releases/Z-0356.2.pdf |
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[#6]
WHAT. THE. FUCK.
Fergie is trying to clean house on this one... everything but the kitchen sink... annual Assault Weapons Licenses, CLEO approval, safe-storage requirements... Hoping to take effect July 1, 2017... |
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[#7]
Definitely need to quash this ASAP. With a concerted effort we may be able to kill it at the committee level. Given the recent successes with supressors and SBRs it is at least possible. Likely need to at least let it get introduced and then hit the letter writing in force. Certainly there are many pro 2A folks in the senate and house, but it will still take some effort to quash it.
A good start would be to remind the AG that generating legislation isn't his primary mission. Interpreting and enforcing yes, drafting no. RCW 43.10.030 General powers and duties. The attorney general shall: (1) Appear for and represent the state before the supreme court or the court of appeals in all cases in which the state is interested; (2) Institute and prosecute all actions and proceedings for, or for the use of the state, which may be necessary in the execution of the duties of any state officer; (3) Defend all actions and proceedings against any state officer or employee acting in his or her official capacity, in any of the courts of this state or the United States; (4) Consult with and advise the several prosecuting attorneys in matters relating to the duties of their office, and when the interests of the state require, he or she shall attend the trial of any person accused of a crime, and assist in the prosecution; (5) Consult with and advise the governor, members of the legislature, and other state officers, and when requested, give written opinions upon all constitutional or legal questions relating to the duties of such officers; (6) Prepare proper drafts of contracts and other instruments relating to subjects in which the state is interested; (7) Give written opinions, when requested by either branch of the legislature, or any committee thereof, upon constitutional or legal questions; (8) Enforce the proper application of funds appropriated for the public institutions of the state, and prosecute corporations for failure or refusal to make the reports required by law; (9) Keep in proper books a record of all cases prosecuted or defended by him or her, on behalf of the state or its officers, and of all proceedings had in relation thereto, and deliver the same to his or her successor in office; (10) Keep books in which he or she shall record all the official opinions given by him or her during his or her term of office, and deliver the same to his or her successor in office; (11) Pay into the state treasury all moneys received by him or her for the use of the state. |
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[#8]
We had better watch out for this slimey ratfuck.
I have seen him on "Jesse Jones", he's done some good things as AG, you can't deny that. However, I think this guy's long term goal is to become the next governor of the state. He'll trot out his failed "assault weapons ban" as a selling point for his election race. We need to stomp this shit to the ground and stop him dead in his tracks right fucking now! |
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[#9]
This fucking state is two-three years behind in entering the background checks for handgun sales into their database, this would become another such clusterfuck.
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[#12]
Fuck turd Ferguson. This pos took an oath and now he's shitting all over it.
Thanks Seattle. |
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[#13]
Sorry guys, but they're getting exactly what they want. Good people like me fixing to leave this state over stupid shit like this. I wouldn't comply with licensure, nor any other part of that law. I sure as fuck won't choose to be a lawbreaker, so in that case I'm leaving this shit hole.
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[#14]
Want to see why this state is lost? Check out our local "WA Guns" sub-reddit on Reddit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/WA_guns/comments/5n0px2/awb_mag_ban_registration_and_safe_storage/ |
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[#15]
Quoted:
Sorry guys, but they're getting exactly what they want. Good people like me fixing to leave this state over stupid shit like this. I wouldn't comply with licensure, nor any other part of that law. I sure as fuck won't choose to be a lawbreaker, so in that case I'm leaving this shit hole. View Quote This. I'm right on the border with OR, being a Vancouverite, so if WA goes to shit I'm selling my house and renting in OR until I get the promotion I need to enable me to move to UT or TX. At this point, WA is only a destination for liberals, so short of a massive conservative breeding program, we're going to be outnumbered in this state until the end of time. Better to move to a state the libs are trying to 'turn blue'. |
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[#16]
So who is the best person to write letters too?
I'm sure telling the AG to do his job and not others won't be productive, but there has to be someone who will be more receptive. |
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[#17]
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[#18]
Neither bill will pass in the senate so they are dead on arrival. They "may get a hearing" in the house, so I'll be there to testify.
As someone else mentioned, the danger is having this head to the initiative process next year. |
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[#19]
Quoted:
Neither bill will pass in the senate so they are dead on arrival. They "may get a hearing" in the house, so I'll be there to testify. As someone else mentioned, the danger is having this head to the initiative process next year. View Quote Dangerous for sure. I do believe if something this terribly restrictive heads our way via initiative that we would see a much bigger/more effective effort to counter. Could be wrong. |
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[#20]
Quoted:
Neither bill will pass in the senate so they are dead on arrival. They "may get a hearing" in the house, so I'll be there to testify. View Quote I certainly hope youre right. You were the spearhead for suppressors and SBRs, I know you have contacts in oly so please keep us informed. Thanks again for all you did and are doing. |
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[#21]
The initiative process will be the death of the this state.
Oh yeah 35 dollar car tabs! Fuck yeah! How's that working out for you? Now that these assholes have figured out how to make an initiative, guns will not even be allowed to be held soon. |
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[#22]
Quoted:
can an ag do that? wtf? eta linkhttp://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/ag-bob-ferguson-unveils-assault-weapons-ban-and-a-backup-plan/ View Quote I would think an AG authored "bill" would be DOA in a court challenge on the basis of it not originating from the legislature, which has exclusive constitutional authority to draft laws in the state. But then, WA SC seems to get away with cherry picking... |
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[#23]
FL is facing AWB this session also.
That said, I have a feeling this will be used by AG Ferguson as a run on the Governors mansion when he says 'Look at all I tried to do, and partisan politics stopped us from these "common sense" measures' and then we will have another ballot initiative. |
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[#24]
Quoted:
Dangerous for sure. I do believe if something this terribly restrictive heads our way via initiative that we would see a much bigger/more effective effort to counter. Could be wrong. View Quote You could get every eligible voter (which would never happen. 85% would even be a huge ask for a non presidential election) to vote no for this piece of shit initiative but King County will destroy all of your efforts. You can't overcome that liberal cushion. If you heard Bill Bryant on Todd Herman's show yesterday, he talked about how the suburbs out in Kirkland, Issaquah, and Bellevue cost him the election despite him doing extremely well in the rest of the state. The traditional "soft" Republican vote wasn't there based on Trump polling worse than Romney out there and downballot candidates took it in the twins thanks to perceived connection to Trump. The rest of the state wanted change. King County didn't and here we are. 8 billion in potential taxes hanging over our heads, a property tax increase that isn't going to roll back as promised, and a "nuclear" scorch the earth assault weapons ban. We're well fucked. I'm not a lawbreaker nor will I ask that Law Enforcement turn their heads at potential lawbreakers. We can either head for the roof (but that won't happen over this just like it didn't in California, New York, etc.) or we can all make better lives in other states. Idaho, Utah, and Arizona are on my short list. |
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[#25]
Quoted:
Neither bill will pass in the senate so they are dead on arrival. They "may get a hearing" in the house, so I'll be there to testify. As someone else mentioned, the danger is having this head to the initiative process next year. View Quote I would be surprised if he doesn't have the initiative campaign already queued up. As we saw with 594, this will be very difficult to beat. |
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[#26]
Quoted:
And you'll be fucked. Do you somehow think that our side has the resources to muster up a campaign bigger than 594? Shit, 1491 went through with barely a whimper. Who are the pro-gun billionaires that we can lean on like the other side has? I can't name one. The NRA might have a war chest to pull from but Bezos, Bloomberg or the Gates Foundation can probably match that with the money under the cushions. You could get every eligible voter (which would never happen. 85% would even be a huge ask for a non presidential election) to vote no for this piece of shit initiative but King County will destroy all of your efforts. You can't overcome that liberal cushion. If you heard Bill Bryant on Todd Herman's show yesterday, he talked about how the suburbs out in Kirkland, Issaquah, and Bellevue cost him the election despite him doing extremely well in the rest of the state. The traditional "soft" Republican vote wasn't there based on Trump polling worse than Romney out there and downballot candidates took it in the twins thanks to perceived connection to Trump. The rest of the state wanted change. King County didn't and here we are. 8 billion in potential taxes hanging over our heads, a property tax increase that isn't going to roll back as promised, and a "nuclear" scorch the earth assault weapons ban. We're well fucked. I'm not a lawbreaker nor will I ask that Law Enforcement turn their heads at potential lawbreakers. We can either head for the roof (but that won't happen over this just like it didn't in California, New York, etc.) or we can all make better lives in other states. Idaho, Utah, and Arizona are on my short list. View Quote As pessimistic as I am about the political winds in WA, let's not forget that lib turn out in off year elections generally sucks...So it's POSSIBLE that we could beat an initiative on the ballot in 2018. I think the left knows this and will wisely mark 2020 on the calendar. That is when all the libtards will be FIRED UP to beat trump and they WILL go to the polls. An AWB initiative would be almost a sure thing then. That gives us 3 years to get ready, and 4 years to bail if necessary. |
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[#27]
Quoted:
And you'll be fucked. Do you somehow think that our side has the resources to muster up a campaign bigger than 594? Shit, 1491 went through with barely a whimper. Who are the pro-gun billionaires that we can lean on like the other side has? I can't name one. The NRA might have a war chest to pull from but Bezos, Bloomberg or the Gates Foundation can probably match that with the money under the cushions. You could get every eligible voter (which would never happen. 85% would even be a huge ask for a non presidential election) to vote no for this piece of shit initiative but King County will destroy all of your efforts. You can't overcome that liberal cushion. If you heard Bill Bryant on Todd Herman's show yesterday, he talked about how the suburbs out in Kirkland, Issaquah, and Bellevue cost him the election despite him doing extremely well in the rest of the state. The traditional "soft" Republican vote wasn't there based on Trump polling worse than Romney out there and downballot candidates took it in the twins thanks to perceived connection to Trump. The rest of the state wanted change. King County didn't and here we are. 8 billion in potential taxes hanging over our heads, a property tax increase that isn't going to roll back as promised, and a "nuclear" scorch the earth assault weapons ban. We're well fucked. I'm not a lawbreaker nor will I ask that Law Enforcement turn their heads at potential lawbreakers. We can either head for the roof (but that won't happen over this just like it didn't in California, New York, etc.) or we can all make better lives in other states. Idaho, Utah, and Arizona are on my short list. View Quote Why Utah? I hear it's a very uncomfortable state to be in if you're not Mormon. Could agree on Idaho, but feel on shaky ground with Arizona. Wish I could live somewhere coastal, however options have all but run out. Shitty future we face. |
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[#28]
Quoted:
Neither bill will pass in the senate so they are dead on arrival. They "may get a hearing" in the house, so I'll be there to testify. As someone else mentioned, the danger is having this head to the initiative process next year. View Quote And knowing how fraud is rampant on the electoral system here in WA we can already see how it will go. Only way to fix this State's corruption is via some external audit and maybe a Federal intervention. Other than that it's a waste of time. |
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[#29]
Quoted:
As pessimistic as I am about the political winds in WA, let's not forget that lib turn out in off year elections generally sucks...So it's POSSIBLE that we could beat an initiative on the ballot in 2018. I think the left knows this and will wisely mark 2020 on the calendar. That is when all the libtards will be FIRED UP to beat trump and they WILL go to the polls. An AWB initiative would be almost a sure thing then. That gives us 3 years to get ready, and 4 years to bail if necessary. View Quote If liberal democrats do not vote personally the vote "counters" will vote for them. The electoral system in this State is as corrupt as it can be. Not different than some little African dictatorship. |
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[#30]
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[#31]
Chatted with Brian Blake today. Ferguson needs a legislator to sponsor his bills.
On the up side, A number of pro-gun bills were introduced concerning concealed pistol licenses, as well a bill to abolish the pistol registry. |
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[#32]
Quoted:
Why Utah? I hear it's a very uncomfortable state to be in if you're not Mormon. Could agree on Idaho, but feel on shaky ground with Arizona. Wish I could live somewhere coastal, however options have all but run out. Shitty future we face. View Quote I've got no beef with Mormons and actually have some pretty good insight on the church from several friends that are/were Mormons. It's not as bad as long as you respect where they're coming from. Just like the Muslims. |
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[#33]
Senate Bill 5050
House Bill 1134 The enemy has a name now. Senate Bill 5050, and House Bill 1134. This is the AWB. you can track bills by signing up. That will let you know when hearings are coming up.<p style="text-align:right"></p> |
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[#35]
Quoted:
Soooooooooo Is it time to panic buy???? View Quote "Panic Buy" all you want, but the laws, as proposed, will require you to report all of it when you apply (and hopefully get approved) for your "Assault Weapons" license. Now is the time to write/call/speak to your elected representatives, your relatives who aren't gun enthusiasts so they know what a baloney-sandwich this proposed stuff is, your liberal co-workers, etc. We all like to joke about Ghost Guns, the shoulder-thingy that pops up, etc. But the minority pushing for this, scare the uninformed middle-ground (that comprise the majority) and that is why we lose. After always being on the defensive, it gets old after a while. Our state can't balance a budget, can't pay its employees and in my opinion, has bigger problems than the creation of systems and registries we can't even afford as it is. 3 people were killed last year in 1 incident, so for all this grandstanding and "Save the children!" smoke that Ferguson is blowing up everyone's asses, now is the time to *DO* something about it. But yeah, panic buy if you want. |
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[#36]
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[#37]
Quoted:
Chatted with Brian Blake today. Ferguson needs a legislator to sponsor his bills. On the up side, A number of pro-gun bills were introduced concerning concealed pistol licenses, as well a bill to abolish the pistol registry. View Quote Thats good news, but is there any chance of WA legislature ever enforcing the extremely strong 2nd Amendment the WA Constitution had? Up to this point, its more like the WA State "suggestion list", except when libtards need to push some bullshit legislation through. |
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[#38]
Quoted:
Chatted with Brian Blake today. Ferguson needs a legislator to sponsor his bills. On the up side, A number of pro-gun bills were introduced concerning concealed pistol licenses, as well a bill to abolish the pistol registry. View Quote A bill to abolish the pistol registry? Happen to know which # that is? I'm looking but can't find it. http://search.leg.wa.gov/search.aspx#document HOUSE BILL 1015 is interesting, it makes it so publicly held facilities (nor the people who rent or lease it out) cannot prohibit CPL holders from carrying. Specifically calling out stadiums. Basically a bill to allow carrying at NFL+NBL games. |
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[#39]
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[#40]
Quoted:
"Panic Buy" all you want, but the laws, as proposed, will require you to report all of it when you apply (and hopefully get approved) for your "Assault Weapons" license. Now is the time to write/call/speak to your elected representatives, your relatives who aren't gun enthusiasts so they know what a baloney-sandwich this proposed stuff is, your liberal co-workers, etc. We all like to joke about Ghost Guns, the shoulder-thingy that pops up, etc. But the minority pushing for this, scare the uninformed middle-ground (that comprise the majority) and that is why we lose. After always being on the defensive, it gets old after a while. Our state can't balance a budget, can't pay its employees and in my opinion, has bigger problems than the creation of systems and registries we can't even afford as it is. 3 people were killed last year in 1 incident, so for all this grandstanding and "Save the children!" smoke that Ferguson is blowing up everyone's asses, now is the time to *DO* something about it. But yeah, panic buy if you want. View Quote |
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[#41]
Quoted:
Why Utah? I hear it's a very uncomfortable state to be in if you're not Mormon. View Quote I doubt that's much of an issue these days. I've heard some say that some neighbors might not want much to do with you after they find out you're not LDS ...and I took that as a huge "pro" in my pro/con analysis. Hell, I might even put a sign up in the front yard or something. I'm moving there for freedom, and the things that some people dislike Utah for (LDS shunning, alky laws, and lack of "nightlife") are all juuust fine with me in light of the positives. I'm happily married and don't drink sooo, yeah. I'll go ahead and keep my guns and WA can have the tyranny, Seattle, democrats, pot, alky, and all the other crap that ya get here. |
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[#42]
Quoted:
Chatted with Brian Blake today. Ferguson needs a legislator to sponsor his bills. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Chatted with Brian Blake today. Ferguson needs a legislator to sponsor his bills. Looks like it has sponsors now Sponsors: Frockt, Ranker, Kuderer, Wellman, Saldaña, Liias, Darneille, Chase, Cleveland |
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[#43]
Quoted:
A bill to abolish the pistol registry? Happen to know which # that is? I'm looking but can't find it. http://search.leg.wa.gov/search.aspx#document HOUSE BILL 1015 is interesting, it makes it so publicly held facilities (nor the people who rent or lease it out) cannot prohibit CPL holders from carrying. Specifically calling out stadiums. Basically a bill to allow carrying at NFL+NBL games. View Quote Pistol registry bill |
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[#44]
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[#45]
View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Quoted:
Thats good news, but is there any chance of WA legislature ever enforcing the extremely strong 2nd Amendment the WA Constitution had? Up to this point, its more like the WA State "suggestion list", except when libtards need to push some bullshit legislation through. https://cdn.meme.am/cache/instances/folder835/500x/74866835.jpg Serious question: What about the state constitution makes folks think it is extremely 2A strong? I've seen this mentioned a number of times, and don't understand if there's some case history or other interpretations that have happened in the past that have given folks reason to think this. Certainly nobody can think that with our current slate of WA Supreme Court judges that the wording in the state's constitution about RTKBA would be interpreted any differently than it has been in other states that have taken away gun rights (particularly CA). |
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[#46]
Thank you! That is amazing! I bet it will go completely under the radar IF they take action on it. I hope it doesn't just die because nobody is paying attention. Email time. This should be getting a ton of attention on this subforum. Edit: Quoted:
Serious question: What about the state constitution makes folks think it is extremely 2A strong? I've seen this mentioned a number of times, and don't understand if there's some case history or other interpretations that have happened in the past that have given folks reason to think this. Certainly nobody can think that with our current slate of WA Supreme Court judges that the wording in the state's constitution about RTKBA would be interpreted any differently than it has been in other states that have taken away gun rights (particularly CA). It specifically calls out an individual right to self defense. Before the Heller decision people liked to argue that the 2A did not do so (they still do but now they're clearly wrong). So for our purposes it was considered stronger. From that wording the state supreme court has decided we have no duty to retreat, creating an inherent castle doctrine type setting without an actual statute. So in theory if the legislature tried to pass a duty to retreat it would be ruled unconstitutional, whereas the 2A doesn't really speak to USING the arms, just bearing and keeping them. I would argue bearing is meant to include transporting AND using, but lawyers will twist it to be just "holding them in your hands at some point in time, preferably in a locked windowless room in your basement only". |
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[#47]
GOAL ALERT 2017-1 22 Jan 2017
I am taking the liberty of forwarding this message from NRA-ILA to all GOAL listers. It contains the best and most thorough explanation I have seen of the breadth and impact of Attorney General Ferguson’s proposed “assault weapon/large capacity magazine” ban and/or registration legislation. Don’t look to the past and recall the 1994 Clinton/Feinstein federal gun ban. That was a joke – a “ban” that banned nothing already in existence, and was so poorly worded that it opened the door to widespread and easy evasion. This one is for real. It not only eviscerates the 2nd Amendment, it does a fair job on the 4th and 5th Amendments as well. As we look at the elevation of Donald Trump to the presidency and the commitments that he made on the campaign trail to protect the 2nd Amendment, let us remember that almost all gun control laws on the books come at the state level. And as my mother would have said, “this one is a doozy.” If you have never been politically active before, THIS is the time to start. This is the time to communicate with your elected officials – by e-mail, by telephone (remember the toll-free legislative hotline (800-562-6000 and TDD 800-635-9993), by old-fashioned snail mail – and let them know in polite but firm terms that these bills (HB 1134, SB 5050 and HB 1387 (no Senate version bill number yet) SB are totally unacceptable and infringe on and impair the US and state constitutional protections of the right to keep and bear arms. http://app.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/ https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/ This is the time, too, to plan a day to visit the Capitol Campus and speak directly with the people YOU sent to Olympia to represent you. In all likelihood, in the next two weeks a day will be scheduled when multiple gun bills are heard – a great opportunity to put grassroots lobbying (YOU) to work. Yes, most os us have to work for a living, and have to take time off to visit Olympia. How much are your 2nd Amendment rights worth to you? The other side rents buses and cleans out downtown Seattle to give freeloaders a free ride. Are they more committed that we are? I’ll try and get another alert out when “gun bill day” is scheduled. http://leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/ComingToTheLegislature.aspx https://www.nraila.org/articles/20170113/alert-wa-state-proposes-draconian-gun-ban-bills Alert: WA State Proposes Draconian Gun Ban Bills Friday, January 13, 2017 Alert: WA State Proposes Draconian Gun Ban Bills Inspired, perhaps, by Oscar Wilde (“Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess”), Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has announced two new sweeping gun control bills, with Sen. David Frockt (D-Seattle) and Rep. Strom Peterson (D-Edmonds) as the bill’s prime sponsors. Despite being described as “assault weapon reform,” the proposed legislation is nothing short of a ban of many common, legal firearms and “large-capacity magazines” currently possessed by millions of law-abiding Americans for self-defense, hunting, and recreational shooting. Both bills use the same extensive definitions of “assault weapon” and “large-capacity magazine” (LCM). “Assault weapon” would include: a semiautomatic rifle using a detachable magazine and with one or more of the listed six features (e.g., folding or telescoping stock, thumbhole stock), a semiautomatic handgun or a semiautomatic, centerfire, or rimfire rifle with a fixed magazine that can hold more than ten rounds, a semiautomatic, centerfire, or rimfire rifle with overall length of less than 30 inches, a semiautomatic handgun using a detachable magazine and with one of the listed four features, and a shotgun with a revolving cylinder or certain semiautomatic shotguns. The bills exclude “any firearm that is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action,” “antique” firearms, and any gun that has been made permanently inoperable. An LCM is defined as “any ammunition feeding device with the capacity to accept more than ten rounds,” or “any conversion kit, part, or combination of parts, from which such a device can be assembled” if the parts are in the possession or control of the same person, but excludes a tubular magazine contained in a lever-action firearm and a .22 caliber tube ammunition feeding device. The first bill prohibits all possession, purchase, sale or transfer of an “assault weapon” or LCM, except as permitted. (“Transfer” already has a special definition in Washington law, and means any “intended delivery of a firearm to another person without consideration of payment or promise of payment including, but not limited to, gifts and loans.”) The exceptions for other than law enforcement personnel or licensed dealers include persons who legally possess such items when the law takeseffect, and persons who become owners through inheritance or other operation of law, provided these owners can “establish such provenance.” Once grandfathered, owners are themselves prohibited from selling or transferring the item, other than to a licensed dealer or by way of permanent relinquishment to law enforcement. Guns and magazines relinquished to law enforcement “must be destroyed.” These bills have less to do with “meaningful reforms” for public safety and reducing crime (other than the newly defined crimes of being gun owners) than they do with moving the incremental process of stigmatizing guns and eliminating firearm possession by law-abiding citizens another giant step forward in Washington State. The bill also imposes a storage requirement on grandfathered owners as a condition of continued lawful possession. The “assault weapon” or LCM must be kept in a safe, gun safe, lock box or other device that can be locked and constructed of workmanship and material such “that it cannot be pried open or easily removed or defeated.” The second bill proposes a marginally less extreme alternative. First, it would impose a registration-licensing system for “assault weapons” and LCMs. Every person who possesses, transports, manufactures, purchases or sells an “assault weapon” or LCM must have an annual state-issued license, with an updated license required every time there is a change in possession of the gun or LCM. The licensing requirement has a delay period (until 2020) before it applies to persons who currently possess such items, but these persons would be prohibited from selling or transferring the gun or LCM to anyone other than a licensed dealer, a gunsmith, or to law enforcement for permanent relinquishment. Like the first bill, this bill mandates that relinquished guns and LCMs “must be destroyed.” Licenses would not be available to persons under 21 years of age. Applicants would have to show proof of completing the specific kind of comprehensive training, and provide a statement that he or she will only use the gun or LCM for the specified “lawful” purposes and will always use “safe gun storage” when the "assault weapon" or LCM is not in the person’s “immediate possession.” The license applicant must provide a “full description” of both the lawful purpose for which the assault weapon or LCM is sought and the “safe gun storage” the applicant will use. The application also requires a minimum $50 fee, detailed personal information, detailed information about the weapon or LCM, fingerprinting, and a state database/NICS check. The bill also imposes a “great care” standard for licensees, in which the licensee must keep the assault weapon unloaded, within “secure gun storage,” when it is not in the licensee’s immediate possession. Licensed dealers would be prohibited from selling or delivering an "assault weapon" or LCM to any person who does not have a state-issued license. Even with licensees, the bill would require the dealer to keep records of every transaction, to be submitted to local law enforcement. Further, because Washington State has a private background check requirement that applies to sales and “transfers” of firearms, the dealer performing a background check on a non-sale private “transfer” of an "assault weapon" is prohibited from “facilitating the transfer” if the parties lack the necessary licenses. Residents of other states would be prohibited from purchasing rifles and shotguns in Washington if the firearm comes within the definition of “assault weapon.” And if all this wasn’t enough, the penalties for violations of these bills are staggering. Under the first bill, any violations are Class C felonies, as are violations of the licensing or the “great care” requirements in the second bill. Class C felonies are punishable by five years’ imprisonment, a fine of $10,000, or both the imprisonment and the fine. According to a news report, the goal is to pass the “assault weapons” ban, with the second bill being the fall-back or alternative. Predictably, these measures are being characterized as “common-sense solutions” to prevent "gun violence". As we’ve pointed out before, bans of “assault weapons” tend to be an arbitrary categorization of certain firearms based on the presence of designated features. These bans are unrelated to the likelihood of such guns being used in crime or in a mass shooting event. A study that Congress required on the impact of the federal assault weapons and LCM ban, which expired in 2004, “concluded that ‘the banned weapons and magazines were never used in more than a modest fraction of all gun murders’ even before the ban, and that the law’s 10-round limit on new ammunition magazines wasn’t a factor in multiple-victim or multiple-wound crimes.” Similarly, state-level data suggests there is no indication that "assault weapon" and LCM bans reduce violent crime. Despite being described as “assault weapon reform,” the proposed legislation is nothing short of a ban of many common, legal firearms and “large-capacity magazines” currently possessed by millions of law-abiding Americans for self-defense, hunting, and recreational shooting. Moreover, based on a survey released a few days ago by the Pew Research Center, restrictions on "assault weapons" are not supported by the law enforcement community. The survey found that even though almost all (86%) of the officers describe their job as more difficult now than previously and that their department lacked enough officers to adequately patrol their community, only about a third of officers (32%) expressed support for a ban on "assault weapons" (and an overwhelming majority of the police officers, 74%, agreed that it was more important to protect the rights of Americans to own guns than it was to control gun ownership). Sadly, these bills follow the recent tradition of Washington State’s poorly drafted gun control initiatives and misinformation in how these are portrayed to the public. The 2014 background check initiative, I-594, was peddled as one that required background checks “on all gun sales,” to prohibit “dangerous people” from buying guns. In reality, the legislation went far beyond regulating sales and covers almost all gifts, loans, and other “transfers” of a firearm, meaning that any situation in which a firearm temporarily changes hands is a potential violation of the law. Another Washington initiative, I-1491, on “extreme risk protection orders,” was described as a “temporary” suspension of a person’s access to firearms if there was “documented evidence” that the person may be dangerous. The actual text of the measure, however, authorizes court orders that ban possession or access to guns for a minimum of one year – which orders are renewable indefinitely – without any requirement for evidence by an expert or medical practitioner regarding the person’s mental health or propensity towards violence. Oddly, given the stated goal of the legislation, it does nothing to require a mental health follow-up or treatment for a person who is placed under such an order. And while the professed justification for passing such gun laws has been the need to save lives by keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals and other dangerous people, there’s little to show that there’s been any appreciable impact on public safety because of these restrictions. Consistent with this pattern, though, we expect to see the drastic regulatory scope and reach of the new bills downplayed, with correspondingly big claims about their value in reducing gun violence. Already, Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s press release states, about the first bill, that “[t]he legislation covers only sales, thereby grandfathering current gun ownership,” adding that the “ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines applies to magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition.” In fact, the plain language of the bill clearly prohibits, besides sales, the possession and “transfers” (gifts and loans) of guns and LCMs. Likewise, the licensing and registration regime is entirely omitted in the description of the second bill, which is referred to as “enhancing background checks and raising the minimum age required to buy” assault weapons and LCMs. Nowhere is there a mention of the dire penalties. These bills have less to do with “meaningful reforms” for public safety and reducing crime (other than the newly defined crimes of being gun owners) than they do with moving the incremental process of stigmatizing guns and eliminating firearm possession by law-abiding citizens another giant step forward in Washington State. Washington NRA members and Second Amendment supporters are encouraged to click the "Take Action" button above to contact their state legislators in opposition to these anti-gun bills, SB 5050, HB 1134 and HB 1187. |
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[#48]
Quoted:
This. I'm right on the border with OR, being a Vancouverite, so if WA goes to shit I'm selling my house and renting in OR until I get the promotion I need to enable me to move to UT or TX. At this point, WA is only a destination for liberals, so short of a massive conservative breeding program, we're going to be outnumbered in this state until the end of time. Better to move to a state the libs are trying to 'turn blue'. View Quote Yeah well Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is pushing the same BS down there. The thing is, there are a lot of differences between California and Washington/Oregon. Gun ownership is common and crosses political boundaries here. I lived in California when they started their "assault weapon" BS and it was already a gun hostile area. I'm not going anywhere. And I will not comply with the likes of Ferguson's legislation. |
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[#50]
Quoted:
Yeah well Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is pushing the same BS down there. View Quote Exactly why I would rent, not buy. Maybe OR does pass an AWB, but maybe it's less militant, or maybe it just takes them a couple more years to get it done. Either way, I'll leverage my proximity to the border to maximum advantage. |
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