Washington State Senate Law & Justice Committee Hears Anti-Gun Bills

The 2018 battle for your guns began at 10 AM on Martin Luther King Day, Monday January 15. It may have been a holiday for the rest of us, but the some Senate members used it to sift through a wide range of anti-gun legislation; their decisions will have long reaching implications for gun owners.

Law-abiding Washingtonians who believe in exercising their Second Amendment Rights were present when the Senate Law & Justice Committee heard a laundry list of anti-gun bills. Gun control advocates worked fiercely to bring these multiple bills before the Senate committee now that Mike Padden (R) no longer chairs it. Padden had wisely refused to consider gun control bills that had not first passed the House. This year, Democrats control the senate and new Chairman Jamie Pederson (D) is actually a co-sponsor of the bills set to be heard.

Gun rights activists gathered outside the Capitol building in Olympia on Friday, January 12 to express their objection to the gun regulation bills which include the following:

Senate Bill 5444, which seeks to require a state license/registration to own, transport, manufacture, purchase or sell an “assault weapon” (a semi automatic firearm) and “Large capacity magazines/LCM” (standard capacity magazine.)

Senate Bill 5463 is an oddly worded legislation that would require an individual to lock up their firearm, (rendering it useless for self-defense) or face a felony charge.

Senate Bill 5992 resembles the federal legislation proposed by rabidly antigun Senator Dianne Feinstein of California. The overreaching provisions in this bill could make modifications like competition triggers and muzzle brakes criminal actions.

Senate Bill 6049 would ban “Large Capacity Magazines” (which it absurdly identifies as a magazine holding ten or more rounds). This bill allows limited exceptions; those granted exceptions would face criminal charges if they did not lock up that LCM.

Senate Bill 6146 would grant local city and county governments to establish their own gun laws.

Commenting on the bills, at the Friday rally, Representative Matt Shea (R) said the laws would restrict the freedoms of law abiding gun owners and will not reduce crime.

“A new law isn’t going to stop bad people. A ban on a plastic accessory is not going to stop bad people,” he told the gathered crowd. “Registration is not going to stop bad people. Good people are going to stop bad people.”

Representative Brian Blake (D) stated the bills are misleading, claiming he and other lawmakers are willing to work with gun rights groups to ‘achieve a compromise’.

“We are willing to work with anyone to reduce suicide and violence of any type,” he said. “But we are not going to do that on the backs of responsible gun owners.”

While these hearings predominantly affect the residents of Washington state, their passage could ignite a snowball affect throughout the rest of the country. Let’s hope Rep. Blake is serious about his willingness to compromise, and that gun advocates in the state legislature are prepared to put up a fight in the event that he isn’t.

~ Firearm Daily

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