Legislators would have to get certified training and pass a knowledge test before they can introduce new gun control laws. (Photo: Phil Fortunato/Facebook)
Washington State Sen. Phil Fortunato, a Republican, just introduced legislation that would require lawmakers to pass a test before they could propose new gun control laws themselves.
“We have legislators drafting bills who have no idea how firearms work or any sense of firearm nomenclature,” Fortunato told the Aubern Reporter. “When decision makers want to restrict someone’s constitutional rights, they shouldn’t go off half-cocked.”
The bill, if passed, would require legislators to pass Washington state’s criminal justice firearms training courses for each type of gun they want to regulate. Additionally, they would need to qualify as a range safety officer and pass a knowledge test on the different kinds of ammunition.
He is using quotes from uninformed politicians to prove his point, that many gun-control activists don’t have a strong grasp of what they’re trying to control.
Things like when former Vice President Joe Biden said, “Because you want to keep someone away from your house, just fire the shotgun through the door,” or when former Sen. Kevin de Leon said “This is a ghost gun. This right here has the ability with a .30-caliber clip to disperse with 30 bullets within half a second. Thirty magazine clip in half a second.”
He quoted U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colorado, when she said, “If you ban them in the future, the number of these high-capacity magazines is going to decrease dramatically over time because the bullets will have been shot and there won’t be any more available.” DeGette didn’t know the difference between ammunition and magazines when she helped push a magazine ban in Colorado.
See Also: the NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation are suing Washing State
“We have federal regulations and state laws that prohibit hunting ducks with more than three rounds. And yet it’s legal to hunt humans with 15-round, 30-round, even 150-round magazines,” said U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Cali., who is currently pushing for a 2019 assault weapons ban.
“I guess no one told Sen. Feinstein that it’s illegal to hunt humans,” Fortunato added. “I just think that it is fair to require some competency training for legislators so they can better understand what the heck they are talking about.”
It will be interesting to see if this bill will be voted into law. It might have a chance since Washington legislators pushed a large gun control package that includes an assault weapon ban.
I think that anybody wanting a gun should go through a gun training course. In Fl. you can’t get a license for a boat without a safety training course. With all the Vets out there we shouldn’t have a problem with teachers. Everyone would be able to have a chance of responsible gun ownership. And I am sure during the safety course they could weed out the people who shouldn’t have a gun in the first place.
Well, I would agree if there was also a testing requirement for individuals who want to vote in local, state, and federal elections. But seriously – what exactly Is it about the wording, “Not be infringed” do we all seem to misunderstand when reading the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution? Our forefathers didn’t write “Not be infringed except for anytime a hoplophobiac or some other kind of dufus decided there should be additional infringements on the right to keep and bear arms.” And I don’t recall “boating” ever being mentioned in our Bill of Rights. Lets get real here – your suggestion is simply one more infringement of a person’s right to keep and bear arms.
EVERYONE should have to pass a firearms safety training PARTICULARLY legislators sponsoring firearms legislation. Get em smart enough to NOT blindly fear firearms.
The ignorance displayed by most of the anti-gun crowd is extreme. Any politician proposing a law contrary to the Constitution should be barred from public service and possibly subject to charges of Treason.
I think the law we really need is; That before you can run for any public office you have believe in The U.S. Constitution and swear to uphold it! If you try to subvert it in anyway; It’s automatic 20 years in prison!
The people in D.C. seem to have forgotton that man did a very good job of killing each other before firearms came into being. The problem is not with the WEAPON, as always it takes the hand and mind of man for it to opperate
I think it’s legal in Chicago, but you can’t use a magazine of more than 10 rounds
California max capacity is 10 round magazines.
“And yet it’s legal to hunt humans with 15-round, 30-round, even 150-round magazines,”
Just how stupid it that? Where is it legal any where to ‘hunt’ a human, please, someone tell me, so I can make sure I avoid that place.
Sorry , my comment above was meant for you Dan.
I had to live in the people’s republic of wash. As a wannabe california and oregon, that demoRAT controlled state will roll over Senator Fortunato. I salute and admire him for doing so and it’s a great step in the right direction but even if passed, those politicians funded by anti-Second Amendment groups would sue or fake completion of the course.
They’re “above” that. They don’t want to hear or learn anything if it doesn’t meet with their narrative which is necessary to maintain power. see-attle wouldn’t like that!!
Its well known in California that Sen. Feinstein has a concealment permit and carries a .38 revolver. She has gone through the mandated class and range time which was required when she applied. These necessary steps to legally protect yourself have since been lost to the Senator’s memory, which we know is a problem for older California progressive/snowflake politicians. But alas, there must be a law to hunt humans in California, how would you take water rights away if legislation wasn’t on the books? And what would be the requirements from Fish and Game; when would the season start, what areas would be open, what would the tag cost, how many in possession and bag limit, and would the standard 1/2 hour before and after sunrise and sunset apply? Since the senator is well versed on the duck hunting regulations would she be open to wooden or plastic decoys. Probably not, since the paint on the wooden decoy would tainted and the plastic decoy would be environmentally unacceptable.
I have always been partial to the ‘enlightened bit of wisdom’ from crazy Uncle Joe Biden when he said, “I said, Jill, if there’s ever a problem just walk out on the balcony here, put that double barreled shotgun and fire two blasts outside the house”. Real genius…
What you want a politician to actually have working knowledge of a firearm before they pass laws to ban them?This excellent idea will never fly because anti gunners do not want to know ANYTHING about guns other than they are “bad and evil” and need to be banned. Good luck to State Sen. Phil Fortunato I hope he sticks to his guns (pun intended)
what and interesting idea ,have our legislators pass a competence test before enacting legislation. The only problem is it may put Washington at a complete stand still. Given their past efforts having to be informed before voting could shut down the entire government.
Let’s ad , must have served in the military , either full time 3yrs or Reserve .
So they can get a better understanding of why we have 2nd Amendment .
And any laws that keeps any veteran from getting full 100% best medical
coverage they need .
It is totally obvious that many legislators base their proposed legislation on talking points they hear on the news or in social media and actually have no idea whatsoever of the actual situation. Then of course, most of them are arrogant hypocrites who have armed security 24/7 but want the rest of us to be defenseless.
The bigger problem is that people who vote are just as ignorant as the people they elect, so we get these fools in positions of power.
And at the top of the chain is our school system where there are tenured, Marxist professors and socialist bureaucrats at the top, making the rules and teaching new teachers. Then the fully indoctrinated, socialist, left-wing, anti-gun teachers regurgitate the same propaganda to our children, indoctrinating them in the politically correct way to be a good slave to the government. They expel kids from school for pointing their finger like a gun, or having a picture of a gun. When they are teaching millions of our children from kindergarten through grad-school to be good left-wing automatons it won’t be long until freedom is eliminated for the masses.
This, is truly “common sense gun law”. It shouldn’t stop however, this law should be written to cove state and municipalities where event worse ignorance guns law is repeatedly displayed and implemented.
There is so much common sense in just one quote of his that I’m surprised we still have a democommie party. I figured their heads would explode with all this logic being thrown at them.
Nope, wait… Logic has to be understood for it to be implemented effectively.
Roger that. But, because it make so much sense ….
What?
Where did you learn English?
Why criticize Charles? Why be divisive? We’re in fight for our 2nd Amendment.
Grammer and speling aint impurtant cus we aint perfect.
I applaud this State Senator for his suggestion. We need to take this even further. All those who want to be voted into public office need to take an exam on the constitution in general. If they don’t have a basic grasp of what it means (most probably don’t) then we don’t want them in there playing around with it. If they can’t pass an exam showing competence when it comes to constitutional topics then they are not allowed a spot on the ballot to begin with.
I know its a pipe dream but one can hope. I hope this Washington Senator gets some traction on this. Good luck to him.
And pass an English test also.
Makes sense!!! Ergo, very little chance of passing!
I prefer antigunners living homeless on the street and dumpster diving to survive.
Before the last election here in southwest Florida a candidate for a state office was asked by a local talk show host what his definition of an assault rifle was. The candidate answered ” any gun that shoots more than one bullet a minute”. The candidate was informed that even muzzleloaders could shoot faster than that. ( he lost by the way).
Let’s not stop there, mandatory training for abortion advocates, including the first hand witnessing of a partial birth abortions in process. The injecting of lethal drugs into a near term babies brain. The after effects of women that regret the choice to abort their child. Witness the procedure and suffering endured by young women and little girls forces to endure genital mutilation. So many inhumane atrocities, legislated by those that are unknowing and unaffected is wrong.
Outstanding idea! I would also recommend time in a firearm training simulator, and a citizen academy for any who want to pass laws concerning law enforcement.
Wow, I like this legislator and his proposal. Just be damn careful, most of these anti-gun politicians don’t know which end of the firearm the round comes out of…I can hear the squeals of protest from his colleagues! They’ll probably try to pick up a firearm the way normal folks would pick up a turd…
My favorite anti-gunner quote comes from Rep. McCarthy- “I actually don’t know what a barrel shroud is. I believe it’s a shoulder thing that goes up.”
Don’t know about you Charlie, but most “normal people” don’t pick up turds, they usually flush them
WHAT!!! politicians don’t know what they’er doing? say it isn’t so. But what about the senator that said a bolt action 22 with a bump stock should be outlawed, because of the devastating power that could be unleashed. Not exactly accurate on my part, she was talking about a Ruger bolt action 22 I guess she thought it looked menacing, but to me it just looked like an effective target rifle. There should be training for politicians, starting with, “this is Shineola, and this is S…”