(Photo: Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)
The Californiacation of the West coast is in full swing, and Washington State gun owners could be facing a total ban on modern sporting rifles (MSRs), magazine restrictions, and felony charges for “improper” firearm storage.
Washington legislators have introduced three bills this legislative session, all of which target lawful gun owners and their free exercise of the Second Amendment.
HB 1134 would ban the sale of “assault weapons” (a.k.a., “modern sporting rifles”) and “large capacity” magazines. If that bill doesn’t pass, anti-gun proponents are hoping to fall back on HB 1387, which would require MSR owners to procure a state license to own or purchase AR-15s, AK-47s, and similar rifles.
The final bill – HB 1122 – is the most insidious. Ostensibly designed to protect children, the legislation would charge a gun owner with a felony if that gun owner stores his or her firearm “unsafely” and a third-party causes injury or death with that firearm.
We reached out to Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation and a Washingtonian himself, to get his reaction.
“The proponents do not have good intentions. All three of these bills are unreasonable,” he said in an email to GunsAmerica.
The firearms community has seen MSR bans in states like New York, Connecticut, and, of course, California. These are clear violations of Second Amendment rights, and, according to Gottlieb, could be challenged at the Supreme Court level only with the addition of one or two Trump appointments.
But the other two bills are just as worrisome.
HB 1387 has been described as the backup plan if the MSR ban fails. It would require anyone who possesses, manufactures, transports, purchases or sells an “assault weapon” to procure a state-issued license. That license must be renewed every year and must list all “assault weapons” in the license holder’s possession. This last requirement forces MSR owners to apply for a new license each and every time they sell or purchase a firearm that the bill defines as an “assault weapon.”
Even more problematic is HB 1122. Under this legislation, if a “prohibited person” (i.e., anyone who cannot legally purchase a firearm) shoots or kills someone with a firearm, the owner of that firearm could face felony charges if they “store or leave [it] in a location where the person knows, or reasonably should know, that a prohibited person is likely to gain access.”
In other words, if you leave a firearm in an unsecure location and your kid’s 16-year-old friend takes it and shoots someone, you can face felony charges and the revocation of your Second Amendment rights.
The good news is that the bills stand a good chance of being defeated. Republicans control the Senate by one seat, and Democrats have only a two-seat lead in the House. Gottlieb told me that he doubts the bills will pass, but, if they do, the Second Amendment Foundation will challenge them in court.
That being said, Washingtonians shouldn’t leave their Second Amendment rights in the hands of politicians. Calls, emails, and visits to the state capitol would go a long way towards fortifying pro-gun legislators in their opposition to these three draconian pieces of legislation.
1st of all I’m a avid gun owner, but I would be the 1st in line to vote YA on HB1134. AR’s have no business in the hands of civilians. Can’t hunt with them, you’re limited to 3 rounds in a gun when hunting. They have only one purpose.
HB1387 is just going to piss people off.
HB1122, I’m not to fond of. I carry, but there are times you have to leave my gun in the car, example entering gov. or school building.
What do you mean can’t hunt with an ar15? I hunt coyotes,armadillos,turtles. I target practice for fun,which makes me a better shot with any rifle. You can put a larger caliber upper on and hunt big game ! Have you been brainwashed by the media ? Do you want to ban 1911 pistols? They were and are military. So on and so on and on and on and on ! 2A unite and educate the propaganda fed masses..
There is a movement in eastern Washington State to separate the western part of the state from the eastern part and create a new state.
This is due to the fact that king county (Seattle area) pretty much carries the the state in votes on legislation and the majority of the people living in Eastern Washington have different values. No one city or county should dictate how an entire state lives. I would gladly support the move to separate the state.
I live in Washington State. I have turned down jobs in California just because of their laws. I have no desire to live in a state that takes away a citizens 2nd Ammendment Rights or taxes them into poverty.
Our Democratic repersentitives are trying to make this state another California and I for one hate it. I own family property and do not want to leave so I will fight to keep them from achieving their goals.
The question that is always being asked is “How did these idiots get elected?” The most over looked answer is, the idiots who voted and continued to reelect them. Hard to believe? Well it can be traced back to the state run education system. Dumb down the kids = dumb citizens that vote. Politicians play to that crowd and that group is growing. It’s the reason there’s a one party system in California. Never has a Constitutional right had so many opponents who swore to uphold, protect and defend it. Let’s start with the lying politicians, they lied under oath. See, I told you they were stupid, the voters that is.
Gun safes are a good idea, get a Fort Knox one, I keep telling my senators that we need a tax break on their sales and each home should have one and keep the code secret. If your child has a gun, get them a safe. End of discussion and whining by anti-gun people and less dead children.
New movie coming out…. How the West Was Lost…
You folks in WA are “aiming” at the wrong thing. The cause of our problems are right down the street at your local public
school. All trained by libs and “commies”. Go to school and talk to a few of the teachers and you will get an idea of where they’re
coming from and it’s not just WA but all over the country. Some parents tried to home school their children but were taken to
court for their racist and radical ideas. When the kids come home fill them up with your ideas or put them in a private school. I know it’s not easy but we have to do something.
If I were in Washington state, I would look into where these politicians are from originally. It sounds like the same problem Nevada and Colorado are having, with Californians moving in and changing things for the “better”. If they wanted California laws, they should have stayed in California. As a native Californian, I am out of here when our daughter finishes school. We will head to Idaho, Wyoming, or Montana, and I will warn / campaign against electing anyone from out of state, especially California.
Welcome to the club ladies and gentlemen.
Many of you have scoffed at Californians for years, if not decades, about how liberal and stupid we are. Now you are finding out what it is really like. California is the way it is because of San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Just like Washington, it is the high population centers that drive the entire state.
Supposedly, over 60% of the voters in California voted to tighten gun ownership. However, if they would do a true and thorough investigation, I suspect that they would find a huge portion of the “registered voters” are either illegal or dead.
Oregon, Arizona and Nevada. I sure hope you are paying attention. The asanine fools that have done this to California and are trying to do this to Washington already have you in their sights.
Wake up before it is too late.
True that, they are all moving out of Commiefornia to escape taxes – but are bringing their politics with them…
Trump is right our voting system is screwed. Here in Washington state we are ruled by the liberal pigs in Seattle, Tacoma and Bellingham, which controls the whole state. The people in Seattle are made up of homos, transgenders, complete sickos that don’t know what they are. Christine Greguior (past governor) was elected with 2000 illegal votes,(dead people-prisoners and others that did not exist). This Governor we have now is out of the same mold along with the OG, both far left pukes.
no moderation here that is the way it is!!!!!!!
Thank goodness We in Washington have “The Twisted Sisters” in the senate to support us, NOT!
Idiot in tennis shoes. Voted one of the stupidest people in the Senate.
you guy all sell to the first Cali with big cash, you created your own problem!!!!!!!!
The Ninth Circuit Appeals Court always has an asinine ruling on Constitutional matters pertaining to guns, illegal immigration, etc., and the reason for that is the fact that most members of the court are biased Democrats. Being in California and in a \”conspiracy\” with the state of Washington, the court is obviously biased by Democratic radicals such as Gov. Brown, politicians Pelosi, Feinstein, Boxer who make ludicrous, rediculous statements about the Second Amendment and illegal immigration. These politicians and Washington state Dems should be VOTED OUT!!! They DO NOT do what is best for America !!
I have never understood why the people of California and Washington elect idiots such as Gov. Brown, Pelosi, Feinstein, Boxer, etc. Maybe they like having their Constitutional rights and protection from Muslim terrorism taken away by idiots and the obnoxious members of the Ninth Circuit Appeals Court. Maybe someday the people of California and Washington will see the light and elect politicians who believe in the Constitution, Second Amendment, and control of immigration in order to prevent terrorism from the seven Muslim countries that hate the United States !!!
This is why we need the Electoral College at the county level in each and every state. Right now, the liberals in King, Thurston and Snohomish counties dictate how the entire state of Washington will live. These three counties have more potheads in them than the rest of the state combined.
You forgot Gavin Newsom. He is worse than Gov. Moonbeam. He was behind all those California anti-gun laws. It is kind of hard to vote these idiots out of office when the state is run by all the liberal idiots along the coast like those in San Fransicko, Lost Angeles, and San Diego. We need an electoral college here so the sane people that don’t live along the coast don’t have all the say about the laws. Somebody help me get out of here. I’m trapped.
Hugely disappointing is the lack of participation of gun-owners in citizen activism which will leave us, ironically, defenseless against these infringements.
Get out and VOTE. WRITE/CALL your legislators. This State-level attack is the Anti’s latest strategy, and yet it is also one which can give us the greatest individual power, if one takes initiative.
It’s time to stand up and vote the communist out of office in those states
These communist states should be removed from the United states of America. I am sick of the law abiding pepole be treated like we are sick in the head Cal. and Washington state stand up and vote them out of office
Just because of a few libtards in political positions of power, suggesting some stupid gun laws, doesn’t constitute damning the people of that state. Trust me WE VOTED against all of these commies and lost thanks to all the Dems along the coast that control the vote in this state. Do you think all the pro gun people in this state are sitting on there hands? No were pissed as hell!!! Retarded comments like yours only shows the main issue in this country, division among the people. We need support from every state and all progunners, not “removing these states” comments by people that don’t have a clue. You better knock on wood and hope your state isn’t the next on the list of states to be picked by the antigunners.
I agree Washington, I am so tired of the damn rhetoric.This is flat out unconstitutional and it is time to fight with our guns if necessary. These people on the west side are globalists and well on their way to Agenda 21. probably why they got the pot bill past and I believe the first state in the nation to allow sodomites to marry. I have already written the new Pres. twice, nothing back yet, but I believe he would like to take Inslee and put him through the clothing wringer.Thought about moving 20 miles and settle in ID. but I don’t want to run.I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but if you have any real ideas, feel free to contact me at [email protected] My name is Mike.
Small wonder that crew “Demands Action.” Most likely no one is offering….
Come on. Not everyone is a commie who wants to hold people accountable. But I think there is a right and wrong way to do it.
Though I imagine expressing any positive interest in any gun laws in a NRA stronghold like this is like attempting to support equal rights for all at a KKK meeting! Probably a bad idea unless you want to get yourself flogged or worse. LOL.
A friend of mine was a big fan of libertarianism, until he realized it could mean a bunch of marginal characters running around with firearms and–no one can say–possibly a questionable propensity to use them inapprorpriately.
One of my girlfriends is dead-eye dick with a M1911 A1. Another won’t even pickup a 20 ga shotgun.
Sorry, I don’t want to have to arm and train my entire family to protect them from a lawless state and lawless actors within that state. It’s bad enough we have to work so hard to avoid been shot by law enforcement.
I support reasonable regulations–nobody walking around out there with any unlicensed C4 or RPGs.
I seriously hope this is sarcasm. If so, you need to work on your delivery.
It seems that most of the touchy feely individuals in the photo own a certain part of the anatomy that most want to protect. What are they going to say? “Wait right here mr. rapist while I unlock my bb gun.” ?
It might not matter to those liberal heathens, they will probably propose abortion clinics to be put in Walmart next to the optical and Asian fingernail departments to address the problem.
Jim
NO BB GUNS!!! You could poke someone’s eye out with those things!! LOL!! No they propose that if you are a victim of rape, that you urinate or defecate during this heinous act. Yes, that is what they want you to do as a defense against someone raping you. Total proof that these people are NOT even slightly rational.
AMERICANISM!!!! NOT Globalism!!!!
Past time to get out of wash state.
Then what… move to another state after that one does the same thing? That is exactly what happened in New York State.
The frustration is that when We The People complain or go against their anti constitutional laws they go ahead and pass them anyway behind closed doors. Case in point New York. Laws were forced behind closed doors? overnight? late-night? without the constituents votes or knowledge. So… you go ahead and move until there is no place to go. chip…chip…chip…chip away!
spot on Bison run out of places to run.
The Bloomies will find you where ever you go!!!!!!!!!!!!! We need to stop them and find a way to bankrupt Bloomie himself. Just my opinion but it might work!!!!!!!!!!!
HB14122 is even worse than described: unless you have a GOOD safe, any crook who burgles your house, especially a felon or other prohibited person, exposes you to a felony charge when that gun, inevitably, makes it into the black market stream and is used down the road to commit a crime—forever. Given the “time to crime average of 5 to 7 years, and sometimes much longer, one burglary and your life may be over.
The thought of what has happened in Kalifornia and New York(and a few other states) sickens me. To think that these states have turned socialist turns the stomach. How can they claim to be part of a free country and yet limit the very freedoms that gave them freedom to begin with????!!!! This shows the damage that socialism is causing in our country. Sadly, it’s like an infection. It MUST be cut out or it WILL spread.
AMERICANISM!!!! NOT Globalism!!!!!