Thread: Gun control bill hearing in Olympia?

Several years ago I attended an open house hearing in Olympia for several gun control bills that were being considered in the Senate. Over 200 people showed up to voice their opposition to the bills, while about 10% of that showed to voice their support. None of those gun control bills passed that year. The silencer use bill that was introduced by Senater Hargrove was not discussed though.

I am asking my Rep if it is possible to arrange any kind of hearing open to the public. Does anyone know more about these things? This would be the perfect way to bring atention to the sielncer use bill. Any suggestions?

Ranb

If you get ANY movement on this, and I am not working I will either meet you there or if you are not going I would go without you. Just let me know if you ever get a schedule of the hearings.

****, I will take the day off from work to go to any gun control hearing open to the public. When I went to the last hearing several years ago, I learned that it pays to show up early so you can address the committee instead of just listening.

When it was time for people to discuss the 50 cal ban, none of the speakers actually owned a 50 caliber rifle. In the end though the proposed ban was so unpopular that it never went anywhere. If there is a hearing on the silencer bill, I will be there to make sure that no myths are allowed to be passed off as facts.

Ranb

I live in Oly, and would love to go hear and support gun rights. However, I'm the first one out the door if it gets nasty, dogmatic, or smug. Those kinds of attitudes do more to hurt pro-gun efforts than not showing up at all.

It's hard for the suppressor bill to gain any traction. There's not enough specific, general interest in favor of the use of suppressors. Hard to convince non-shooters that a suppressor is actually useful for hearing protection and safety. If anyone has enough of an opinion on the matter, it tends to be negative. I can't recall who the sponsors of the latest bill, but it never really went anywhere. I called and emailed my legislators on it, and they responded nicely. I think, though, that unless it was attached to something else, there just isn't any interest.

Back in CA these bills had to get past a legislative "safety commitee", before they were passed on to the floor to be voted on, I attended a few because I lived in Sacramento, needless to say most of the positive bills "died" in commitee. It probably works in a similar fashion here.

Now that I live in lacey I will be attending commitee hearings here, need to do a little research, but all committee hearings are generally open to the public.

Originally Posted by not nipsy

.....Hard to convince non-shooters that a suppressor is actually useful for hearing protection and safety.

I can't recall who the sponsors of the latest bill, but it never really went anywhere. I called and emailed my legislators on it, and they responded nicely.....

I have found it hard to convince shooters that a silencer is useful. Most of the legislators I have talked to about the silencer bill were "supportive". But this did not mean they were willing to do anything to actually support the bill.

They refused to tell the committee chairman that it was a priority thus ensuring that the bill would die in committee and would never make it to the House floor where they would be forced to reveal their true colors. This included the bill sponsors; they also refused to take any action on their own bill probably because they were not hearing much about it from their constituants.

Ranb

Originally Posted by coop44

...Now that I live in lacey I will be attending commitee hearings here, need to do a little research, but all committee hearings are generally open to the public.

Now that I think about it, that hearing I attended was probably a normal Senate hearing, nothing special, except for the 200 plus people that showed to listen and voice an opinion.

Ranb

Originally Posted by Ranb

****, I will take the day off from work to go to any gun control hearing open to the public. When I went to the last hearing several years ago, I learned that it pays to show up early so you can address the committee instead of just listening.

When it was time for people to discuss the 50 cal ban, none of the speakers actually owned a 50 caliber rifle. In the end though the proposed ban was so unpopular that it never went anywhere. If there is a hearing on the silencer bill, I will be there to make sure that no myths are allowed to be passed off as facts.

Ranb

Please don't take it wrong. I work in a small office of 3 people who work from 4 pm to 3am. We are about to lose one person and it might be me.
I am very surpportive of the gun causes. I have gone to several gun hearings in the past including the .50 cal one you speak of. I was one of the lucky one who got into the main hall and not the overflow rooms. I just can't risk taking time off and losing my job over it.

I understand perfectly. I was just talking about how I am willing to do anything to get to the hearing. I know that others are not in a position to always attend these things.

I remember what a farce some of those people were that spoke out in support of the 50 cal ban. Especially Lt Black. He shows up in uniform to proclaim that even though the police in Seattle (and WA as a whole I believe) have never had any experience with 50 cal rifles (meaning no crimes committed with them), he still felt they were unsuitable for civilian use. What a dirtbag. He wanted to take away possibly the only kind of rifle never used in crime in the state.

This is the kind of talk I want to counter at a hearing. Surely there will be someone there who says silencers are unsuitable for civilian use, but will not be able to come up with any crime associated with their use. That person will probably be a gun owner too.

You can sign up to get legislative schedules at the WA access page. I did last year.

Ranb

ranb, im in to attend and can take time off. i've been so busy lately tho, i haven't had much time to keep up with the discussions going on here, so give me a call if anything important in happening in Olympia