Clarification of I-594 request

[RW-Ore]

You go girl , we need you doing what you can to make them understand what a can of worms they have opened up.

 

[bnsaibum]

The transfer language is so specific though that unless you have every prosecutor in the state essentially committing to ignoring a key provision of law, it makes the shooting sports simply impossible, which was I think a feature, not a bug in this initiative.

How anyone using reason and critical thinking could not consider this as a distinct possibility considering the agenda of the initiative drafters and chief financial backers and proponents is beyond me.

 

[Monica Cowles]

Okay...just an update....

I have sent variations of my letter to 2 Senators, 2 Representatives, our sheriff, our chief criminal deputy and our prosecutor. I've only gotten replies from our prosecutor and our chief criminal deputy so far;

Hello Monica,
Great to hear about the classes and the motivation it gives to others.
With respect to I-594, you brought up two very good points that Law Enforcement will be waiting for some direction. The first is the vagueness with respect to portions of the law and the second is who will be enforcing the law.
It is our belief that a number of challenges will occur with this law. We are still waiting for implementation of the Felony Firearms registration law that went into effect 2 years ago.
Law Enforcement resources are scarce. It is hard enough to stay on top of the felony/mandatory misdemeanor cases. I am not sure what the plan was for enforcement of the laws surrounding I-594.
Personally I would voice what you have sent to me with our local legislators. I believe during the challenges, certain changes will come about.
This probably doesn't help much but we don't have the answers yet either.

That was from our Chief Criminal Deputy--I believe he is sympathetic to my situation, and has been supportive of my efforts to share crime prevention and personal safety strategies (along with women's firearm safety) to our community.


This one was from our Prosecutor...the irony about the statement about being prohibited from providing legal advice to the public is that fact that I asked for clarification of a "No hunting, no shooting" ordinance that is posted in my neighborhood to use airguns for my students during instruction. I got a response that said "BB guns are not firearms and are not under the ordinance." I'm not especially thrilled with the idea of opening up a dialog with a lawyer yet...

Ah well, it's a start...hope to hear from the legislators and our sheriff.

 

[Kid@Heart]

I plan on it!

Did you ever get a reply?

 

[Diamondback]

The cynic in me is starting to suspect this was really less about guns and more about revenue for the Bloodsucking Parasite Ambulance Chasers...

Am I the only one who finds it curious how when the Proggofascists scream about "Windfall Profits" and "Big Fillintheblank", they only talk about publicly-traded firms that anyone can own a piece of and never say anything about the truly obscene profit-margins of Big Law, who don't even have to file any financials other than the IRS's since they're all privately held partnerships?

 

[Monica Cowles]

Did you ever get a reply?

I have only heard back from the prosecutor and the chief criminal deputy...I did note them in my follow-up post #23

 

[Vierings]

Any recent news?

 

[NoFlinch]

Do you have any organizations such as OFF up there?

Great letter.

I admire your imitative and follow up.

 

[Monica Cowles]

Thank you!

I'm not sure if we have an organization like OFF...I haven't looked. I'm just trying to be a squeaky wheel and hoping get some clarification on whether I will have to join many other hunters ed and firearm safety instructors who are just quitting...I can't just quit without pushing back a little!

I REALLY am having fun with my business--I love getting to know my students, sharing eye popping info (Especially the legal side) that most women don't think about when they pick up their handgun, seeing ladies gain confidence and getting comfortable with handling a firearm. (I LOVE the new ones who first handle the gun as gingerly as if it were a bomb about to go off, and by the end of class they realize "I can do this!" )I enjoy providing a local option that I didn't have when I first got into firearms, and the positive feedback that is starting to get around my small community.

I REALLY don't want to have to quit after one short year of opening!!

 

[NoFlinch]

It sounds to ME, in my research, and in reading your posts, that this thing is going to fall flat on it's face.

Unfortunately, it is going to take some effort from you and others to make it fall.

But I think, from where I sit, the "will to defeat, or to highly modify" it is there.

The question is, can you keep your bus. going during this time......

The answer is YES...........just gotta' figger out how

 

[Monica Cowles]

Well, I kind of feel like I hit a roadblock--haven't heard back from any more of my letters. I wrote an editorial piece, then found out it was WAY too long (1000 words)...so I first wrung it out to about 300 words, but it lost all effectiveness. Then I wrote a local editor of a paper and told him about it and asked if I 'could' get it down to their guidelines, would he publish it? He wrote back and told me to just send it as is, and he would help me get it down to size, that if legislation is affecting my business it may warrant a full article, and he fully supports what I am doing...I sent it in on Monday and haven't heard back from him, except for a confirmation that he got it, is reading and will get back to me. *waiting impatiently*

As far as staying in business, I do cover so much in class that I could keep doing it and maybe just use a blue gun for the grip/stance/sight alignment/safety demos... This all makes me so mad. None of these restrictions will in any way diminish or deter criminal behavior. Whatta bunch of idiots that threw this disaster together...

 

[NoFlinch]

.......and he would help me get it down to size, that if legislation is affecting my business it may warrant a full article, and he fully supports what I am doing...

YES!

....... use a blue gun

Ever priced a Blue gun?
Aren't they around $50 each????

Redicurous!

 

[Monica Cowles]

I sure hope I hear back from him...I already gave him a reminder nudge, so I hate to pester him again...I may go visit my local sheriff next week and see if he has any recommendations or suggestions for me in my business procedures.

Actually, I already have two blue guns, a snubnosed revolver and an XDs...they have come in very handy for demonstrating when I just can't keep a real gun pointed in a perfectly safe direction for illustrations...although I still treat them like real guns while handling them to encourage my students to understand the whole 'lifestyle and muscle memory' idea...

 

[wence5]

Good letter Monica. I also have a similar situation that needs clarification. Every summer I volunteer my time, along with a retired LEO friend of mind, and spend a day at a Christian camp for kids going over firearms safety and letting the kids shoot various weapons.
My question is, under this piece of crap, I refuse to call it a law, it is permitted to lend my weapon to a minor for the purpose of instruction, but it is not permitted for me to do this anywhere other than an official shooting range. Since there is no "official" shooting range anywhere near the camp, we use an abandoned rock pit on DNR land. So, would this be against the law?
Also, we often switch between stations, so I could be running a station where some of the firearms belong to someone other than me. Again, the way I see it we would be breaking the law.
Am I correct in this, or am I seeing this wording incorrectly?

 

[bnsaibum]

Good letter Monica. I also have a similar situation that needs clarification. Every summer I volunteer my time, along with a retired LEO friend of mind, and spend a day at a Christian camp for kids going over firearms safety and letting the kids shoot various weapons.
My question is, under this piece of crap, I refuse to call it a law, it is permitted to lend my weapon to a minor for the purpose of instruction, but it is not permitted for me to do this anywhere other than an official shooting range. Since there is no "official" shooting range anywhere near the camp, we use an abandoned rock pit on DNR land. So, would this be against the law?
Also, we often switch between stations, so I could be running a station where some of the firearms belong to someone other than me. Again, the way I see it we would be breaking the law.
Am I correct in this, or am I seeing this wording incorrectly?

For the purposes of instructing kids (minors);

Sec. 3(4) This section does not apply to: (f) The temporary transfer of a firearm (iv) to a person who is under eighteen years of age for lawful hunting, sporting, or educational purposes while under the direct supervision and control of a responsible adult who is not prohibited from possessing firearms;

"while under the direct supervision and control"

For the switching of stations where another person's firearms may be used you would likely run up against the piece of crap legislation;

Sec. 3(4) This section does not apply to: (f) The temporary transfer of a firearm (ii) if the temporary transfer occurs, and the firearm is kept at all times, at an established shooting range authorized by the governing body of the jurisdiction in which such range is located;

I daresay that a rock pit on DNR land would not be an established and authorized shooting range, but I could be wrong. The firearms would also need to be "kept at all times" at this 'range'.

 

[Diamondback]

I don't think it's idiocy but DESIGN... most gun owners are Republicans and since felons can't vote... "why the hell NOT stack the deck by disenfranchising those who would vote against us?" I think the entire GOAL is to make felons out of as many of us as possible so we can't vote against the Proggofascists' chosen puppets.

Somewhere in Hell, Josef Goebbels is smiling at what his spiritual heirs up here have done...

 

[Monica Cowles]

Good letter Monica. I also have a similar situation that needs clarification. Every summer I volunteer my time, along with a retired LEO friend of mind, and spend a day at a Christian camp for kids going over firearms safety and letting the kids shoot various weapons.
My question is, under this piece of crap, I refuse to call it a law, it is permitted to lend my weapon to a minor for the purpose of instruction, but it is not permitted for me to do this anywhere other than an official shooting range. Since there is no "official" shooting range anywhere near the camp, we use an abandoned rock pit on DNR land. So, would this be against the law?
Also, we often switch between stations, so I could be running a station where some of the firearms belong to someone other than me. Again, the way I see it we would be breaking the law.
Am I correct in this, or am I seeing this wording incorrectly?

I love what you are doing with kids. What a great experience for them and useful knowledge to keep in mind...back in the day, they used to teach these very valuable skills in public schools--before the progressive pantywai--er...I mean, before times changed.

Any ambitious prosecutor with a bone to pick or the need to pad his resume before election time will see our 'illegal' activities as the perfect tool to polish his "tough on crime" policies. The jaw dropping ironic part of it is that the "criminals" will not be the hardened ones who know how to work the system, get their slap on the wrist, and continue on their merry way, but those who inadvertently or even rebelliously "will not comply" with tyrannical and over the top intrusion of controlling governmental policies.

I'm no lawyer. I have no interest in discovering loopholes. As a law abiding citizen, I make a good faith effort to comply with the law. As a business owner, I won't risk my small business by 'intentionally' walking as close to the line as I can. I just want this law to go away and never come back, and am REALLY hoping that it gets thrown in the trash where it belongs.

Who in their right mind could really think that restricting natural, reasonable activities such as you and I do that promote and encourage firearm safety and care would have any effect on criminal behavior???? The amount of mental gymnastics required to even try to empathize or understand those sort is simply not feasible. Stop the world, I wanna get off, this is too weird for me!

 

[NoFlinch]

So, what do you really think,
I mean HONESTLY???????????

 

[Gunguy45]

Well, Because I live in a county that will NEVER enforce 594, I have decided to run my classes an take my chances.

I truly feel sorry for the rest of you, but that's my stance. I just don't think it was EVER the voter's intent to prohibit firearms safety lessons. Nor does our county PA.

What's pathetic is that I am at RISK of felony charges for doing what any rational person would consider a public GOOD.

Well, charge me and be damned.

 

[freestoneangler]

My hats off to you, first and foremost, for taking the initiative to be a leader to other women in what is a subject matter rife with issues. My wife attended a similar program taught by women instructors in our area. She went with me to a WAC show for the first time and, after meeting with and speaking candidly with some of the gals who ran a booth, felt much more at ease about taking a class (hers included live fire training).

Your letter is well written and I have no doubt the response will be nothing short of double speak, leaving the core questions definitively unanswered. As you and many others have pointed out, this is one of the most poorly written pieces of law ever written, but that is completely by design. Collectively we have no one to blame but ourselves for how this went down. Sure, it's easy to point at the big money elitists throwing their weight around, but IMO, we did not heed the warnings and put up enough of a fight. My hope is that, like New Yorker's finally waking up from their political punch induced coma's and realizing they no longer had the freedom to purchase 32 oz. soda's, perhaps WA residents will rise up and put pressure on our (R heavy) legislation to flush I-594 down the toilet.

If we are all so lucky as to get the like of A. Gottlieb or others to take this up on our behalf, I for one will double down, at a minimum, the amount of effort I put in this time around.