Bronze Supporter
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Done. Emailed all of them on BCC with the below message. Doubt they will read it, but worth a shot.
After watching the hearing yesterday on TVW and reviewing the pros/cons (15 to 1 against) it is clear that a large number of constituents have serious concerns regarding this measure. I am one of those constituents, and I must respectfully urge you to not pass this bill out of committee.
We all agree that action needs to be taken to address gun violence - nobody wants to see guns of ANY kind in the hands of those who would abuse them. However, we need those actions to actually have an effect on the problem. Right now there are millions of "high capacity" magazines in Washington state - passing this law will not change that, therefore it will not prevent persons from obtaining them to use for malicious purposes such as mass shootings... nothing would prevent them from buying them illegally within the state or driving across state lines to buy them there. There is no way police could enforce this law, or stop persons from acquiring them.
This law would be selectively enforced by municipal, county, and state agencies. This would create an environment in which citizens could be singled out or targeted with legal penalty based on their age, race, religion, sexual orientation, or political leanings by authorities, using their possession of a "high capacity" magazine as a mechanism to legitimize the abuse or discrimination.
We need measures that will target the root causes of gun violence, not unenforceable laws based on good intentions and wishful thinking. There are many ways we could take real, meaningful, impactful action right now to mitigate this issue. Some examples include:
- Conflict resolution training to help children and adults learn how to mitigate and defuse hostile / potentially violent confrontations.
- Situational awareness training to help children and adults learn how to identify and avoid potentially violent situations.
- Education r.e. appropriate / legal use of firearms in self defense scenarios for persons who choose to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.
- Enforcement of existing firearm laws, and restrictions on pleaing down serious firearm offenses.
- Effective mechanisms to legally remove firearms from the hands of those who are disturbed, mentally ill, or prone to violence (must ensure due process by guaranteeing a hearing within 1 week to challenge confiscation ruling, and have a mechanism to penalize false/malicious reporting).
The above options would actually have a measurable impact on gun violence in Washington state, and still respect the constitutional rights of the citizens.
A measure that would go a long way toward reducing negligent/irresponsible firearms usage (which is yet another serious problem that contributes to numerous gun injuries and deaths every year) is providing gun safety training children and adults so that they can learn about guns, how they work, and how to handle them without harming themselves or others. This does not have to involve real guns in classrooms - dummy guns and plastic replicas are adequate for the purpose.
The rationale behind this is simple - guns are in 1 out of every 3 homes in Washington state. The odds of a person (child or adult) encountering an unsecured firearm are extremely high. And yet we provide absolutely no education to them about firearms. Consider this:
- We teach people about drugs so that they understand the risks and know how to avoid serious harm or life-altering consequences.
- We teach people about alcohol so that they understand the risks and know how to avoid serious harm or life-altering consequences.
- We teach people about sex so that they understand the risks and know how to avoid serious harm or life-altering consequences.
- Guns can cause serious harm or death, and irreparably alter lives if they are misused, but we do NOT educate people about them. Instead we teach abstinence and avoidance. This means those people (children and adults alike) "learn" from fictional mediums like Hollywood or unvetted sources like Youtube instead of legitimate and reputable instructors. Basic gun safety education could easily save hundreds of Washingtonians each year - why is this not being done?
As a law-abiding, gun-owning citizen, I want to curb gun violence just as much as you do. Let's work together to actually solve the problem, and do so in a way that doesn't infringe on the our rights or limit our ability to effectively defend ourselves when necessary.
In closing, I have owned and carried firearms personally and professionally for over 15 years, and am happy to answer any questions you might have about firearms and their appropriate use in lawful self defense. Please don't hesitate to reach out if there is anything I can do provide insight on the subject.
Thank you for your time and attention.
