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Here's an update from Marion Bishop, a moderator in the Facebook "Washington 2022 Legislative Action Group - Save your civil rights" group. Here's the original post:
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Or if you don't do Facebook, here it is:
2022 WA Legislative Session - Week 4 Summary and Week 5 Help Needed
Most important info first: SB 5217 (the AWB) is more than likely dead for this year. However, the other 2A-relevant bills are continuing through the process, and next week will be very busy with floor votes. Please continue reaching out to your Senators and Representatives urging them not to bring HB 1630, HB 1705, SB 5568, and SB 5078 to a vote. Scroll past the week 4 summary for more info.
Welcome to another in a series of threads discussing the 2A-relevant bills being discussed during this year's Washington state legislative session, which runs from 1/10 to 3/10. In these threads we will be providing an overview of the bills and how to take actions against the bad ones.
Week 4 Summary
Thursday (2/3) was the cutoff date for bills that have not been voted out of committee. SB 5217 (banning "assault weapons") had not been voted out of committee by that date, so is more than likely dead for this session. It is worth noting these cutoff dates are entirely up to the legislature and can be changed or suspended. It is also worth noting legislative trickery has been pulled in the last couple years to resurrect ostensibly dead bills. We cannot entirely take our eye off the ball regarding SB 5217, but going forward everyone should focus our efforts on the other remaining bills being considered. In the Senate, SB 5568 and SB 5078 are still alive and awaiting a floor vote.
Special note: SB 5217 set the record for the highest number of CON testifiers during the public hearings, totalling nearly 4400. (This record was later broken by testifiers on SB 5909, regarding emergency powers reform.) Nicely done and thank you for stepping up.
You can still take action against these remaining bad bills. For now, you can comment on these bills and have comments sent to your representatives:
Comment on SB 5568 (repealing state pre-emption of open carry at government-owned buildings and facilities (e.g. parks))
Comment on SB 5078 (banning standard capacity magazines)
In the House, two concerning bills have been voted out of the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee and could be scheduled for a floor vote sometime next week. These bills are HB 1630, which would ban firearms at school board meetings regardless of location, at election-related sites, and other facilities used for government meetings, and HB 1705 which will ban 80% receivers (and inadvertently, a whole lot more).
You can comment on these bills and have comments sent to your representatives:
Comment on HB 1630 (banning firearms at facilities being used for school board meetings and other facilities used for government body meetings)
Comment on HB 1705 (banning unfinished receivers (i.e. "ghost guns")
Week 5 Help Needed
Keeping SB 5568, SB 5078, HB 1630, and HB 1705 from getting a floor vote is our priority for next week. Next week will be busy with floor sessions Tuesday-Friday, and many bills receiving floor votes. Legislators have seen how many of us are paying attention and are hoping our scrutiny subsides. We need all hands on deck, even if you have already done so, to call/email your senator and representatives in opposition. If you've already done so, now is the time for a second call/email. A large volume of calls/emails is needed. We are especially looking for support from women, LGBTQ, and BIPOC individuals to help dispel some legislators' assumption that the gun-owning community in Washington is some monolithic white, rural, male entity. If these bills make it to the other chamber, the committees will hear public testimony again, likely in the next couple of weeks. We are proactively seeking folks who are interested in testifying, so please reach out if that interests you. We are also asking that you invite two like-minded friends to take the same actions.
My recommendation, especially when reaching out to Democrat legislators, is to highlight the racist history of gun control and disproportionate impact on poor and BIPOC communities. Arguments on the bills' clear technical issues and unconstitutionality are less likely to hold water with them, but are of course worth mentioning. More talking points and information are available here. If you have Republican legislators, reach out to them, let them know it is a priority for you that these bills do not pass, and thank them for their opposition.
It is also worth pointing out to your legislators that gun control loses votes and this is an election year for 24 senators and every representative. Senate seats in legislative districts 6, 7, 8, 13, 15, 21, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, and 48 are up for grabs this year, so consider that talking point if you reside in one of the aforementioned legislative districts. Each seat in the house is up for reelection this year, which is worth bringing up in comments to your representative.
If you are in a weak Democrat/swing district, it is even more critical to reach out. A list of legislators we are focusing on is as follows:
Kevin Van de Wege (D) - LD 24 - [email protected] - 360-786-7646
Steve Conway (D) - LD 29* - [email protected] - 360-786-7656
Mark Mullet (D) - LD 5 - [email protected] - 360-786-7608
John Lovick (D) - LD 44* - [email protected] - 253-275-1405
T'wina Nobles (D) - LD 28 - T'[email protected] - 360-786-7654
Annette Cleveland (D) - LD 49 - [email protected] - 360-786-7696
Emily Randall (D) - LD 26* - [email protected] - 360-786-7650
Mona Das (D) - LD 47* - [email protected] - 360-786-7692
Claire Wilson (D) - LD 30* - [email protected] - 360-786-7658
Andy Billig (D) - LD 3 - [email protected] - 360-786-7604
Legislative districts with an asterisk (*) have their senate seats up for reelection this fall.
Numbers matter and we must keep the pressure on. It unquestionably helps our cause to have overwhelming amounts of testimony opposing these bills. Keep your comments civil, articulate, and brief. For written testimony I would advise keeping it to one paragraph.
Please reach out if you have questions and thank you for stepping up to defend your rights. We have stopped bad legislation in the past few years and with your help, will continue to do so.
Washington 2024 Legislative Action Group - Save your civil rights | 2022 WA Legislative Session - Week 4 Summary and Week 5 Help Needed | Facebook
2022 WA Legislative Session - Week 4 Summary and Week 5 Help Needed **Most important info first: SB 5217 (the AWB) is more than likely dead for this year. However, the other 2A-relevant bills are...
www.facebook.com
Or if you don't do Facebook, here it is:
2022 WA Legislative Session - Week 4 Summary and Week 5 Help Needed
Most important info first: SB 5217 (the AWB) is more than likely dead for this year. However, the other 2A-relevant bills are continuing through the process, and next week will be very busy with floor votes. Please continue reaching out to your Senators and Representatives urging them not to bring HB 1630, HB 1705, SB 5568, and SB 5078 to a vote. Scroll past the week 4 summary for more info.
Welcome to another in a series of threads discussing the 2A-relevant bills being discussed during this year's Washington state legislative session, which runs from 1/10 to 3/10. In these threads we will be providing an overview of the bills and how to take actions against the bad ones.
Week 4 Summary
Thursday (2/3) was the cutoff date for bills that have not been voted out of committee. SB 5217 (banning "assault weapons") had not been voted out of committee by that date, so is more than likely dead for this session. It is worth noting these cutoff dates are entirely up to the legislature and can be changed or suspended. It is also worth noting legislative trickery has been pulled in the last couple years to resurrect ostensibly dead bills. We cannot entirely take our eye off the ball regarding SB 5217, but going forward everyone should focus our efforts on the other remaining bills being considered. In the Senate, SB 5568 and SB 5078 are still alive and awaiting a floor vote.
Special note: SB 5217 set the record for the highest number of CON testifiers during the public hearings, totalling nearly 4400. (This record was later broken by testifiers on SB 5909, regarding emergency powers reform.) Nicely done and thank you for stepping up.
You can still take action against these remaining bad bills. For now, you can comment on these bills and have comments sent to your representatives:
Comment on SB 5568 (repealing state pre-emption of open carry at government-owned buildings and facilities (e.g. parks))
Comment on SB 5078 (banning standard capacity magazines)
In the House, two concerning bills have been voted out of the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee and could be scheduled for a floor vote sometime next week. These bills are HB 1630, which would ban firearms at school board meetings regardless of location, at election-related sites, and other facilities used for government meetings, and HB 1705 which will ban 80% receivers (and inadvertently, a whole lot more).
You can comment on these bills and have comments sent to your representatives:
Comment on HB 1630 (banning firearms at facilities being used for school board meetings and other facilities used for government body meetings)
Comment on HB 1705 (banning unfinished receivers (i.e. "ghost guns")
Week 5 Help Needed
Keeping SB 5568, SB 5078, HB 1630, and HB 1705 from getting a floor vote is our priority for next week. Next week will be busy with floor sessions Tuesday-Friday, and many bills receiving floor votes. Legislators have seen how many of us are paying attention and are hoping our scrutiny subsides. We need all hands on deck, even if you have already done so, to call/email your senator and representatives in opposition. If you've already done so, now is the time for a second call/email. A large volume of calls/emails is needed. We are especially looking for support from women, LGBTQ, and BIPOC individuals to help dispel some legislators' assumption that the gun-owning community in Washington is some monolithic white, rural, male entity. If these bills make it to the other chamber, the committees will hear public testimony again, likely in the next couple of weeks. We are proactively seeking folks who are interested in testifying, so please reach out if that interests you. We are also asking that you invite two like-minded friends to take the same actions.
My recommendation, especially when reaching out to Democrat legislators, is to highlight the racist history of gun control and disproportionate impact on poor and BIPOC communities. Arguments on the bills' clear technical issues and unconstitutionality are less likely to hold water with them, but are of course worth mentioning. More talking points and information are available here. If you have Republican legislators, reach out to them, let them know it is a priority for you that these bills do not pass, and thank them for their opposition.
It is also worth pointing out to your legislators that gun control loses votes and this is an election year for 24 senators and every representative. Senate seats in legislative districts 6, 7, 8, 13, 15, 21, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, and 48 are up for grabs this year, so consider that talking point if you reside in one of the aforementioned legislative districts. Each seat in the house is up for reelection this year, which is worth bringing up in comments to your representative.
If you are in a weak Democrat/swing district, it is even more critical to reach out. A list of legislators we are focusing on is as follows:
Kevin Van de Wege (D) - LD 24 - [email protected] - 360-786-7646
Steve Conway (D) - LD 29* - [email protected] - 360-786-7656
Mark Mullet (D) - LD 5 - [email protected] - 360-786-7608
John Lovick (D) - LD 44* - [email protected] - 253-275-1405
T'wina Nobles (D) - LD 28 - T'[email protected] - 360-786-7654
Annette Cleveland (D) - LD 49 - [email protected] - 360-786-7696
Emily Randall (D) - LD 26* - [email protected] - 360-786-7650
Mona Das (D) - LD 47* - [email protected] - 360-786-7692
Claire Wilson (D) - LD 30* - [email protected] - 360-786-7658
Andy Billig (D) - LD 3 - [email protected] - 360-786-7604
Legislative districts with an asterisk (*) have their senate seats up for reelection this fall.
Numbers matter and we must keep the pressure on. It unquestionably helps our cause to have overwhelming amounts of testimony opposing these bills. Keep your comments civil, articulate, and brief. For written testimony I would advise keeping it to one paragraph.
Please reach out if you have questions and thank you for stepping up to defend your rights. We have stopped bad legislation in the past few years and with your help, will continue to do so.
