Meeting with Judiciary Chairman on SBR bill.

[Ranb]

I met with Representative Pedersen (Judiciary Committee Chairman) this afternoon in Seattle for about 30 minutes. He said he will probably not schedule the SBR bill (HB 1561) for a hearing in January 2014 given the present conditions.

Presently HB 1561 has a Democrat (Blake) prime sponsor, 13 other Democrat co-sponsors, 18 Republican co-sponsors, 7 of 13 of the Judiciary members are co-sponsors and it enjoys the support of WACOPS. This is better support than the silencer bill had back in 2011. I am not aware of any support in the Senate for a SBR bill. What worked in 2011 for the silencer use bill is not going to work in 2014 for the SBR bill.

Pedersen will probably not give the SBR bill a hearing unless a companion bill is introduced and passed out of the Senate. There are a few reason for this, one is procedural (which I don’t really understand), for some reason more bills start in the Senate and finish in the House; if I remember what Pedersen said. The other reason is the political climate that resulted in the defeat of all the gun bills in the 2013 session.

After discussing the reasons why WA residents and the police want SBR’s, SBR crime rate and SBR sporting uses we talked a bit about the failed background check bill. I told him I thought it was nearly as flawed as I-594. Pedersen was the prime sponsor of HB1588 and claimed that he (as well as the House staff) was the author. We briefly discussed the bills flaws and he admitted it was a learning experience. Although we disagreed on some of the merits of the background bill, the fact he claims ownership of the bill makes him a much better person than the poor souls (Kline, Murray, Kohl-Welles) who will not admit authoring the last three AWB bills in WA that would have deprived gun owners of their fourth amendment rights.

For what it is worth I think Pedersen will give an SBR bill a hearing if it is passed in the Senate.

If we want SBR’s it seems we need to get a bill introduced in the Senate. Pedersen recommended Hatfield as a good prime sponsor. Senator Mike Padden is the Senate Law and Justice Committee chairman (formerly the Judiciary), he would also be a good choice as a prime sponsor. My senator is Sheldon, he voted to ban SBS/SBR back in 1994 but says he is willing to vote for HB1561 if it reaches the Senate. Not exactly a ringing endorsement but it is a start. I am going to try to talk to him about a bill.

So who here can talk to their Senator face to face about a Senate SBR bill? This is a political issue all of us WA residents can get behind. It doesn't matter if you want to own an SBS, SBR or MG in the future. Rights are rights; we either have them or we don't. I can accompany anyone to a meeting within 100 miles of Seattle if you need someone to go with you. We have less than five months to get the ball moving on a Senate SBR bill.

Randy
[email protected]
(360) 440-5889

Read More

 

[Ranb]

I e-mailed Senator Sheldon a few hours ago. I included a short summary of my meeting with Pedersen and let him know what we discussed. I have mailed and talked to Sheldon on the phone in the past about other issues so we are already sort of introduced. About an hour after I sent my e-mail his aided called, told me that she was forwarding my e-mail to Sheldon and gave me his cell phone number. She asked me to call him in a few days to talk to him.

This is how easy it is.

Anyone who is interested in easing gun restrictions can do this.

Randy