Washington Please help! EAOD #14, WA Senate Open Carry Ban

[Mad Pick]

Please reply to this thread after you take action; let's keep the energy and momentum up! Thanks to everyone for helping!

From the Washington Civil Rights Association:

URGENT: EMAIL YOUR SENATORS TODAY

OPEN CARRY BAN HEADED TO THE FLOOR

VOTE NO: SSB 5038 OPEN CARRY PROHIBITION

SHUT DOWN THESE HISTRIONICS!

STOP RIGHT NOW & email your Senators, telling them to VOTE NO on SSB 5038 banning open carry.

Substitute Senate Bill (SSB) 5038 is on the Senate floor. It could come up for a vote at any time.

The anti-gun groups have declared this as their signature bill this year. LET'S SHUT THIS DOWN. Open Carry is NOT armed intimidation!!

Let's inundate the Senate, EVEN IF YOU DON'T OPEN CARRY.

THREE EASY STEPS!

STEP 1: Visit this link to find your Senator: https://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

Enter your address, click Verify District, jot down your legislators with SEN in front of their name (Senate),

STEP 2: Visit this link to find their email: https://app.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Senate

Paste their email into your mail program (save it–we'll be using it a LOT)

STEP 3: Copy and personalize your email. For Republicans, thank them for opposing.

Subject: Use your own subject to ensure they don't just delete all look-alikes!

Senator LAST NAME, I am in in your district and I live at ADDRESS (Important as they cannot delete if you live in their district)

TALKING POINTS (copy or add your own so they don't delete form letters)

Please oppose SSB 5038 prohibiting open carry. This bill and amendments are still ripe for abuse especially in communities of Color; the bill directly mirrors the racism and classism of the Mulford act banning the open carry of firearms to disarm black civil rights protesters and activists in California.

The "permitted" demonstration clause is moot: a permit is not required on most public grounds and most cities and city parks allow permitless free speech events
Any gathering of 15 people becomes a protest, ensnaring lawfully carrying citizens, like on a sidewalk in CHAZ or Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver where Antifa gathered to destroy property.
A Black family picnicking in a park and subsequently surrounded by 15+ members of a hate group would be arrested for lawfully open carrying.
An LGBTQ group holding a vigil are left vulnerable to further hate crimes when their security team is arrested for openly carrying firearms after a hate group gathers around them
Most businesses and many individuals lease property, preventing someone from lawfully protecting their lives at their apartment or at their place of business they don't own
Allowing unpermitted protests in parking lots and open spaces under the control of a business is an extreme danger to the safety of customers

Feel free to add your own points as well.

Read the bill: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5038&Year=2021&Initiative=false

Read the amendment: http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2021-22/Pdf/Amendments/Senate/5038-S AMS VAND S1370.2.pdf

Feel free to visit https://wacivilrights.org/2021/01/25/the-fallacy-of-the-open-carry-ban/ for more talking points, and share yours in the Washington 2021 Legislative Action Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/walegislativeactiongroup

Let's push back HARD and LOUD!

Read More

 

[Mad Pick]

And . . . done!

Subject: Sen. Hasegawa, please oppose SSB 5038 (open carry ban)

Dear Senator Hasegawa,

Thank you for taking my email; I live in Renton, in your district.

I am writing to ask you to oppose SSB 5038, which is a prohibition on open carry of firearms that is particularly ripe for abuse against minorities, especially in communities of color.

This bill is disturbingly similar to the Mulford Act, which banned the open carry of firearms in order to disarm black civil rights activists in California. We need less racism and classism in Washington . . . not more.
The "permitted" demonstration clause is irrelevant, as a permit is not required on most public grounds and most cities and city parks allow permitless free speech events. Any gathering of 15 people becomes a protest, ensnaring lawfully carrying citizens, like on a sidewalk in CHAZ or Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver where Antifa gathered to destroy property.

A black family picnicking in a park and subsequently surrounded by 15+ members of a hate group would be arrested for lawfully open carrying.

In another plausible scenario, a LGBTQ group holding a vigil are left vulnerable to further hate crimes when their security team is arrested for openly carrying firearms after a hate group gathers around them.

Please push back against this bad legislation, and help Washington move in a positive direction.

Thank you for your time, Senator.

Mad Pick
Renton

Who's next??

 

[Mad Pick]

From the Washington Civil Rights Association:

SIGN IN AGAINST ESSB 5038 OPEN CARRY BAN

Testify, submit written testimony, or merely make your position known!

ESSB 5038 banning open carry is being heard by House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee on 3/16.

THIS IS THE ANTI-GUNNER'S SIGNATURE BILL

They will claim the majority of WA supports this bill--HELP US PROVE THEM WRONG

Let's push back HARD and LOUD

This is the biggest anti-gun bill remaining this session

It doesn't matter whether you open carry or not. Do it for those who can't conceal carry.

Do it because it is another right they're taking away-yours will be next in a coming session.

We need to SHOW UP BIG TIME. Let's drown out the red-shirts and make our voices heard! Numbers matter!

The other side will absolutely claim that the majority of WA supports this bill. We HAVE TO PROVE THEM WRONG by signing in and signing up!

Visit here to sign in: https://app.leg.wa.gov/CSIRemote/House
Select Committee=Civil Rights & Judiciary, Meetings = 3/16/2021; Click ESSB 5038, then choose: submit testimony, testify live, or position noted. You'll be opposing (Under Position, select Con).

You'll need to enter your contact information so they can determine which district you're in (and which legislators should really care about your position) and that you are actually a WA resident.

PLEASE testify-all you have to do is read a statement on camera for 1 minute.

Or you can take a moment and draft brief comments and submit.

Or just make your position known for the record (CON).

If you want to leave a short testimony, here are some talking points:
- This bill will target women, minority, and marginalized communities by actively criminalizing innocents who get caught near protests or demonstrations.
- This bill will make the Mulford Act look archaic in how it targets individuals who are attempting to protect their families
- There is ZERO provision to protect Black & Brown small business owners who lease property for their endeavors
- There is ZERO protection for the residents of a home who are NOT on the lease or property deed
- There is ZERO protection for those who are gathered for a memorial, armed to protect against hate crimes, from being targeted by racist & misogynistic groups
- This bill is insidious gun control bigotry at its finest

For more, visit https://bit.ly/WCRAOpenCarryPoints -- scroll down to the section on SSB 5038 for a summary of the bill and the latest talking points.

If you're testifying, download your super cool WCRA ZOOM backgrounds here:

Zoom Backgrounds for Online Testimony

When you're testifying via Zoom, show your defense of your civil rights

bit.ly

Let's push back HARD and LOUD to show the legislators just how many of us there are!

 

[Mad Pick]

Please reply to this thread after you have taken action! Let's keep the momentum!

 

[Mad Pick]

Testimony submitted!

 

[Caveman Jim]

One more scathing letter sent to my elected cretins. Thanks for the heads up buddy.

 

[MDL]

Done!

 

[Mad Pick]

Thanks, folks! Let's keep them going!

 

[zcap]

Testimony submitted and all state reps emailed.

 

[sobo]

Letter sent to Senator Brown, made position known (CON).

 

[GWS]

Done!

 

[Sirius]

Done! Thanks for posting these EAOD's. I've also forwarded the info to all I know in WA who will oppose and asked them to forward to more who will oppose.