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I made a list of the newly elected Representatives in Olympia. I included what little contact info that was availble on their webpages. If anyone has additional info or if I made any mistakes, please post.

Here is the list of new Reps.
1st District
Derek Stanford Dem (425) 481-6231 [email protected]
Luis Moscoso Dem (206) 200-8663 <broken link removed> [email protected]

2nd District
J T Wilcox Rep (360) 400-2011 [email protected]

3rd District
Andy Billig Dem (509) 217-3709 [email protected]

6th District
John E. Ahern Rep (509) 838-1380 <broken link removed>

17th District
Paul Harris Rep (360) 936-9107 Elect Paul Harris [email protected]

18th District.
Ann Rivers Rep (360) 771-8133 Elect Ann Rivers [email protected]

22nd District
Chris Reykdal Rep (360) 790-3151 <broken link removed> [email protected]

24th District
Steve Tharinger Dem (360) 912-2221 <broken link removed> [email protected]

25th District
Hans Zeiger Rep (253) 905-8160 Hans Zeiger <broken link removed>

29th District.
Connie Ladenburg Dem (253) 228-8567 Home - Connie Ladenburg Campaign Committee [email protected]

30th District
Katrina Asay Dem (253) 952-2521 <broken link removed> [email protected]

31st District
Cathy Dahlquist Rep (360) 625-8585 <broken link removed> [email protected]

32nd District
Cindy Ryu Dem (206) 605-1588 <broken link removed>

34th District
Joe Fitzgibbon Dem (206) 949-5127 Joe Fitzgibbon, Democrat for Washington State Rep, 34th District

40th District
Kristine Lytton Dem (360) 299-4542 <broken link removed> [email protected]

42nd District
Jason Overstreet Rep (360) 389-2413 Jason Overstreet for State Rep | Vote Overstreet 2010!
Vincent Buys Rep (360) 389-2101 Vincent Buys - Welcome Vincent Buys - Contact Vincent

46th District
David Frocket Dem (206) 406-1344 Home | David Frockt, Democrat for State Representative, Pos. 1 [email protected]

47th District
Mark Hargrove Rep (253) 630-3064 Mark Hargrove for State House [email protected]

Here is a sampe letter I wrote. Feel free to use it, but do not cut and paste. Since I have not been able to obtain written documentation of Cease Fire WA and the WACOPS position on the new silencer use bill, it would be better not to say they have taken a position on it yet, unless you say you heard they are neutral on the matter.

Representative XXXXXX,

Congratulations on your election to the House of Representatives. No doubt you will be bombarded with numerous letters and messages with requests for attention concerning certain bills or other matters, but I hope I can call your attention to an issue that I have been working on for the last three years.

As you may know, Kitsap County is suing the Kitsap Rifle and Revolver Club over zoning, safety and noise issues. One of the club officers requested that I build an enclosure to reduce the noise of some of the louder rifles used at the range by myself and some other club members. I made a box from foam filled steel doors into which I could insert a rifle barrel to block some of the noise to the sides and reduce the sound level as heard off of the range.

I knew that RCW 9.41.250(c) prohibits the use of any device that suppresses the noise of a firearm, but thought it only applied to those devices that attached to the firearm, such as suppressors regulated by the federal government. I wrote to various law enforcement officials to ask their opinion on the matter. The Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney told me that due to the broad nature of the law, using my box would be illegal. It seems that any attempt to reduce noise at a rifle range is illegal; unless shooting is restricted only to those firearms that are less noisy or shooting is prohibited all together. If the use of a rifle range equipped with berms and other safety devices is prohibited, this will not stop people from shooting outdoors, they will just shoot in the forest which is less safe for those who live nearby

House Bill 1604 would amend RCW 9.41.250 to allow the use of firearm noise suppressors that are registered with the federal government. Suppressors (legally called silencers or mufflers) are legal in the USA, but only thirty-six states allow unlicensed civilians to own them. Washington State is the only one of those states that prohibits their use on a firearm. The federal government requires that a $200 tax be paid and FBI background check performed on anyone who buys a silencer. Bill 1604 would have been the only legal method by which a person could reduce noise at a rifle range, but it has died in committee the last three sessions. Another suppressor use bill with a new number will be introduced by Representative Condotta next session in January.

When I met with House Judiciary Chairman Jamie Pedersen to discuss the bill, he told me that he would never give the bill a hearing unless he was told that it was a priority and thought it would pass a vote in the House. He encouraged me to obtain the opinions of various gun control and police associations in the State. I spoke with Cease Fire Washington, the WASPC and the WACOPS. Each of them has decided to take a neutral stance on the use of registered suppressors in Washington. No Representative needs to worry about being supportive of any suppressor use bill. It should not be used against them by anyone concerned about gun control issues. Attached is the WASPC's position on suppressor use. I am still trying to get Cease Fire WA and the WACOPS positions in writing.

Although firearm sound suppressors have gotten a bad rap in the media and are vilified by certain people, they are just mufflers for guns that are very useful in reducing noise to a level that usually makes them safe to use without ear plugs. They never make a firearm completely silent. Their use is rarely associated with violent crime. The illegal use of registered suppressors in the USA is even more rare. I wrote to every County Sheriff asking for data on crimes committed with suppressors. There is very little crime associated with their use. Attached is a summary of suppressor related crime.

Will you support suppressor use in our state by voting for a suppressor use bill that reaches the House floor? Are you willing to ask Chairman Pedersen to give the new suppressor use bill a hearing in the Judiciary committee? Thank you.

Ranb


The new Reps need plently of mail to bring this to their attention. Thanks.

Ranb
 
Here is the WA silencer crime summary I was able to assemble from the data given to me by the county sheriffs. If any Rep asks for the documentation, ask me for it.

Letters were sent requesting data on arrests associated with firearm suppressors to every county sheriff’s office in Washington State. Twenty counties reported they had no records of any suppressor related crime. Six counties did not respond to my request despite following up with a second request. Two counties said they did not track crimes by RCW 9.41.250(c). Six counties reported no suppressor related crime going back six to twenty-three years. Five counties reported a total of ten arrests or incidents involving suppressors in the last twelve years.

Adams County Never arrested anyone using a suppressor and have no records pertaining to suppressor use.
Asotin County No records of arrests for suppressor use.
Benton County No record of any suppressor related crime.
Chelan County No information on arrest involving suppressors.
Clallam County One suppressor seized during search. Not used in crime.
Clark County No knowledge of any suppressor crime.
Columbia County No crimes associated with suppressors since 1997.
Cowlitz County No violations of RCW 9.41.250(c) since 2004. No other information on suppressor related crime.
Douglas County No records of any crimes committed with suppressors. No suppressors ever seized.
Ferry County No evidence of any crime with suppressors.
Franklin County No record of any crime with suppressors.
Garfield County Would not respond to inquiry.
Grant County No record of any crime with suppressors.
Grays Harbor County Would not respond to inquiry.
Island County No record of any crime with suppressors.
Jefferson County One arrest involving non-functional suppressor 10-12 years ago. No record of conviction.
King County Six incidents involving arrests and suppressors taken into evidence.
Kitsap County All 9.41.250 a b and c crimes grouped together. A search on "silencer" revealed one case.
Kittitas County Would not respond to inquiry.
Klickitat County Would not respond to inquiry.
Lewis County No record of any arrests involving suppressors.
Lincoln County No known crimes have been committed with suppressors.
Mason County No suppressor related crime on record.
Okanogan County Would not respond to inquiry.
Pacific County No suppressor related crime since 1992.
Pend Oreille County Database does not detail RCW 9.41.250(c) crimes but Inspector with agency since 1987 has no recollection of any suppressor crime in the County.
Pierce County Does not track by RCW 9.41.250.
San Juan County No suppressor related crimes reported.
Skagit County No violations involving the use of firearm suppressors.
Skamania County No record of arrests involving firearm suppressors.
Snohomish County Unable to search database without date/location provided.
Spokane County Unable to produce information relating to suppressors. One ongoing murder trial involving crude homemade suppressor.
Stevens County No violations of RCW 9.41.250(c) in the county.
Thurston County No record of suppressor crime since 2007. Records division has no personal recollection of suppressor crime since 2000.
Wahkiakum County No record of suppressor crime.
Walla Walla County No record of suppressor crime.
Whatcom County Would not respond to inquiry.
Whitman County No record of suppressor crime.
Yakima County No record of suppressor crime since 2000.

Here is WASPC's position on the silencer use bill;

--- On Mon, 9/27/10, Joanna Arlow <[email protected]> wrote:

From: Joanna Arlow <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Suppressor use in Washington.
To: "Ran B" <[email protected]>
Date: Monday, September 27, 2010, 1:48 PM


Mr. Bragge:

I am following up, as promised, regarding your request for WASPC in put on the issue of noise suppressors for the general public and HB 1604 specifically.

At our recent WASPC Executive Board meeting, after discussion, the Board voted that WASPC would take a “neutral” or “no position” stance with regards to the legislation and policy of permitting possession/use of firearm suppressors by the general public when registered in accordance with federal law.

This means that, as of this time, we would neither work for nor against the policy. If our formal position changes, I will let you know.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Jo Arlow
Policy Director
Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs
PH: 360-486-2401
FX: 360-486-2381
[email protected]
Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs

Ranb
 
I emailed them all on Sunday night. I have received a few replies so far. They say the same thing. "Tell me more" and "I need to know how many people have a stake in silencers use in WA before I support any bill to allow their use." These freshmen Reps are not stupid. I can tell right now that I will probably not get any support from them because they are not going to get much in the way of letters from the gun owners in WA.

Ranb
 
I emailed them all on Sunday night. I have received a few replies so far. They say the same thing. "Tell me more" and "I need to know how many people have a stake in silencers use in WA before I support any bill to allow their use." These freshmen Reps are not stupid. I can tell right now that I wil not get any support from them because they are not going to get much in the way of letters from the gun owners in WA.

Ranb

I work for the state and allot of my co workers and I want to use or suppressors. who do we need to get letter and back from. I will be glad to get as many letters as I can from different groups that are involved in my line of work. please pm me in my message box with some specifics and I will get to work.
 
Be polite detailed and truthful, even if their replies to you are not. Give them a call on the phone sometime. Try to set up a face to face meeting. Ask them if they will support the bill by ensuring it gets a hearing in committee. Keep asking them until they tell you they will or why they will not. It may take several letters. I have corresponded with many of them and they just refuse to do anything because they hear so little about the subject.

Ask them what it will take to get their support and exactly what that support means. For most of the Reps I have talked to, their support was limited to watching it die in committee session after session. This is unacceptable. They will tell you that it is not their job to ask the committee chairman for a hearing, but they would do that for any bill they wanted passed into law, so they can do it for us.

The most important people to contact now are the House Judiciary Committee members. Also contact your own Rep and Senator. Tell them you want their support for the new suppressor use bill when it comes out in January. It should be similar to bill 1604; here HB 1604 - 2009-10 and http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2009-10/Pdf/Bills/House&#37;20Bills/1604.pdf

If anyone wants to set up a meeting with their Senator or Rep but does not want to go alone, I am happy to go with as long as it is within 100 miles of Seattle.

Ranb
 
I called Rep-elect Hargrove yesterday. He said he would support the bill and ask Pedersen to give it a hearing in committee, but stopped short of saying he would call it a priority.

It is easy to get a hold of some of your Reps on the phone. All you have to do is look up their contact info on the WA access page.

Ranb
 
Hargrove changed his mind and will not support the bill. He did not say why. This sucks. I can even get a single MFing Republican to support the bill, in the Senate or the House.

Is there anyone here in his district that voted for him that can write him some letters?

Ranb
 
Hargrove changed his mind and will not support the bill. He did not say why. This sucks. I can even get a single MFing Republican to support the bill, in the Senate or the House.

Is there anyone here in his district that voted for him that can write him some letters?

Ranb

totally sucks sucks sucks. keep fighting the good fight. I'll keep this suppressor topic on my list of things to mention to my reps.
 
If you are interested in using silencers, then you have to do much more than mention it, or all they will do is say they support it and watch it die in committee again. You need to ask them if they will tell the House Judiciary chairman that the bill is a priority.

Even the police are not allowed to use silencers, although they seem to get away with it. The WA Council of Police and Sheriffs (WACOPS) wants to pass a silencer use bill similar to 1604 (allows use of registered silencers by anyone, not just police). If your Rep refuses to tell Pedersen that the bill is a priority, then they are against the bill.

For the last three sessions I have been hearing about how the economy is the priority. Well if they can not do what they need to do in this amount of time, then they can find ways to squeeze in a no-brainer bill that restores a right we lost back in 1934. Since their are no Republicans that are willing to provide the support required for this bill, it seems that this is not a partisan issue. We need to get our RINO's in Olympia to get their heads out of their butts.

Ranb
 

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