WA State lawmakers to seek ban on sales of semi-automatic weapons

[Trlsmn]

State Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is an outspoken supporter of a ban on military-style assault weapons. "These weapons are not for hunting deer, they are not for skeet shooting, they are not for target shooting," he argued Thursday.

Kline had support from fellow Seattlites on Thursday, including a cameo appearance by Mayor-elect Mike McGinn.

Add Mayor-elect Mike McGinn to the enemies list!

 

[tallshipsgo]

Never mind specific people, if they’ve got a D next to their name (or anymore an R(INO), G, Peace and Freedom, etc.) they are the enemy and need to be voted out. I quit paying attention to names of the lowly lefty politician long ago - I am from California after all, they all fall right in line with whatever their masters tell them. If you don’t believe me then I challenge you to tell one from the other.

They ALL need to be replaced.

 

[crosse]

Never mind specific people, if they've got a D next to their name (or anymore an R(INO), G, Peace and Freedom, etc.) they are the enemy and need to be voted out. I quit paying attention to names of the lowly lefty politician long ago - I am from California after all, they all fall right in line with whatever their masters tell them. If you don't believe me then I challenge you to tell one from the other.

They ALL need to be replaced.

state Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam
is a good state senator from what i hear in the local circles.
Democrat or not.

 

[tallshipsgo]

state Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam
is a good state senator from what i hear in the local circles.
Democrat or not.

That may be, but he'll fall in line when pushed by other Dem pols. They always do. They always did in CA (if they weren't there in the first place). Good example out of NY: Kirsten Gillbrand had an A grade pro-2A voting record by the NRA (for what that's worth) before she took H Clintons empty NY senate seat. A week and half after she took the seat she issued statements to the effect that the NRA is evil, guns are bad, I made mistakes by voting pro-2A, ad nauseum. They're all the same man. Better to replace them with known good product (like questionable ammo) and not risk the double back they all seem to do when pushed by their peers and not by the voters.

Look crosse, I'm not trying to inflame anyone here (God knows the people using this resource don’t need infighting over anything other than: what’s better, .45 or 9? AK vs. AR?) it's just years of exactly this kind of nonsense in the PRC has me – to say the very least – extremely jaded about politicians. It’s just me being hyper-protective of my fellow freedom and liberty loving countrymen.

 

[Trlsmn]

That may be, but he'll fall in line when pushed by other Dem pols. They always do. They always did in CA (if they weren't there in the first place). Good example out of NY: Kirsten Gillbrand had an A grade pro-2A voting record by the NRA (for what that's worth) before she took H Clintons empty NY senate seat. A week and half after she took the seat she issued statements to the effect that the NRA is evil, guns are bad, I made mistakes by voting pro-2A, ad nauseum. They're all the same man. Better to replace them with known good product (like questionable ammo) and not risk the double back they all seem to do when pushed by their peers and not by the voters.

Look crosse, I'm not trying to inflame anyone here (God knows the people using this resource don’t need infighting over anything other than: what’s better, .45 or 9? AK vs. AR?) it's just years of exactly this kind of nonsense in the PRC has me – to say the very least – extremely jaded about politicians. It’s just me being hyper-protective of my fellow freedom and liberty loving countrymen.

Vigilance is necessary! I now have a zero tolerance zero compromise attitude toward our second amendment rights. I will not tolerate even the slightest encroachment on my freedoms. If a politician supports even one anti-gun rights issue they are forever a nonredeemable enemy to me!

 

[Spad]

A friend of mine from another state wrote me about this move, his word "Idiots". What has been said above about contacting legislators and voicing your distain for these dumb laws is the way to go. I too left California a long time ago and sure don't want what happened to that state happen here. This is a free state but the libs are here working to change it into thier version of Utopia. God help us. Bill

 

[Hawaiian]

Get some pro 2nd ammendment legislators to propose an ammendment to this bill in the interest of public safety.

Ban all sports cars that are capable of going 100 mph. No one 'needs' to drive that fast and it is illegal to do so in all 50 states. More people are killed by speeding cars than by assualt rifles.

Since they feel that no one 'needs' an assualt rifle, they should also agree that no one 'needs' a BMW. :winkkiss:

This will show them just how idiotic there rationale actually is.

 

[fuhr52]

As usual we need to ban the tools of crime. How about keeping the scumbags behind bars where they belong instead of turning them loose because of over crowding. As far as I'm concerned they can stack them in like cord wood.

 

[zeezee]

As usual we need to ban the tools of crime. How about keeping the scumbags behind bars where they belong instead of turning them loose because of over crowding. As far as I'm concerned they can stack them in like cord wood. Stack them in like cord wood? How about WE reinstate the f'n death penalty and getting rid of most of them. If it were up to me I'd make prison HE!! on earth and if they came back I'd make sure they didn't ever leave. Murder? The death penalty! Rape? The death penalty! Child molester . . . Yeah your catching on, The death penalty! Armed robbery? The death penalty! That right there would eliminate a goodly portion of our career criminals and once the other criminals saw this happening I'd bet crime would almost disappear.

 

[ZeroRing]

Frankly, for some of these really heinous crimes "three strikes" is too many but I'll settle for three strikes and you get an immediate, permanent dirt-nap.

 

[pistolero57]

Originally posted at www.seattleguns.net

<broken link removed>

By Molly Rosbach

Seattle Times staff reporter

In response to recent shooting deaths, three state lawmakers say they want to ban the sale of military-style semi-automatic weapons in Washington.

The lawmakers intend to propose the ban in the state legislative session that begins next month.

The legislation, called the Aaron Sullivan Public Safety and Police Protection Bill, would prohibit the sale of such weapons to private citizens and require current owners to pass background checks.

It is named for Aaron Sullivan, 18, who was fatally shot last July in Seattle's Leschi neighborhood, allegedly with an assault-style weapon.

Supporters say they also are motivated by the Oct. 31 slaying of Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton and the wounding of his partner. Police believe a .223-caliber semi-automatic rifle was used then.

The bill is backed by Seattle's police department, spokeswoman Renee Witt said. Also pushing it is Washington Ceasefire, a nonprofit that seeks to reduce gun violence. The group plans a news conference today to announce the proposal.

The lawmakers who plan to sponsor the bill are Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina; Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle; and Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle.

The ban would cover semiautomatics designed for military use that are capable of rapid-fire and can hold more than 10 rounds. Semiautomatics designed for sporting or hunting purposes wouldn't be banned.

"If they're used in the army, used in the war — that's what this ban is about," said Ralph Fascitelli, the board president of Washington Ceasefire.

Dave Workman, senior editor of Gun Week, a publication of the Second Amendment Foundation in Bellevue, said such a ban would punish law-abiding citizens who own such guns.

"I don't care if my neighbor has a dozen of the things; ... as long as he's not hurting anyone or breaking any laws, leave him alone," Workman said.

He also said he doesn't consider the gun police say was used to kill Brenton an assault rifle.

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Hunter knows getting the bill through the Legislature would be difficult, because of concerns about limits on gun ownership. However, he thinks the ban is necessary.

"We don't allow people to own tanks or bazookas or machine guns, and very few people think that that's an unreasonable restriction," he said.

Kohl-Welles said the lawmakers are trying to be practical and aren't suggesting guns be taken from current owners.

"What we're trying to get at is there's no place to have sales of military assault rifles or weapons in this state," she said.

She also said she doesn't believe such a ban would violate the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms.

"Did the framers of our Constitution ever envision something like a semi-automatic weapon?" she asked.

Molly Rosbach: 206-464-2311 or [email protected]

Yeah, I agree. Everybody should buy their cop killer pistols in Portland or Couer d'Alene instead. What a bunch of retards!

 

[LibertyorDeath]

We absolutely need to be on point with this one. We need to start by calling and writing legislators early on (like now) and figuring out who stands where on this.

I emailed Brian Hatfield, Brian Blake, and Dean Takko. Brian Blake emailed me almost instantly and said he does not support this and will do everything in his power to kill it.

Give it some time. This is pretty fresh from the anti-gun oven

I emailed the NRA and they responded with a link to the Seattle Gun ban issue. Kind of pisses me off that they didn't even read my email or the link to the Seatte PI article. I responded telling them that it was something new but they have not responded yet.

EDIT: Dean Takko doesn't support this bill either.

 

[dr drae]

Find and email your local legislators here:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx

There is an option to send your email to all 3 at once.



I very much liked fingolfen's blog on this, nice job sir. I also thought dezertdog made some great points regarding the legality and fundamental logic of this bill...

1. This bill violates at least two sections or our WA State Constitution:
Section 23: "No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligations of contracts shall ever be passed."
Section 24: "The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired"

2. The murders they cite as the reason for passing the law, did not in any way involve any weapons considered an "assault weapon" per their definition, and the passing of this bill would not have prevented their deaths:
a. Aaron Sullivan (RIP) was killed with an SKS, a circa 1945 non-select fire 10 round stripper clip fed rifle commonly available at sporting goods stores (Big 5), and categorized as a "curio and relic" by the BATFE.
b. Officer Tim Brenton (RIP) was killed with a Kel-Tec SU 16 A, which has "sporting purpose" status in ban states such as CA.
c. Mark Renninger, Ronald Owens, Tina Griswold and Greg Richards (RIP) were killed with a stolen .38 revolver and a stolen 9mm handgun.

3. Machines guns, short barreled rifles and short barreled shotguns which groups like Ceasefire say will be banned by this bill are already illegal, and have been since 1994 per RCW 9.41.190.

This bill is rooted in fear mongering, all those who support it should be ashamed.

 

[pistolero57]

Here's what I just wrote. Please feel free to use any/all of the wording to write similar emails or letters to your Washington state legislators.

Dear. Mr. Zarelli (also Mr. Herrera and Mr. Orcutt),

It has come to my attention, by way of the Seattle Times, that there is a bill called the Aaron Sullivan Public Safety and Police Protection Bill that will be introduced in the Washington legislature in January, 2010. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina; Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle; and Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle.

Once again we are seeing a knee-jerk reaction to a highly publicized crime that was committed by a lifelong hardened criminal. The following is an excerpt from the Seattle Times article published December 6, 2009. It describes the man who shot dead the four Lakewood police officers, Maurice Clemmons.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

16-year-old Maurice Clemmons embarked on a seven-month crime spree. He robbed a woman in a hotel parking lot, punching her in the face. He burglarized the home of a state trooper. He got arrested and expelled for bringing a pistol to his high school. Years later, Clemmons would write from prison that he "fell in with the wrong crowd" and "wanted to fit in and be accepted." He described his youth in rhyme: a "16-year-old misguided fool, whose own life he was unable to rule."

At 17, Clemmons was sentenced to 108 years in prison. To Clemmons' family, the sentence was outrageous. He was staring down time that seemed more suited to rape or murder.

In prison, Clemmons continued to find trouble: battery, sexual assault, theft, drugs, weapons. Most violations occurred early in his prison stint, says Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley, who reviewed Clemmons' correctional records. "They got him under control," Jegley says. "He started to get it after a while."

After serving 11 years, Clemmons appealed for clemency to then-Gov. Mike Huckabee.

In his petition, Clemmons said there was "absolutely no excuse" for his criminal past. He came from a good Christian family and was raised better than that. He lamented the shame he had brought to his family's name. While he was in prison, the "angel of death" had visited his "dear sweet mother," Clemmons wrote. "I wasn't able to be with her and make her proud of me before she passed away."

He was a changed man, Clemmons wrote. No longer would he "do evil."

Prosecutors twice opposed parole for Clemmons. But a Pulaski County judge, Marion Humphrey, favored clemency, saying Clemmons' cumulative sentence was too long. Huckabee granted the request in May 2000, citing Clemmons' youth when the crimes were committed.

Last week, his decision in the spotlight, Huckabee said he was influenced by Arkansas' history of disproportionate sentences for poor black men.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clearly this was a failure of the Arkansas correctional system and former Governor, Mike Huckabee, and not a failure of existing Washington state laws.

Further, I have been advised that said bill violates at least two sections or our WA State Constitution, specifically:

Section 23: "No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligations of contracts shall ever be passed."
Section 24: "The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired"

If said bill becomes law an immediate challenge will ensue in the courts. Please do not support this bill.

 

[Gray Peterson]

That may be, but he'll fall in line when pushed by other Dem pols. They always do. They always did in CA (if they weren't there in the first place).

That is NOT true, especially when it comes to Senators Sheldon and Hargrove. Senator Hargrove (D-Hoquaim) was the Senator who introduced the repeal of the hated "Case and Carry" law in 1997. He convinced the Governor who was wanting to veto it to actually sign it into law.

Washington State is not California and New York, which are states where social bigotry against gun owners is as en vogue as it was in Alabama and Georgia before the Civil Rights Movement. Washington State was one of the first states which passed shall-issue carry in 1961, before the "modern wave" of concealed carry states that started in Florida in 1987.

Do not let party labels fool you. Notice where these senators are from (Seattle, Medina). If they were Republicans from Seattle and Medina they would be just as anti-gun in order to survive politically in these districts.

It ain't gonna pass. They are going to hold hearings which we need to pack the hearing rooms, but the last thing politicians generally want to do is cast toxic vote that will get it tossed. 1994 on the state level really salted the earth in terms of passage of gun control laws in Washington State.

We just had a US Court of Appeal rule that the keeping and bearing arms for self defense requires a judicial review level of "strict scrutiny". A semi-auto ban the likes of which they've tried to introduce in the past will not pass scrutiny.

 

[trainsktg]

"We don't allow people to own tanks or bazookas or machine guns, and very few people think that that's an unreasonable restriction," he said.

I'm not sure about bazookas, but tanks and full auto firearms are certainly 'ownable' by the public...

Keith (...well, the public with lots of cash, anyways .)

 

[TonsOfOregonBrass]

I'm not sure about bazookas, but tanks and full auto firearms are certainly 'ownable' by the public...

Keith (...well, the public with lots of cash, anyways .)

Not in Washifornia. Machine guns are not legal there. Oregon and Idaho it is fine. You cannot own short barreled shotguns, or rifles. Suppressors are ok, but you cannot shoot them.

As far as the northwest, washifornia has the worst gun laws.

 

[stokedsurfer]

Sure... a couple of people get shot and you have to take away rights from everyone... And if they weren't shot with an AR15 (or another "military style weapon") then they would have been shot with something else...


What is the Mini-14 classified as?

I went and visited family in california and I was shoked to see a mini 14 for sale here in big 5. So i did some homework and the way the california assault rifle ban is written any simi auto that has a pistol grip is an assult weapon so a stock mini 14 and sks it turns out are ok. But most mods to these are illegal.

 

[Stomper]

and they can have mags over 10-rnds..... STUPID, huh?

 

[PMKN_PI]

Its time these vermin legislators are publicly called what they are-BIGOTS. Id pay 500 bucks to spit in their face.