The Alliance for Gun Responsibility appears to be gloating over the passing of I-1639 that was bankrolled by billionaires and plans to submit a new list to the Washington Legislature “to keep us safe from gun violence.”
The most egregious of this list includes abolishing the state preemption, imposing new firearms prohibitions, destruction of firearms by the Washington State Patrol and expanding “gun-free zones.”
RCW 9.41.290 states that Washington state hereby fully occupies and preempts the entire field of firearms regulations.
King County, Seattle and other entities in the state appear to have broken state law by passing their own regulations with no regard for the law. The Alliance seems to want to make these “wrongs” “right” with no repercussions from state Attorney General Bob Ferguson or Gov. Jay Inslee.
Their new firearms prohibitions might fit into the realm of “red flag laws.” Where they run contrary to the Bill of Rights, a person’s firearms are confiscated with illegal search and seizure without probable cause or due process.
The State Patrol legally sells confiscated or forfeited firearms to generate revenue. Instead, the Alliance wants to spend tax money to have them destroyed.
For anyone paying attention, the mythical “gun-free zones” have been rather ineffective.
So why does the Alliance think we will be even safer from gun violence with more?
Benjamin Franklin said, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Roger M. Foszcz,
Port Angeles