In the Jan. 30 Peninsula Daily News poll, about 52 percent of respondents support limiting firearm magazine capacities to 10 rounds.
I would like to address those people.
I ask, sincerely, does the Constitution matter to you?
Article I, section 24 of the Washington State Constitution states “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired…”
Note that it does not say “shall not be totally abolished.”
It says unequivocally that the right shall not even be “impaired.”
The proposed 10 round limit is arbitrary.
If we let the Legislature limit capacity to 10, then by what principle do we object if they later limit it to only five, or three?
Certainly, at some point, there is an “impairment.”
I argue that impairment begins when an arbitrary limit is imposed.
Where do you think impairment occurs?
Would you accept freedom of speech limited to 10 words, or a right peaceably to assemble limited to 10 people, or freedom of the press limited to 10 issues of a newspaper?
If we increased those limits, is there any fixed number you would accept?
Why not?
If you allow arbitrary limits on one right, why not the rest?
An arbitrary magazine limit is an unconstitutional impairment of the right of all of us to bear arms in self-defense.
If the Constitution matters to you, please don’t support this, or other such laws.
A vote against one right is a vote against all.
Michael A. Higbee
Port Angeles
The PDN poll is not statistically correct. It is an opportunity for those who want to respond to a question to do so.