Evergreen State anti-gunners are not wasting a moment to push their agenda, with a full slate of hearings Monday and Tuesday at the Capitol in Olympia, working on the Martin Luther King holiday in the Senate.
The hearings come on the heels of a fatal shooting in the Seattle suburb of Renton involving a 16-year-old victim that remains under investigation.
Also fresh on the minds of gun owners was what appeared to be an overreaction on the part of Senate members to last Friday’s gathering of rights activists. When some gun owners tried to see their district senators, they apparently found locked doors to offices, allegedly because there was a “gun rally.” The anecdotal complaints have ignited a discussion on the Gun Rights Coalition’s Facebook page.
On the Senate Law and Justice Committee’s Monday agenda are four bills:
SB 5061 “Addressing undetectable firearms,” whatever those are;
SB 5062 “Concerning high capacity magazines” which gun owners regard as “original capacity magazines” and are in common use;
SB 5143 “Concerning the authorized removal, safe keeping, and return of firearms and ammunition by law enforcement during and after domestic violence incidents”
SB 5174 “Concerning concealed pistol license training requirements”
That last one might draw the most interesting reactions. There are more than 608,000 active CPLs in the state, according to the latest figures from the Department of Licensing. Rights groups support voluntary training programs, but many activists are not so keen on mandates, fearing that requirements and costs may make it difficult for average citizens to comply.
Turnout for the Monday Senate hearings, which begin at 10 a.m., may be enhanced by the holiday, allowing more people to attend.
On Tuesday, the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee will hear five bills:
HB 1024 “Prohibiting a government database of law abiding owners of legal firearms,” which translates to outlawing any kind of gun registry.
HB 1068 “Concerning high capacity magazines” which unknown numbers of gun owners already possess
HB 1073 “Addressing undetectable and untraceable firearms”
HB 1203 “Reporting lost or stolen firearms”
HB 1225 “Establishing policies and requirements regarding law enforcement response to domestic violence incidents to enhance the safety of domestic violence victims, families, and officers.
Even if one cannot attend a hearing, there is a way to comment pro or con on proposed legislation. Find the details here.
