Washington: Anti-Gun Legislation Still Pending Executive Action in House Judiciary Committee

As previously reported, four anti-gun bills were heard in the House Judiciary Committee and could be voted on at any time.  The deadline for bills to be reported out of committee is Friday, February 5.  It is important that you continue to contact members of the House Judiciary Committee as well as your own legislators and politely urge them to oppose the below legislation when it comes up for a vote.

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Sponsored by anti-gun lawmakers, the four bills below contain boilerplate language from the Obama/Bloomberg playbook.  The proposed measures would only place an undue burden on law-abiding Washington gun owners.

House Bill 1747, sponsored by state Representative Ruth Kagi (D-32), would impose criminal penalties for “child endangerment due to unsafe storage of a firearm" if a “child” (defined as up to age 17) causes personal injury or death with a firearm.  This bill is unnecessary; firearms are at the bottom of the list of items causing injury and/or death to children and in those rare cases where adults are truly negligent, the existing reckless endangerment statute is adequate.  The only purpose of this bill is to single out and demonize firearms in the Washington code.

House Bill 2461, sponsored by state Representative Laurie Jinkins, would allow family members or law enforcement to petition the court to issue an “extreme risk protection order,” taking away someone’s Second Amendment rights without due process. 

House Bill 2372, sponsored by state Representative Tana Senn, would permit law enforcement to destroy firearms that have been seized or forfeited.  Existing law allows local municipalities to sell seized and forfeited firearms to raise money for local public safety.  HB 2372 repeals that opportunity.  This bill was introduced by the same legislator who brought the ammunition tax, a bill that places the blame of criminal activity and violence on her law-abiding constituents.

House Bill 2460, sponsored by state Representative Brady Walkinshaw, would allow local municipalities to ban the possession of firearms in public parks, recreational facilities, libraries and in all public transportation.  Not only would this effectively take away the right of self-defense in these public places, but it would be a huge first step in weakening the preemption statute and opening the door to allow for the local prohibition of firearms.  The preemption statute is put in place to prevent local municipalities from creating a patchwork of complex and confusing gun laws that could ensnare gun owners unaware of the laws.

Also pending action by the House Judiciary Committee, is NRA-backed legislation, House Bill 2481.  Sponsored by state Representative Brian Blake, HB 2481 would clarify the current, inadequately-written exemption in Washington law that is intended to allow individuals who are licensed under federal law to manufacture, own, buy, sell, furnish or be in possession of a short-barreled rifles.

Please contact members of the House Judiciary Committee and politely urge them to oppose anti-gun legislation and to support HB 2481.