Despite the fact that violent crime has soared across Washington State while more and more gun control laws have been put in place, the Democrats in control of the state legislature continue to try to ban and regulate their way to safety by targeting lawful gun owners instead of violent criminals. 

Gun control activists are pushing a number of new proposals this year, including gun-rationing laws and a new permit-to-purchase scheme, but gun owners are pushing back on the latest assault on their Second Amendment rights. 

Jane Milhan, a home invasion survivor turned certified firearms instructor, came to Olympia on Tuesday Jan. 21, to testify against HB 1132, which restricts the bulk purchasing of firearms and ammunition. Milhan, who has volunteered teaching women self-defense, argues the bill, along with the other newly proposed gun control measures, not only hinders her training efforts but unfairly penalizes individuals trying to ensure their own safety.  

“The women ask you to please punish criminals instead of women who just want the ability to protect themselves,” Milhan said during a hearing in Olympia.  

The new gun control agenda, spearheaded by the Alliance for Gun Responsibility and Democratic lawmakers, has ramped up debate among pro-gun advocates. The agenda aims to reduce gun violence by introducing a new permit-to-purchase system, requiring stricter storage requirements and prohibiting the carrying of firearms in parks and certain public buildings.  

“I just think they're going down the wrong path,” Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, said to reporters.  

People testifying against the bills claim the legislation directly impedes the Second Amendment. 

“Driving in this state is a privilege. Going fishing in this state is a privilege. Having a gun, keeping and bearing arms, that's a right,” David Workman, communications director for the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, said.  

Democrats certainly don't treat keeping and bearing arms as a right. They see our Second Amendment rights as a problem to be solved, not something to be protected. That's one reason why they're pushing a permit-to-purchase scheme that would add yet another layer of red tape to the process of obtaining a firearm. 

HB 1163, in particular, has sparked significant discourse. The bill would require a comprehensive background check to receive a permit before purchasing a firearm rather than at the point of purchase. 

Firearm instructors and local gun shop owners said that, if enacted, the bill would be ineffective in curbing gun trafficking and instead interfere with business operations.  

“This bill adds yet another layer of restrictions on our business, burdening us with unnecessary paperwork, compliance costs, and logistical challenges,” Danna Baxter, owner of Safefire Shooting Range in Camas, Washington, said. “These additional burdens aren't just an inconvenience to make it harder to run our business but take resources away from efforts that could actually address the root cause of gun violence.”  

Baxter further claims that individuals who misuse firearms would not be deterred by additional regulations or background checks because they often bypass the process of lawfully obtaining a firearm in the first place.  

Democrats have the numbers (on paper anyway) to pass every gun control bill that's been introduced this year, and given the plethora of anti-gun legislation that's been enacted into law in the state over the past five years there's little reason for optimism among gun owners. 

Still, the fact that so many Second Amendment advocates are still showing up to testify against these unconstitutional infringements is heartening, and I hope it has an impact. It's always better to keep a bad bill from becoming an awful law than to challenge a particular statute in court, and though 2A groups like SAF will likely litigate any new gun control measures that are enacted this year, the grassroots activism on display by gun owners at the state capitol should be applauded (and emulated) by 2A advocates around the country.