Washington Gun Owners Brace For Signature On Two Bills

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

Washington state has gone off the deep end when it comes to gun control. It wasn’t enough to pass I-1639 last year. Oh no, it had to go and roll out more anti-gun bills.

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Now, two controversial bills are waiting for the governor’s signature.

Second Amendment advocates say two bills headed for the governor’s desk could have deadly consequences.

Those in favor of the bills say they just involve a longer wait-time to acquire firearms, but local representative Brad Klippert voted no on both.

He says they’re both bad for victims of domestic violence.

Representative Brad Klippert said the wait might turn potential violent crime victims into sitting ducks.

He says he’s strongly opposed to HB 1225 requiring law enforcement to confiscate all weapons from homes they’re called to for domestic violence.

“How does the victim protect themself should that person come back and threaten them? This dances on the line of taking away their right to possess a weapon to protect themselves,” he says. “We always want to protect victims of domestic violence from any harm or future harm, but we also have to always consider the constitution.”

And this is a big problem, one that shouldn’t be allowed to stand.

No one at these homes has been convicted of anything. Domestic violence calls are made all the time when no actual violence occurs. A loud argument can spark a concerned neighbor making a call, but that doesn’t mean anyone in the home is being beaten.

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Removing all the guns from a home based on a phone call is troubling. It’s something that should never be allowed. If there’s enough reason to be concerned, why not arrest the abuser? Why not work through the legal system that way?

And Klippert is also right that this would potentially disarm the victims, people who may have gotten a gun to fight back against these attacks.

But if that stupidity wasn’t enough, the state also managed to pass this nugget:

Rep. Goodman also introduced HB 1465 extending the wait-time for law-abiding concealed pistol license (CPL) holders to get their firearm after purchase.

In other words, people who have already been vetted and have a permit proving they’re not convicted felons are having to face extended wait times to pick up guns they’ve already paid for?

Holy crap on a cracker, really?

Honestly, can someone tell me who released the Stupid Gas in Washington? My friends in that state are as smart as ever, so it’s not everywhere, but it’s infected enough people that they’re electing morons like this to their state legislature.

I’ve mentioned before that the Pacific Northwest is one of the places in this country that I’ve never been to, but desperately want to visit. It’s clear, though, that I damn sure wouldn’t want to live there. Not if they can’t understand that people with CPLs aren’t criminals and shouldn’t be treated like criminals. They’ve got documentation that they have passed a background check more extensive than the NICS check, yet these lawmakers want to make those people wait to pick up their property.

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Pathetic.

The question is, will the governor sign the bills?

Probably. I haven’t seen anything from Gov. Jay Inslee to suggest that he’ll be the least bit sympathetic to gun owners in this matter. That means lawsuits, of course, especially with regard to taking guns from homes where no one has been convicted of anything, but until that worms its way through the courts, it looks like Washington residents will be stuck with this nonsense.

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