Wash. gun control supporters to form lobbying coalition
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Gun control advocates in Washington state are forming a coalition to lobby state lawmakers, hoping to help usher passage of a plan to expand background checks.
Democratic consultant Christian Sinderman said Tuesday the new group will focus this year on supporting lawmakers who take difficult votes on the issue and organize public efforts to keep pressure on the Legislature.
"We're hearing messages from legislators who want to be supportive that they're nervous about their electorate and how this issue is perceived," Sinderman said. The Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility will officially launch its work next week.
Gun buyers currently have to undergo a background check when they purchase a weapon from a federally licensed firearms dealer. Under a new bill, background checks would be extended to private gun sales, with supporters saying criminals can use that type of sale to bypass oversight.
The National Rifle Association has testified against the idea and has been pressuring lawmakers to reject the plan. The group sent out mailings recently targeting Republican Rep. Mike Hope, a Seattle police officer who has worked to develop the background checks bill.
A version of the background checks proposal has passed out of a House committee. It faces probably the biggest test in the state Senate, where a committee that would handle the bill is led by firearm-friendly lawmakers who recently rejected some other gun proposals.
Sinderman said the group is bringing on a lobbyist and a campaign manager. He said there's no discussion right now about pursuing a ballot measure.
Sinderman didn't have numbers of how much has been committed to the effort so far.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
I have sent my emails. Any elected official who supports or votes for limiting my God given rights, in opposition to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, will not be supported by me in the next election. In fact I will support whoever opposes them, with my time and money.
Background checks on private gun sales, I think not. Good luck on monitoring the private gun sales between me and friends.Â
Try infringing this #!?%.
@The Resistance They are
"We're hearing messages from legislators who want to be supportive that they're nervous about their electorate and how this issue is perceived,"Â
As they should be nervous. Those who covet their second amendment rights are watching every move they make. A gun control lobby will have limited impact, there just aren''t enough who truly believe in gun control to counter those that don't.
Which part of "...SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" is SOOOOOOO Confusing?
@John83864Â CNN is reporting that the Obama administration threatened Bob Woodward and promised he'd regret tackling their sequester idiocy.
The First Amendment is under attack now too. The horsemen are drawing nearer.
@Playanekes @John83864 What was Obama doing with his days away from his family? Partying with Tiger Woods. Should help with his game. Â
"Under a new bill, background checks would be extended to private gun sales, with supporters saying criminals can use that type of sale to bypass oversight."
This just in: Â Criminals will ignore that law just as they have other laws (thus rendering them criminals!)
I'm aghast that there are people of some political influence who actually believe that restricting law-abiding citizens will in some way force criminals to begin to obey the law.
As it stands right now, private parties can NOT Â sell to another private party that is barred by law from owning / possessing a gun. Â So the claim is made, that it's exactly that mechanism by which some criminals get their guns... ok, so the criminal breaks the law buying one, and the seller breaks the law selling it - tell me how that will change with this proposed background check enhancement?
""We're hearing messages from legislators who want to be supportive that they're nervous about their electorate and how this issue is perceived,"
yes, they SHOULD be nervous about how this issue is perceived by their electorate! Â When the elected acts to strip rights and freedoms from the electorate that put him/her in office... they darned well should be nervous (about loosing their jobs at the very least!)
This is happening here also. Look at Oregon HB 3200. By the wording of the bill, your 10/22 rimfire with a thumbhole sporter stock used for target/squirrels wil be illiegal and make you a felon. It will also require you to register your firearms with the local police and allow them to search your home for compliance. These people are nuts!! Your rights will slowly be stripped away.
@Mickeyyy Democrats are running from HB3200 like the plague. Rep. Greenlick has already pulled his support of the bill as written, which is noteworthy as he sponsored the bill. Sen. Burdick has waged a full scale assault on gun rights for the people of this state and Democrats will lose votes because of it. I know many Reagan Democrats who reject the assault on the second amendment.
@Mickeyyy NONE OF THE ANTI-GUNNERS ON HERE HAS READ HB3200, but I guarantee you they'd be hollering all about it if it was a Bush product.
Just like they don't care that some guy was arrested for following Biden's advice.
Gear up folks. The enemy has stepped up the pace.
@RalphCramdenTime to start naming names. The following people are responsible for HB3200 and will be held politically accountable, according to DEMOCRAT Senators and Representatives in Oregon who listed 16 names within their own party to watch out for. The following Oregon politicians are guilty of attempting to create warrant-less search and seizure by a specially-developed State office, and they are guilty of attempting to make criminals out of normal, everyday public citizens, veterans, private security personnel, retired police officers and countless other non-violent gun owners:
Representative GREENLICK; Representatives BAILEY, BUCKLEY, DEMBROW, FREDERICK, READ,REARDON, TOMEI, Senators BURDICK, DINGFELDER, HASS, MONNES ANDERSON, MONROE, SHIELDS,STEINER HAYWARD
These people are attempting to violate the US Constitution through law, and must be held accountable for, if nothing else, this:
"(3) The department shall create and maintain a registry for owners of assault weapons and large capacity magazines who qualify for registration under section 4 of this 2013 Act. The department may adopt rules concerning the administration of the registry, including but not limited to renewal and revocation procedures and storage requirements for assault weapons and large capacity magazines.
(4) The department may conduct inspections of registered owners of assault weapons and large capacity magazines to ensure compliance with the storage requirements of section 4of this 2013 Act."