The Shotwad Issue#2/17 The Official Newsletter of the Marysville Rifle Club February, 2017 The Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms Shall Not Be Infringed Bullet Points Washington State’s Assault Weapons Ban Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson • Membership Renewal Dates has announced two new sweeping gun control bills, Tentative Membership Renewal Dates, 2017: with Sen. David Frockt (D-Seattle) and Rep. Strom March, 2017: Peterson (D-Edmonds) as the bill’s prime sponsors. Saturday March 4 th (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) Despite being described as “assault weapon reform,” Monday March 6 th (5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.) the proposed legislation is nothing short of a ban of Saturday March 11 th (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) many common, legal firearms and “large-capacity Monday March 13 th (5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) magazines” currently possessed by millions of law- Wed. March15 th (5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) abiding Americans for self-defense, hunting, and Saturday March 18 th (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) recreational shooting. Wed. March 22 nd (5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) Both bills use the same extensive definitions of “assault weapon” and “large-capacity magazine” April, 2017: (LCM). “Assault weapon” would include: Monday April 3 rd (5:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.) -A semiautomatic rifle using a detachable magazine Monday April 10 th (5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) and with one or more of the listed six features (e.g., folding or telescoping stock, thumbhole stock) ● 2017 EBoard Elections -A semiautomatic handgun or a semiautomatic, Membership, your club needs your help! The centerfire, or rimfire rifle with a fixed magazine that February General Membership Meeting will be can hold more than ten rounds your last chance to step up and get nominated -A semiautomatic, centerfire, or rimfire rifle with for an Eboard position (floor nomination). overall length of less than 30 inches Please give some serious thought to running for -A semiautomatic handgun using a detachable a board position, the future of YOUR club relies magazine and with one of the listed four features, on YOU. What do you need to do? -A shotgun with a revolving cylinder or certain Come to the GMM on February 13 @ 7:30 PM. semiautomatic shotguns. When floor nominations are called for, have your best buddy stand up and nominate you for a The bills exclude “any firearm that is manually position (or do it yourself). Nominees with less operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action,” than 2 years of membership require a 2/3 vote “antique” firearms, and any gun that has been made waiver from the attending membership. permanently inoperable. Give a statement about yourself. Here is the current list of nominees for the 2017 The first bill prohibits all possession, purchase, sale Eboard Election: or transfer of an “assault weapon” or LCM, except as President: Joe Ridenhour permitted. (“Transfer” already has a special definition in Washington law, and means any “intended delivery Vice President: Michael Selders of a firearm to another person without consideration David Eason of payment or promise of payment including, but not limited to, gifts and loans.”) The exceptions for other Secretary: Bill Davis than law enforcement personnel or licensed dealers include persons who legally possess such items when Treasurer: Robert Wydro the law takes effect, and persons who become owners through inheritance or other operation of law, 3 Year Trustee: Dennis Greene provided these owners can “establish such Robert Brittle provenance.” Once grandfathered, owners are Dennis Dice 1 Edward Carter themselves prohibited from selling or transferring the Licensed dealers would be prohibited from selling or item, other than to a licensed dealer or by way of delivering an "assault weapon" or LCM to any person permanent relinquishment to law enforcement. Guns who does not have a state-issued license. Even with and magazines relinquished to law enforcement licensees, the bill would require the dealer to keep “must be destroyed.” These bills have less to do with records of every transaction, to be submitted to local “meaningful reforms” for public safety and reducing law enforcement. Further, because Washington State crime (other than the newly defined crimes of being has a private background check requirement that gun owners) than they do with moving the incremental applies to sales and “transfers” of firearms, the dealer process of stigmatizing guns and eliminating firearm performing a background check on a non-sale private possession by law-abiding citizens another giant step “transfer” of an "assault weapon" is prohibited from forward in Washington State. The bill also imposes a “facilitating the transfer” if the parties lack the storage requirement on grandfathered owners as necessary licenses. Residents of other states would a condition of continued lawful possession. The be prohibited from purchasing rifles and shotguns in “assault weapon” or LCM must be kept in a safe, gun Washington if the firearm comes within the definition safe, lock box or other device that can be locked and of “assault weapon.” constructed of workmanship and material such “that it cannot be pried open or easily removed or defeated.” And if all this wasn’t enough, the penalties for violations of these bills are staggering. Under the first The second bill proposes a marginally less extreme bill, any violations are Class C felonies, as are alternative. First, it would impose a registration- violations of the licensing or the “great care” licensing system for “assault weapons” and LCMs. requirements in the second bill. Class C felonies are Every person who possesses, transports, punishable by five years’ imprisonment, a fine of manufactures, purchases or sells an “assault $10,000, or both the imprisonment and the fine. weapon” or LCM must have an annual state-issued According to a news report, the goal is to pass the license, with an updated license required every time “assault weapons” ban, with the second bill being the there is a change in possession of the gun or LCM. fall-back or alternative. Predictably, these measures The licensing requirement has a delay period (until are being characterized as “common-sense solutions” 2020) before it applies to persons who currently to prevent "gun violence". possess such items, but these persons would be prohibited from selling or transferring the gun or LCM You can read the detail of these bills by going to: to anyone other than a licensed dealer, a gunsmith, or SB5050 - https://legiscan.com/WA/bill/SB5050/2017 to law enforcement for permanent relinquishment. HB1134 - https://legiscan.com/WA/bill/HB1134/2017 Like the first bill, this bill mandates that relinquished Below is an email list of all Washington State guns and LCMs “must be destroyed.” Licenses would Representatives and Senators in the exact format you not be available to persons under 21 years of age. need to email every one of them. Simply copy and Applicants would have to show proof of completing paste the emails below into your bcc address box, the specific kind of comprehensive training, and type up a very firm and professional email voicing your provide a statement that he or she will only use the opinion of these proposed bills (HB 1134, SB 5050, gun or LCM for the specified “lawful” purposes and will and HB 1387). Let’s be proactive and set them always use “safe gun storage” when the "assault straight on this issue. Make it known that infringing on weapon" or LCM is not in the person’s “immediate the rights of law-abiding citizens will not be tolerated! possession.” The license applicant must provide a Get everyone you know to email these “full description” of both the lawful purpose for which representatives and senators to voice our opposition. the assault weapon or LCM is sought and the “safe It is only through our own individual proactive gun storage” the applicant will use. The application involvement that our 2 nd amendment rights will be also requires a minimum $50 fee, detailed personal preserved. Copy and paste the below email information, detailed information about the weapon or addresses into your address box and start emailing LCM, fingerprinting, and a state database/NICS like crazy. check. The bill also imposes a “great care” standard for licensees, in which the licensee must keep the assault weapon unloaded, within “secure gun storage,” when it is not in the licensee’s immediate possession. 2 [email protected] , [email protected] , Barba [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , Michael. [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , Steve [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , Brian.Blake [email protected] , [email protected] , @leg.wa.gov , [email protected] , Sharon.Brown@leg. [email protected] , [email protected] , wa.gov , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , M [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , Annet [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , Eileen [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , Sincere thanks to MRC member Mike Rowe for [email protected] , [email protected] , providing the above information to Your Faithful [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , Editor.