.

Already wrote my Senator & Reps . . . received very positive responses from all three. As written, this bill attempts to trample on several Amendments and comes in the wake of the tragic slayings of the Lakewood police officers, but does nothing to prevent a similar occurrence in the future and isn't worth the time required for a public hearing. To quote Chelan County Sheriff Mike Harum (appointed by the governor to a law enforcement panel looking into the recent police officer murders: "Maurice Clemmons violated many existing firearms laws <and other laws> before he murdered the officers, so it seems rather dubious to argue that additional <gun> laws might have prevented this tragedy." Write those in the State Legislature who represent you (the ones who occupy "the peoples' seats"), requesting they oppose this bill and support more effective bills such as SB6203 (creates a scoring system based on misdemeanor domestic violence history designed to keep chronic offenders in jail longer) and SJR8218 (a constitutional amendment that would prohibit bail for offenses that may result in a mandatory life sentence upon conviction; Maurice Clemmons wouldn't have been on the streets had this law been in effect.). Without the Second Amendment, the other Amendments may all be in jeopardy. Get involved.

SB 6396 is more far-reaching than it appears on the surface and will absolutely impact a gigantic swath of Washington firearm owners, including concealed pistol license holders, hunters and competitive pistol shooters. As examples, consider the following restrictions that flow from the provisions of this horrendous piece of gun control legislation:

Every semiautomatic AND PUMP-ACTION rifle or shotgun that has a detachable magazine and has a pistol grip located rear of the trigger (yes, that is just about all of them) is defined as an “assault weapon” and is banned under SB 6396!


If you and your child/children are out in the woods plinking with his or her Ruger 10-22 and there are more than 10 rounds in the magazine, you are a FELON!


If you are a Concealed Pistol License holder and your semi-auto self-defense pistol contains more than 10 rounds, you are a FELON!
The use of firearms defined as “assault weapons” (see first bullet point) are banned for use in hunting!


Competitive shooters will be impacted as any semi-auto pistol that has a detachable magazine and is equipped with a muzzle brake or compensator is defined as an “assault weapon!”


If you own a firearm(s) defined as an “assault weapon” on the date this bill becomes law, you can keep it if you are willing to allow your Sheriff to come into your home once every year to ensure you store your firearm(s) appropriately!

Senate Bill 6396 is proof that the gun-ban groups and politicians are not interested in only banning semi-automatic firearms that happen to look like military firearms. This bill shows where they really want to go with their agenda! This gun ban scheme will only punish law-abiding citizens and will do nothing to curb crime or keep criminals from obtaining firearms illegally. This is not only another attack on our Second Amendment rights in Washington State, but an attack on your Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches of your home!


From NRA web site on the ban

Here's the letter I'm sending to my Senator and Representatives:

It’s another slap in the face for law abiding citizens in Washington state. Senators Kline, Fairly, Kohl-Welles, and McDermott are pushing their personal agenda to ban assault weapons with the introduction of Senate Bill 6396. They do this despite the conclusion of Chelan County Sheriff Mike Harum who was appointed by Gov. Gregoire to look at potential changes in the laws. Here is the article posted in the Wentchee World.

WENATCHEE, Wash. (AP) - Maurice Clemmons, who gunned down four Lakewood police officers Nov. 29, was an evil man and no changes in gun laws are going to prevent murders like he committed.

That is a conclusion that Chelan County Sheriff Mike Harum said he came to while serving on a panel of law enforcement officers looking into the shootings.

He was appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire to a panel that was asked to determine if changes in state laws might have prevented the murders, or if any changes could prevent similar murders in the future.

"Our fear was that if a legislator has a knee-jerk reaction to this whole incident, he might come up with something that we would not be able to work with as a community," Harum said.

The panel met Dec. 29 in Olympia. Harum was the only law enforcement officer from North Central Washington on the eight-member panel.

Harum said he has heard rumors that some legislators want to ban assault weapons and others want to require that all guns be registered.

"Maurice Clemmons violated many firearms laws before he murdered the officers, so it seems rather dubious to argue additional laws might have prevented this tragedy," Harum said.

He noted that the gun Clemmons used in the murder was stolen, and that he stole a gun from a police officer during the shooting rampage.

"If people talk about registering every firearm in the state of Washington, that's going to put a tremendous burden on law enforcement, and won't do anything to solve the problem," Harum said, noting criminals will continue to get their weapons illegally.

Harum called Clemmons "a very evil person" and said, "You have to put total responsibility on him for what he did. ... Even if we had a state of the art system, it would not have prevented him from killing."

Maurice Clemmons was under supervision by the state Department of Corrections when authorities say he shot and killed four Lakewood officers at a coffee shop before the start of their shifts. Clemmons was shot and killed by police after a two-day manhunt.

His parole from Arkansas had been transferred to Washington state, where he was living at the time of the murders.

Harum said the members of the review panel agreed with him that any changes in the system would not have prevented the killings.

He summarized other panel observations:
- Since very few criminals engage in violent crime early on, all who go through the criminal justice system must be held accountable for minor violations.
- The state should require mental health screenings before accepting prisoners from out of state for community custody.
- Police chiefs and sheriffs must have more discretion in denying concealed pistol licenses to mentally ill people.
- Legislation should be considered to hold those who knowingly provide firearms illegally more accountable for their actions.

I ask that you do everything in your power to defeat this bill. Honor the murdered officers with real effective legislation to deter criminals, not law abiding citizens. Don’t detract from the real issues that need to be addressed as noted by Sheriff Harum.