Billionaire-backed Evergreen State gun control proponents have announced their 2024 legislative wish list, and it’s already getting attention from Second Amendment activists who are rolling up their sleeves for a fight.
The Legislature convenes Jan. 8 for a 60-day election year session.
After restrictions kicked in Jan. 1, including a new 10-day waiting period on all gun sales plus a requirement to prove buyers have completed a firearm safety course during the past five years, anti-gunners, including Democrats in the state House and Senate, are already demonstrating they have a hunger for more. Gun owners’ rights are on the menu.
As reported previously by Ammoland, anti-gun House Democrats have already filed legislation to do the bidding of the Seattle-based Alliance for Gun Responsibility. They have introduced legislation requiring a permit-to-purchase firearms, but there is more. Here’s the list:
- RESTORE LOCAL AUTHORITY: (Repeal state preemption) Local leaders are best positioned to address their communities’ challenges. They should be empowered to make decisions about gun safety to keep their communities safe and build on the work that happens at the State Legislature by ending local preemption of firearm regulations. Gun violence prevention can—and should—happen at every level of government. House Bill 1178 (held over from last year)
- RESTRICTING BULK FIREARM PURCHASES: (One gun per month) Limiting the number of firearms an individual can purchase at a given time is a straightforward approach to prevent gun trafficking. House Bill 2054.
- REPORT LOST AND STOLEN FIREARMS: Gun thefts often result in firearms being channeled into an underground market, where they can easily fall into the hands of those intent on causing harm. Washington State must require gun owners to report guns that have been lost or stolen to law enforcement, helping to prevent illegal gun trafficking. House Bill 1903
- DEALER RESPONSIBILITY: We must continue to hold the gun industry accountable by establishing responsible standards of care for firearms dealers operating in Washington State. Making safeguards explicit ensures that dealers are taking reasonable precautions regarding safe storage, preventing straw purchases, and maintaining accurate records. This responsibility is crucial in ensuring that firearms are sold and managed in a manner that prioritizes public safety.
More than 40 states have preemption laws, and maybe half of them were patterned after Washington’s law, which was adopted first in 1983 and reinforced in 1985. Anti-gunners have wanted to erase this since it was adopted.
Washington Democrats evidently haven’t paid much attention to what has happened in neighboring Oregon, where the permit-to-purchase was part of Measure 114, which was declared unconstitutional last fall by an Oregon circuit judge. There are federal lawsuits challenging the measure as well, currently on appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
Constitutionality doesn’t appear to mean much to Evergreen State Democrats, however. As observed by activist Aaron Lyons on the Washington 2024 Legislative Action Group’s Facebook Page, “They don’t care they want us disarmed, they don’t want anyone else or future generations acquiring firearms.”
By some estimates, there may be in excess of 1.5 million gun owners in Washington. According to the State Department of Licensing, 2023 ended with more than 693,000 active concealed pistol licenses. The challenge has always been in getting these people to all vote in the actual election. Apparently, too many of them equate complaining or declaring “come and take them” on Facebook with actually filling out a ballot and mailing it in.
Conservative voters in Washington despise mail-in ballots, contending that it is far too easy to cheat (voter fraud) with voting by mail. They far prefer in-person voting and the requirement for voter identification.
It is likely the toll-free Legislative Hotline will be burning up this session. That number is 800-562-6000, and it is easy to use. Call and leave a message for your state senator and/or representative, and that message gets delivered to the lawmaker. Washingtonians also will be sending personal email messages to their state representatives, whose email addresses are found on their individual web pages: House, Senate.
Ammoland has previously reported the dismal failure of Washington gun control laws, which were never designed to punish criminals but penalize honest citizens. As in other states, gun control in Washington state has amounted to choking restrictions on both the Second Amendment and Article I, Section 24 of the state constitution, camouflaged with empty promises and producing no tangible results. And the homicide numbers have gone up, not down. Seattle ended the year with 73 homicides, according to Seattle Homicide (not connected to the Seattle Police Department).
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
I wouldn’t say we are out of the woods yet. Once the Oregon Legislature is back in session, you can bet the farm they are going to pass bills that look like 114 and worse. The court process takes so long to right wrongs here.
I’ll keep handing money to GOA everytime they ask me.
I just wrote the check to renew my membership in GOA. I gave up on the NRA decades ago!
But even the GOA et al, will EVER do anything that is really effective in combatting this tyranny, because they will put themselves right out of business if they do that! And EVERYONE is fighting for survival in the best way that they know how!
What a cushy job, to swindle people out of their hard earned wages by promising to do something which is never intended to be done! It’s that carrot dangling on the end of a stick, one that can never be reached, but the dumb animals keep on walking towards until they drop over dead!
From the article:
prove buyers have completed a firearm safety course during the past five years,
So if it’s been 5 years and one day, I have to do a new course? Don’t need to do that to get a renewal on your permit!
Washington, Oregoneistan and Commiefornia need Constitutional Carry, in fact, the whole USA needs constitutional carry.
Where is the judge to stop this in Washington.
As i have said many times. What difference does a court decision make, when Liberal/Progressive democrats. Simply Ignore it.
When it would become unified law of the land and there would actually be enforcement of people not following it, then it will make the difference.
Hochul, Newsome and others should be fined and removed from their postilions or made to stop. If that were to happen then we could start straightening this mess out but it will take all the states and not people that live in free states not speaking up and staying in their fox hole because it doesn’t affect them.
jailed and personal monies distributed to those they harmed
Innoring a court order can be the basis of a contempt of court citation and personal loss of income and freedom.
At this point there is no judge in Washington that will do anything about this. What we need is a concerted effort on the part of every gun owner in this state to elect a conservative governator and end the majority in the state and federal levels of congress. If they can say it is okay to start killing Jews again, we should be able to do the same with even bigger rallies than they have and get some real meat out there for the people to chew on. Somehow there must be some hope left. Not all the folks… Read more »
I relate so much to everything you said. I am trapped too and the last part about not changing things I know myself. That’s one of the reasons I am working for constitutional carry Oregon. When the SHTF, we could all be armed and need to be because you never know when it is going to start.
Things are not great and the next election will determine what is going to happen. Either way, I know there is going to be trouble. Be prepared and stay armed my friend.
Oregoneistan
You too, Brother. I believe and hope that this ‘truth’ we talk about is going to rear it’s ugly head this year and if they let illegals vote and can keep Trump off the ballot anywhere in this country it will be the final straw. That camel will go down for the final time and the dark state will know what a real insurrection looks like. I guarantee they are not going to be happy.
according to what another told me on this site, only congress can keep someone from running for president. If that’s the case, they will need to make a decision before all the ballots go into print. Since democRATS and RINO’s outnumber real patriots in congress I have a feeling it will be “we tried but just couldn’t get it done in time” “the wheels of progress are slow”, so, sorry Charlie, you just have to live with it and vote for someone else we approve of like Tricky Nickey instead and don’t write his name in because the computers will… Read more »
Can some explain to me how reporting lost/stolen guns will have any impact on gun trafficking?? Of course you need a police report if you’re making an insurance claim. Reporting theft might protect you if a criminal is caught using your gun, but the knowledge that the theft has been reported won’t discourage criminals from trading in stolen guns. What really concerns me is that the anti gunner’s wish lists almost always have “safe storage “ laws along with theft reporting. If I report a stolen gun are they going to attempt to charge me with failing to safely store… Read more »
As far as leaving phone messages or emails for either state or federal representatives, I have serious doubts to put it mildly, that the reps ever see them. If they’re even read by staff farther than determining it’s an apposing view and then dumped, I be surprised-no shocked. Every time I send something to Murray or Delbene(fed sen., rep., WA) I get the same boiler plate letter back from some front office staffer loaded with lies, falsehoods and misinformation. It’s the same with the local reps, all democrats of course, that has identical wording, and the only thing different is… Read more »
so one guy said they just ignore the court ruling if they don’t like the outcome , so we can do the same thing we own this country not them a-holes and if they don’t like that i guess we can revert to the ways of the early americans did . you people of these states need to get your head outta your ass and start pushing back heavily that’s all they understand, remember the summer of love?
You should be smart enough to realise that OUR ignoring these illegal and uncinstitutional “laws” gets peons like you and I tossed into the slammer, our savings drained paying for lawyers to get us off with a reduced sentnece.. maybe, our gun rights forever stolen from us. Until these tyrants breaking the laws in passing these unconstitutional laws face dire and PERSINAL consequences for their perfidy, violation of their sworn oath of office, and hey get the time in the slammer, nothing will change. Tyranny at its worst. They break the law in foising these vile abuses upin us, and… Read more »
EXACTLY right, G-man! The legal system is totally corrupted and a criminal cabal, therefore, it has ZERO legitimate power or authority over any man or woman!! Everyone who gets ensnared by the legal system needs to demand to see their written guarantee that they will be treated fairly in it and that no mistakes will be made either! And THAT is how we take our country back!!
boy the slime in washandgone is thick, next will be fake meat only
And ALL of these so-called “laws”, are repugnant to the Constitution’s Bill of Rights, but yet they get passed anyway, so the scumbag LIEyers can fight them in the 100% corrupted legal system, and rake in tens of millions, if not billions of fiat dollars!! Why is it so hard to see even one part of this, when it is as big as the Moon?? How many times do I have to explain this before enough people “get it” and decide to do something different? Is everyone too dumbed down to see the logic in my paper called The UNIVERSAL… Read more »
As I see it Washington is a lost cause leave them to their own device’s. We all know what the results will be.
They will simply be the experiment needed to ultimately prove that their way will not work. Conservatives will move out and the rest will kill each other off.
Gee, thanks for all your support,Terry. Those of us here that care, are doing everything we can in the midst of overwhelming opposition. Most of us can’t just cut and run, and head outta Dodge. We vote, we voice our opposition and we send money to pro-2A organizations who fight the good fight like FPC, GOA, SAF and others. Thanks for throwing us under the bus instead of giving us your support. In case you didn’t know, SAF is headquartered in the belly of the beast, Bellevue, WA.
I downvoted you because you apparently are not a Patriot. You seemingly don’t give a flying pig about anyone but yourself. You should be on a site that has given up, not here on Ammoland.
I’ve had family here for two decades before I was born, and have established a solid place i my community, almost all of us who hold the same values i do. NONE of us voted for the tyrants now running the joint. Mostt of us were here when the first in yer face stolen election came round (Queen Christine ascended to the throne). NONE of us have been able to figure out how to clean tings up. Yet NONE of us want to leave our homes of decades. Go back and learn about when our nation was first established. WHY… Read more »
I don’t believe the cause is lost. There is a real problem of people on the right who just don’t vote. I work with a gun rights advocacy group in Missouri and I talk to a lot of people who feel strongly and talk loudly about our rights. When pressed, a scary number of them sheepishly admit to not being registered to vote. There are all kinds of excuses from moving your residence, getting married (name change), just too busy, don’t want to be on the list for jury duty and on and on. All of the excuses are BULLHOCKEY.… Read more »