Dori: AG goes after Klickitat Co. sheriff over I-1639, but not Durkan, Constantine
Feb 14, 2019, 7:45 AM
(AP file Photo/Elaine Thompson)
The most dangerous politician I have ever covered in my 24 years on the air is at it again. Attorney General Bob Ferguson released a statement saying that he plans to go after sheriffs in this state who are not going to enforce I-1639.
Voted into law in November, I-1639 is a strict gun control measure that raises the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21; establishes background checks, mandatory training, and waiting periods before the purchase of semi-automatic rifles; and mandates that gun owners lock their firearms in a safe, with the consequence that it is a felony for a gun owner if his or her firearm that is not properly locked away is stolen and used in the commission of a crime.
A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer, who stated that his office will not enforce I-1639, not only because it goes against the Washington State Constitution and U.S. Constitution, but also because it is detrimental to residents’ safety. Ensuring his county’s safety is his top duty, he said.
RELATED: Klickitat County Sheriff says ignoring 1639 doesn’t set bad precedent
In light of the attorney general’s announcement, Songer spoke to our show again, reaffirming his stance.
“He’s bullying the sheriffs and county prosecutors, apparently, by making threats that he’s going to hold us accountable,” Songer said of Ferguson.
Songer, who has 48 years of experience in law enforcement, remained adamant that I-1639 is unconstitutional and “will not do one iota in making [communities] safer.” He pointed out that the criminals will continue to get their hands on guns, and that banning responsible gun owners from having certain weapons just creates a black market for the criminals who are determined to have guns.
“What I see him doing is real alarming,” Songer said of Ferguson. “He is trampling all over citizens’ Second Amendment [rights] … When they start tinkering around with the Second Amendment, or any other amendment of the Constitution, that’s dangerous territory.”
When you use the Attorney General’s office as a weapon against anybody who doesn’t think the way you do, when you use it as a protection racket for everybody on the left, you are a dangerous politician.
Let me give you some examples of what I mean by “protection racket for the Left.” Dan Satterberg, the King County prosecutor, has legalized small amounts of drugs. With that, we’ve got a rampant crime problem. Drug addicts are killing, raping, attacking, and robbing people. We’ve attracted criminals from all around the country because of our lax drug policies.
Our political leaders are refusing to prosecute the crime of drug possession. And Bob Ferguson is fine with these leftist politicians deciding which laws not to enforce. But when an Eastern Washington sheriff makes the exact same determination, the AG is all over that.
Here’s another example. If an illegal immigrant is charged with a DUI, they could be deported. But Satterberg doesn’t want illegal immigrants deported because of sanctuary policy, so he has instructed his prosecutors here in King County not to charge illegal immigrants with DUI. An illegal immigrant driving drunk has more rights than a taxpaying American citizen who drives drunk, even though both present the same risk.
Sanctuary is a Democrat-endorsed policy beloved by Jay Inslee and Jenny Durkan and Dow Constantine. Does Attorney General Ferguson come in and say, “Wait, you can’t just pick and choose which people are charged with DUI?” Of course not — because sanctuary policy is a leftist cause. If an illegal immigrant gets behind the wheel drunk and kills someone, I wish there was a way to charge our sanctuary-touting politicians with accessory to vehicular homicide. Yet our attorney general tells an Eastern Washington sheriff that he will be held responsible if a person not allowed to have a gun under I-1639 uses a firearm to carry out a crime.
By the way, speaking of sanctuary, we still haven’t heard the immigration status of the people involved in the Northgate homicide last week. We know that there was a language barrier that delayed the police being dispatched. We know that as the police confronted the man who decapitated a woman, he couldn’t understand what the cops were saying and they couldn’t understand him. Of course, we’re not allowed to ask the immigration status of the people in that apartment, because it’s not right to ask.
Jay Inslee, Dow Constantine, Jenny Durkan — this took place in your state, your county, your city. Should you be held personally responsible for that woman’s head being cut off? You tell us all the time how great being a sanctuary place is. Why do you not address that issue when a woman is decapitated and our police officers have to go through the trauma of having to kill a man? Talk to us about sanctuary when horrible crimes are committed by people who wouldn’t be here if not for your policies. Don’t just tell us about the wondrous benefits of sanctuary. Have the guts to discuss both the good and the bad of your policy.
Bob Ferguson, I know that you’re doing this because you want to run for governor, but have the decency to put that blindfold back on when enforcing the law, so that you do so without favoritism. I’ll back off on you threatening a rural sheriff if you file charges against Jay Inslee, and Dow Constantine, and Jenny Durkan for the Northgate homicide — if it turns out that the man who murdered that woman was in the country illegally. And how about freeing up your agencies to give us the immigration information about criminals in the first place?
I’m guessing the response will be radio silence in a state that has gone rogue to the left.