Gun rights advocates rally in Olympia Friday
Jan 17, 2020, 7:29 AM | Updated: 10:52 am
Gun rights advocates continue to push back against proposed restrictions. (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Gun rights advocates are flocked to Olympia Friday morning to rally at the State Capitol Building, and send a message to lawmakers as they start taking up a series of gun control measures.
Gun rights advocates: New gun safety agenda proof of slippery slope
“We’re saying we do have Constitutional rights that must be protected — we’re not the bad guys,” The Gun Mag’s Dave Workman told KIRO Radio.
Workman says gun owners are concerned about a variety of proposals, including bans on so-called assault weapons and high capacity magazines, and an effort to undo state pre-emption which stops local jurisdictions from enacting tougher gun laws than the state.
By last fall, nine states had passed laws restricting magazines to 10 to 15 bullets. Similar restrictions are being considered on the federal level.
State Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Gov. Jay Inslee want to limit magazines to 10 rounds in Washington state. A proposed bill makes exceptions for law enforcement, military, and recreational shooting ranges.
They also want to ban the sale of “assault weapons,” which are defined as semi-automatic guns that contain at least one military-style feature. The measure allows for the possession of grandfathered weapons that were purchased before the effective date of the bill.
Friday’s rally opposing those restrictions was organized by the Gun Rights Coalition, who has asked its supporters carrying firearms to keep them holstered or slung.
“Each of us is responsible for our own actions,” it said in the rally’s Facebook event page. “That includes both appropriate safety and conducting ourselves in a respectful manner that will reflect positively on the group as a whole.”
I-1639 forces WSU to ax popular gun storage program
The rally kicked off at 8:30 a.m. Friday.
On Monday, Jan. 20, a separate rally will be held, this time by those in support of gun control. The Alliance for Gun Responsibility will be organizing ahead of a 10 a.m. Monday hearing in the Legislature, to show its support for proposed restrictions on assault weapons.
KIRO 7 TV staff and KIRO Radio’s Hanna Scott contributed to this report
