Shootings give rise to new gun bills

[Anonymous]

I saw this in todays Wenatchee World.

Bills would take aim at gun violence.
In response to high-profile shootings in Seattle and Lakewood, state legislators have filed bills, or say they will file bills, that aim to reduce gun violence.

The bills are:
• The Aaron Sullivan Public Safety and Police Protection Bill. Three legislators have said they plan to introduce a bill that would prevent the future sales of assault weapons to private citizens and would also require all current owners to submit to a background check.

The lawmakers are Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina; Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle; and Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle.

The legislation is named for Aaron Sullivan, 18, who was fatally shot last July in Seattle, allegedly with an assault-style weapon, according to a news release from Washington CeaseFire, a gun-control group promoting the bill.

Supporters of the proposed bill say they were also motivated by the slaying Oct. 31 of Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton and the wounding of his partner, according to the CeaseFire news release.

As of this morning, that bill had not been filed.

• The Lakewood Law Enforcement Memorial Act Bill. One part aims to change the state constitution and stop potential three-strike offenders from posting bail. The bill was introduced by Rep. Mike Hope, a Republican from Lake Stevens.

Another part of the bill would exempt people from bail if they are potentially dangerous and had a prior felony sentence thrown out in another state.

That bill was prefiled before the legislative session began Monday.

[Rich McVey]

I can see where they would want to do something to deal with this, but why do they always target the law abiding crowd when criminals do bad things. You can run background checks on me all day long and find nothing bad... but the POS next door is going to pack a gun, illegally, anyway.

These interest groups use the words "Assault Style Weapons" for everything. I dont recall an assault weapon being used during any of the latest shootings. Just semi auto hunting rifle and pistols.

What if it looked like an M-16, but was only a single shot? Still gonna call it "Assault Style"? I heard some similar remarks about Compound Bows after the special lil elk hunt that happened last week in the fenced field. # of shots per second, FPS, and delivered energy are more comparable to single shot med-low caliber center fire.

Its sad that the law makers take such a knee jerk reaction to things with out fully understanding what they are passing laws on. Its all politics and scare tactics to sway voters and the general public and to boost their own standing.

We need stiffer law for the criminals, not more rules for upstanding citizens.

[Marc Martyn]

I can see where they would want to do something to deal with this, but why do they always target the law abiding crowd when criminals do bad things. You can run background checks on me all day long and find nothing bad... but the POS next door is going to pack a gun, illegally, anyway.

This seems to be the approach government officials take for any major crisis that arises. Now, since the Christmas Day attempted airline bombing, everyone has to go through "full body scans" and pat-downs. It is absolutely obscured that an 80 year old great grandmother has to go through a body scan. I have decided that from now on, I am not flying anymore unless it is an absolute emergency. I love to fly, but refuse to be treated like a suspected terrorist.

Any time there is a major crisis, the lawmakers line up in front of the cameras and propose new laws to make it appear that they are really on top of the issue and are in control.......purely political. The law abiding citizen is the one that it always affects in a negative way.

[bionic_one]

I support that Lakewood law. That said...

Lawmakers don't knee jerk, private interest groups use everything as an excuse to get what they want.


I don't understand why these morons don't realize that criminals don't usually get their guns legally in the first place!!!


Also: I'm sorry if you find this offensive, but if political correctness would go away, and allow profiling, this terrorist garbage wouldn't be nearly as big a problem. They should just hand search and/or body scan anyone that flies in our country that isn't a citizen.

[Anonymous]

I figured this article would start a very spirited debate and I was correct. I'm looking forward to reading both sides after I finish cleaning my AR.

[Rich McVey]

I support that Lakewood law. That said...

Lawmakers don't knee jerk, private interest groups use everything as an excuse to get what they want.


I don't understand why these morons don't realize that criminals don't usually get their guns legally in the first place!!!


Also: I'm sorry if you find this offensive, but if political correctness would go away, and allow profiling, this terrorist garbage wouldn't be nearly as big a problem. They should just hand search and/or body scan anyone that flies in our country that isn't a citizen.

Well, Im NOT offended. I like a good discussion.

I agree with the Lakewood Law Enforcement Memorial Act Bill as is has been worded and posted here. I have not read the actual bill myself.

Maybe "KneeJerk" is not the right word, I like Marc's take on it.. but they didnt propose these laws until something happened, and is apparent to me they didnt take the time to KNOW what they are dealing with. Other than Cheney and his crew... how many of our lawmakers have and use guns? Im not talking about the 9mm they keep at home or in the car that they never fire, but actual NRA gun users?

Officers were shot and they ran out to make bills to show that they are doing something about it. BUT... Shouldnt they have been doing something about it sooner, like before this happened. It was a failure on multiple levels of the justice system that let a couple of these scum bags walk the street. Clemons should never been on the street and Montfort was already on their radar.

Yea, I know budgeting makes this harder when the right resources are not im place and I dont have an answer for it all. I just think this is one of those things that if they truely were educated about gun use and the people that use them, their proposals would not be affecting the general population in mass and would target the criminals.

Rich

[Amx]

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/81260732.html

[Bodofish]

An armed society is a polite society.

[Rich McVey]

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Harum's comment hit it right on the head.

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.

"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.

[BentRod]

My favorite:

"If guns were outlawed, then only outlaws would have guns."

:batman:

[Kfisherman]

No reason for third strike felons to be on the street. It's best to keep the locked up. In Washington not all felonies count towards your strikes. They have to be violent felonies. So if your a third strike felon in Washington, your obviously a violent person and a dangerous person in society. You belong behind bars with your kind.