Last Friday, April 7, gun-control bills House Bill 1143 and House Bill 1240 passed the Senate with amendments. These bills will have to go back to the House for concurrence. Senate Bill 5078 is still waiting to be heard on the House floor. Please contact your state Representative urging them to oppose these bills as they will do nothing to reduce gun violence in Washington and only affect law-abiding citizens. You can use our Take Action letter to ensure your state Representative receives your email asking them to OPPOSE HB 1143, HB 1240 and SB 5078.
House Bill 1143 requires a permit to purchase a firearm and institutes a 10-day waiting period before a person can take possession of their legally purchased firearm or longer if the state fails to complete the background check within 10 days. The state police will also maintain a “registry” of gun owners.
House Bill 1240 bans a provided list of rifles, including many that are used by millions of Americans for self-defense and hunting, and goes the additional step of adding “features” of firearms that expand the list to hundreds more.
Senate Bill 5078 creates a special cause of action for individual victims to sue firearms manufacturers for the violent acts of third parties.
The bill that is an affront to the American justice system, House Bill 1234 is waiting to be heard by the full Senate. Please use our Take Action button below to email your state Senator urging them to OPPOSE HB 1234. Please make sure you use BOTH our take action buttons to ensure your state Representative and Senator receive your opposition to all these bills.
As previously reported, HB 1234 requires an accused pet owner to fund 30 days of the cost of care for any animal seized and to continue posting additional bonds until the charges have been adjudicated. Failure to pay the cost of care, before proven guilty, would result in the forfeiture of the animal. And even if the charges are dropped or if the accused is found not guilty, a person might get a refund of their cost of care money and they might have the animal returned.
Unfortunately, one pro-sportsmen bill, House Bill 1824 failed to pass the policy committee deadline last week and is considered defeated for the year.
HB 1824 would have expanded the availability of sweepstakes, raffles, and other games of chance for nonprofit organizations to raise funds for important conservation, education, and other important work.
Don’t forget to share this important alert with your family, friends and fellow sportsmen, and ask them to take the important action of contacting their state Representative and Senator to urge them to OPPOSE HB 1143, HB 1240, SB 5078, and HB 1234.
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
