Joe Waldron sent this out today:
GOAL Post 2010-3
Legislative Update from Olympia 22 January 2010
PUBLIC HEARING ON SB 6396
PUBLIC HEARING ON HB 2499
NEW PRO-GUN BILL FILED?
A public hearing will be conducted on SB 6396, the so-called “assault weapon” ban bill on Tuesday, 26 January. The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. in Senate Hearing Room “1” in the John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building on the Capitol Campus in Olympia.
It is imperative that as many individuals as possible attend the hearing and sign in in opposition to the bill. A sign-in sheet will be available at a side table just inside the hearing room (or if the crowd is large enough, the sign-in sheet may be outside the room in the corridor). Sign in with your name, address and a position on the bill: “con.” There is a place on the sign-in sheet to indicate whether or not you would like to testify. Time is limited, so I anticipate only a few individuals will be called upon on both sides of the issue. Who gets to testify and who does not is solely up to the committee chair (Senator Adam Kline, sponsor of the bill).
Hints on testimony: public input is limited to three minutes or less. Begin by stating your name and where you are from. Personal attacks on the motives of bill supporters are not allowed. If a point has already been made, do not repeat it. As with a letter to the editor, short, concise points are best. While reference to “cold, dead fingers” may be dramatic, this is NOT a drama. Courtesy is a virtue!
Parking in and around the Capitol Campus is extremely limited. Olympia parking enforcement makes a ton of money enforcing the one-hour limit in the residential areas just south of the Campus! If the spaces on Campus or overflow parking lots to the east are taken, it’s best to park in the business area in the blocks to the north, using the parking meters. Car-pooling is the way to go!
It is equally imperative that, whether you can attend the hearing or not, you contact your Senator, by e-mail (https://dlr.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx), direct telephone (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx) or Legislative Hotline (1-800-562-6000) to indicate your opposition to the bill.
A committee vote on the bill will likely be taken a few days later in executive session. The Judiciary Committee has eight members, five Democrats and three Republicans (matching the proportion of Democrats to Republicans in the Senate). The three Republicans and one Democrat lean our way.
Public testimony will also be taken on HB 2499, the bill that increases the allowable limits on possession of black powder. That hearing will be conducted on Friday, 29 January, at 8 a.m. by the House Labor & Commerce Committee in House Hearing Room “B” in the John L. O’Brien House Office Building, also on the Capitol Campus. This is more of a technical bill, lacking the controversy of SB 6396. While a turn-out isn’t needed, calls to your two Representatives in support of HB 2499 ARE needed.
HB 3082, a bill that would lower from 21 to 18 the age at which an application for a concealed pistol license could be applied and issued. The bill was filed by Representative Brendan Williams (D-22), a legislator heretofore known for filing anti-gun bills (e.g. HB 2264, HB 2477). While the language of the bill is straightforward, at this point I can only assume this is a case of election year politicking. Until proven otherwise (and simply filing a bill is not proof), I question the motive behind the bill.
BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:
Bill # Subject Sponsor Status
HB 1604 Firearm suppressors Condotta (R-12) H. Jud.
HB 2226 Retired peace officer qualification Orcutt (R-18) H. Jud
HB 2264 Gun show regulation Williams (D-22) H. Jud.
HB 2477 Gun sale liability Williams (D-22) H. Jud.
HB 2499 Black powder storage/transport Bailey (R-10) H. C&L
HB 2703 Sport shooting ranges Takko (D-19) H. Jud.
HB 2709 Firearms freedom act Shea (R-4) H. Jud.
HB 2711 Right to protection Shea (R-4) H. Jud.
HB 3082 Reduce CPL age from 21 to 18 Williams (D-22) H. Jud.
SB 6396 So-called "assault weapon" ban Kline (D-37) S. Jud.
SB 6429 Suppressor use by police Brandland (R-42) S. Jud
SB 6473 Right to protection Stevens (R-39) S. Jud.
Key to abbreviations: HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Jud = House Judiciary, H. C&L = House Commerce & Labor
GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:
HB 1604 SUPPORT
HB 2226 SUPPORT
HB 2264 OPPOSE
HB 2477 OPPOSE
HB 2499 SUPPORT
HB 2703 SUPPORT
HB 2709 SUPPORT
HB 2711 SUPPORT
HB 3082 SUPPORT
SB 6396 OPPOSE
SB 6429 SUPPORT, IF AMENDED
SB 6473 SUPPORT
PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:
1/26/2010 SB 6396 Senate Judiciary Committee
10 A.M. (“assault weapons”) Senate Hearing Room “1”
1/29/2010 HB 2499 House Labor & Commerce
8:00 A.M. (black powder) House Hearing Room “B”
LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993. Also toll free!!!
1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993
OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).
By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.
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Upcoming WAC gun show(s):
Monroe 13-14 February
Puyallup 20-21 February
"The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men."
Article 1, Section 24
Constitution of the State of Washington
Copyright 2010 Gun Owners Action League of WA
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