WA: Court Rules For NRA in Legal Challenge to Ballot Title

As seen in The Clue Meter: WA: NRA Files Legal Challenge Against Misleading Ballot Title for Gun Control Initiative, a legal challenge was filed against a gun-grabbing ballot initiative here in Washington on the grounds that the title was illegally misleading.

This just in:
From NRA-ILA:

Yesterday, in a defeat for Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Initiative 1639 proponents, the Thurston County Superior Court sided in part with the NRA and found that certain parts of the ballot title were deceptive and misleading.  As a result, they ordered amendments to several key provisions of the initiative’s ballot title.  While the ballot title remains inadequate to inform voters of the real effects of the initiative, the outcome of yesterday’s hearings did result in clarifying changes that more accurately describe the sweeping provisions of the initiative’s text. With the title for Initiative 1639 now finalized, proponents of this 22-page initiative will have until July 6th to get 259,622 valid signatures to place the initiative on the November ballot. As previously reported, NRA filed a legal challenge in Thurston County Superior Court contesting the ballot title language as prepared by anti-gun Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson.  Yesterday, the court held a hearing on the legal challenges filed by NRA and other petitioners.   Some of the changes included: Changing “enhanced” background checks to “increased”.  Initiative 1639 would require state background checks on all purchases and transfers of commonly owned semi-automatic firearms. Added “allows fees” to the description.  The proposed initiative would allow the Department of Licensing to charge a $25 purchase fee (GUN TAX) on transfers of semi-automatic rifles. Clarified the description for the storage mandate provision.  If passed, Initiative 1639 would criminalize firearm owners that store firearms in a non-compliant manner if they are accessed by a prohibited person or minor. Initiative 1639, filed by Michael Bloomberg’s front group, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, is an egregious attack on Second Amendment freedoms and comes just months after they failed to enact their gun ban agenda in Olympia. Your NRA-ILA will continue to keep you updated on the status of the initiative, so please stay tuned to your email inbox and www.nraila.org .  Also, a couple more releases, after the jump... CCRKBA SAYS COURTBALLOT TITLE CHANGES  TO WA GUN INITIATIVE A ‘SMALL VICTORY’   BELLEVUE, WA – Court-ordered changes to the ballot title of Initiative 1639, the Washington State gun control measure sponsored by the Seattle-based Alliance for Gun Responsibility, amount to a “small, but significant victory,” the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said Thursday. CCRKBA and its sister organization, the Second Amendment Foundation, were supporting the ballot title challenge filed by Glen Morgan, a private citizen. A Thurston County Superior Court judge ordered changes in the ballot title language Thursday. “The court’s changes show that the original ballot title needed work,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “It also suggests some bias in the Attorney General’s office for approving the original ballot title language. Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s endorsement last month of I-1639 smacked of bias, and we’re happy the court made changes that at least somewhat clarify what this extremist measure really would do.” The new ballot title language reads as follows: “This measure would require increased background checks, training, age limitations, and waiting periods for sales or delivery of semiautomatic assault rifles; criminalize noncompliant storage upon unauthorized use; allow fees; and enact other provisions.” “The court-altered language is not ideal,” Gottlieb observed, “but it does clarify that I-1639 includes age discrimination and that it criminalizes noncompliance and mandates a waiting period on the purchase of a legal firearm. This measure treats all gun owners, especially young adults, like criminal suspects. In short, Washington prides itself for being against discrimination, except when it comes to gun ownership. Then principle is sacrificed for political correctness, and social prejudice becomes acceptable.” Paid signature gatherers, many who are from out-of-state, are already lining up to push this initiative over the weekend, he said. They have just under a month to collect more than 259,000 valid signatures. “We encourage all people to take the time to actually read this 30-page initiative before considering adding their signature,” Gottlieb said. “The devil is always in the details, and you can find out more about this devil at decline2sign1639.com.” We were button-holed by some aged hippie in front of  Trader Joe's earlier today...

Finally...

ACTION ALERT - DON'T SIGN I-1639

 Today a Thurston County judge approved some highly biased ballot language for I-1639; the newest billionaire-backed gun control initiative aimed directly at infringing on your ability to purchase, own, and protect yourself with a firearm -- even in your own home. 

You'll likely see people as soon as this evening gathering signatures for the I-1639 ballot measure. These are paid operatives that get paid a lot of money to gather these signatures! Many of these folks are from out-of-state and will often lie about these initiatives simply to get signatures and get paid. I-1639 is a 30-page initiative and obviously most people will not read it before they suckered into signing.
The high-paid consultants and billionaires behind I-1639 are running an unethical scam and it's our civic duty to alert the public to it.
Your Mission:  Decline to Sign I-1639! 
Tell the same to your friends and family. And where you see these signature gatherers, you should definitely exercise your First Amendment Rights and tell others not to sign this highly deceptive and controversial initiative. There is no law or court decision against doing this if you're simply talking to people in a public place, ie., in a park, or outside the entrance to a store. You can find plenty of reasons to oppose this initiative in my first I-1639 alert posted on Monday. 
If we get just a few hundred people out there at each of the locations debunking the paid operatives and warning people not to sign, we can actually shut them down! They need over 259,000 valid signatures from voters by July 6. If we can stop them, then this deceptive initiative will not be eligible to be on the ballot. 
Don't give up the fight!