North County Sons and Daughters of Liberty chief organizer Shauna Walters, left, speaks to The Reflector alongside fellow group member Shiela Miller during a visit to the paper’s offices May 9.
The debate over a controversial gun control initiative has led to North County’s own homegrown group of Second Amendment hardliners as the North County Sons and Daughters of Liberty (NCSDL) are working to see resolutions passed in local governments.
The group formed following many members attending rallies by Vancouver-based Patriot Prayer, then eventually picking up steam on social media. Their primary rallying cry is opposition to I-1639.
The group most recently came to a Battle Ground City Council meeting on May 6, during which the council made an official statement on I-1639. The city approved by consensus the statement, which affirmed the role of the judicial branch of government on determining the constitutionality of laws in Washington state.
Currently, I-1639 has received a legal challenge by the National Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation. The initiative, which Washington voters passed in November, imposes restrictions on ownership of semi-automatic rifles ranging from age of purchase, interstate sales, mandating safety classes for purchases and regarding storage and liability on those firearms if used to commit a crime.
“I think we all pretty much expected it,” Shauna Walters, the chief organizer of NCSDL said about the statement, commenting on a previous meeting where the council had a discussion on the initiative. She said the statement wouldn’t slow down the group’s momentum, adding she felt if anything it empowered the group to keep working at getting people against I-1639.
“They’re trying to come to a full stop. They’re trying to shut us down,” Josh VanGelder, another member of the group said. “I think they think they did that, but they didn’t. They’ve just started something bigger.”
Though NCSDL formed last month, another social-media based group, the “Battle Ground, Wa Red Elephants,” has been around since February. Walters said the groups are connected, and in total have over 700 members.
Most of the members of NCSDL who spoke with The Reflector are from the Battle Ground area, though Walters noted there were members across North County in places like La Center and Amboy. Whereas Red Elephants is more of a general social-media page with a right-wing leaning, NCSDL is more focused on organizing. Walters said the best-case scenario for the group would be having I-1639 overturned. Short of that judgment, she said NCSDL’s focus was on getting municipalities to pass resolutions affirming a stance supporting the Second Amendment and against the initiative.
The group’s next plan is to present a resolution to the Yacolt Town Council during their May 20 meeting. She explained that the group is shying away from attempting to pass full-on ordinances as some other activists against the initiative have purposed.
“Resolutions are more of a statement to say ‘we’re not going to stand for this in this town,’” Walters said, noting that although ordinances had more power to be enforced the legal procedures to get them on the books made it more difficult to pass.
VanGelder said the resolutions were more of a short-term step, as a longer-term solution such as an initiative overturning I-1639 would take years to see realized.
“The Second Amendment says ‘shall not be infringed’ and the state constitution says ‘shall not be impaired,’” VanGelder said. He alleged that the reliance on the court for decision-making was based on a left-leaning stance he felt played into the agenda of state attorney general Bob Ferguson and Gov. Jay Inslee.
“I guarantee you if the court (had) a conservative stance they would not play that card,” VanGelder said.
Some of what NCSDL sees is a lack of knowledge of firearms on the part of those they feel are against the Second Amendment. Walters recounted hearing testimony by someone in support of I-1639 where they had told their child to look away from one of the pro-gun-rights demonstrations in the city.
“I would not bring my son to a place that was dangerous,” Walters said, noting she’s had her son at some of the events.
NCSDL member Shiela Miller said that in the countless hours the group and other like-minded people against I-1639 have had at rallies in Battle Ground and across North County, there have been no instances where firearms have caused problems.
For those who might question why a group like NCSDL would organize, Walters said that simply asking someone from the group could be a good first step.
“I would just encourage them to come talk to us,” Walters said. “If you really want to understand what it is we’re doing, you have to talk to us about it.”
