Republicans across the state issued statements in opposition to Washington legislation banning a number of firearms that was passed by the state Senate.
State Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, released a statement on Saturday, April 8, criticizing the passage of House Bill 1240.
The bill, which would ban the manufacture, sale or importation of “assault weapons” as defined by the legislation, was passed by a vote of 27 to 21, with all Republicans voting no.
“Today the Washington Legislature passed the 38th bill since 2018 to restrict gun rights in the state of Washington, and it got no further toward ending violence in the than it did with the last 37. By now, you would think we could face the truth. Passing more laws to restrict gun ownership won’t solve a thing. And next year I’m sure we’ll be back in Olympia, debating yet another proposal to restrict our Second Amendment rights, then another and another,” Jeff Wilson said. “The problem is that it is easier to scapegoat firearms than it is to look into our own hearts, take responsibility and address root causes.”
Jeff Wilson argued there has been a breakdown in the social order for the last several years, something he attributes partly to the Legislature’s own actions. He argued the Legislature has failed to effectively address homelessness, weakened the ability of law enforcement to protect the public and “virtually erased” Washington’s gun laws.
“We are taking a hands-off approach to these problems out of some misguided notion that this is compassionate, politically correct and the right thing to do,” Jeff Wilson said. “When we fail to recognize there are boundaries, we don’t get people into drug treatment or programs for mental and behavioral health. We don’t intervene in cases where people clearly need help. We allow our crime rate to skyrocket.”
Jeff Wilson also argued incidents of violence he says people hear about regularly today were so unusual when he was young that they were considered shocking.
“The nature of humanity is no different. In this country, guns have always been available. What’s changed is our new reluctance to address our real problems. This is where our focus needs to be, not on passing empty laws that will have no effect except to further erode our Second Amendment rights,” Jeff Wilson said.
Other Republicans in the state Senate also released statements criticizing the passage of HB 1240 on Saturday.
“It’s absolutely wrong to limit the firearm choices for women who are in abusive relationships and want the ability to defend themselves in what could be timely life-or-death situations,” said Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver.
According to Lynda Wilson, the bill “clearly violates” both the state and federal constitution. She also added the bill would fail to reduce gang and drug-related violence, mental health issues or suicides.
“The state’s new Office of Firearm Safety admits stolen guns are tied to many of the shootings in our communities, yet today the Senate Democrats rejected the amendment I proposed that would criminalize the theft of these particular firearms. That makes zero sense,” Lynda Wilson said.
State Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, said Republicans have consistently advocated for legislation to increase behavioral health treatment. Warnick speculated that Democrats would try to pass limits on other types of firearms “when this anti-gun legislation fails to reduce violence.”
“As the grandmother of several students, I believe young people in our schools are more at risk of being harmed by exposure to fentanyl than by one of the firearms mentioned in this legislation. If the majority wants to protect children, it should work on keeping fentanyl and other lethal drugs out of our schools,” Warnick said.
Another critic of the bill was state Sen. Anne Rivers, R-La Center.
“As a former teacher I know how vulnerable our schools are to an attack by someone like the Nashville shooter. The ‘gun-free zone’ signs don’t work, which is why the work group on mass shootings created by the Legislature several years ago recommended that schools be remodeled to make them less appealing as targets. The Legislature should be leading on that, as it’s the aspect we have a chance of controlling,” Rivers said. “This legislation also does nothing to address the epidemic of auto thefts that harmed a member of my family, or the rampant drug overdoses and street-level shootings that are hurting families and communities statewide. If someone commits a crime with a stolen firearm from the list in this bill, I believe the penalty should be stronger. The Democrats refused to consider my amendment to that effect, which calls their true agenda into question.”
Rivers also claimed law-abiding citizens are experiencing increased difficulty in defending themselves against violent criminals. She claimed a firearm could be an equalizer for women who find themselves faced with a larger or more powerful attacker.
“This bill would wrongly limit that woman’s choice for self-defense,” Rivers said.
State Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy, pointed to a law limiting firearm magazine sizes passed last year as evidence the proposed ban on assault weapons would be ineffective. Short argued that while proponents of the magazine size law claimed it would reduce save lives, shootings have since increased. She also claimed the assault weapons ban would make self-defense more difficult for people like her.
“A firearm that has an adjustable stock is easier for a petite person like me to fire accurately. That feature alone would get it banned under this legislation,” Short said. ““They also don’t seem to understand that some semi-automatics look more modern than others but none fires more than once each time the trigger is pulled. What is it going to take to get the majority to stop blaming the firearm and start focusing on the person who chooses to pull the trigger?”
HB 1240 has been returned to the state House for reapproval after being amended by the state Senate. Should the House approve the bill a second time it will be sent to Gov. Jay Inslee, who supports the bill, to be signed into law.
