STEP 1: Visit this link to find your Senator: https://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

Enter your address, click Verify District, jot down your legislators with SEN in front of their name (Senate), 

STEP 2: Visit this link to find their email: https://app.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Senate

Paste their email into your mail program (save it–we’ll be using it a LOT)

STEP 3: Copy and personalize your email. For Republicans, thank them for opposing.

Subject: Use your own subject to ensure they don’t just delete all look-alikes!

Senator LAST NAME, I am in in your district and I live at ADDRESS (Important as they cannot delete if you live in their district)

TALKING POINTS (copy or add your own so they don’t delete form letters)

Please oppose SSB 5038 prohibiting open carry. This bill and amendments are still ripe for abuse especially in communities of Color; the bill directly mirrors the racism and classism of the Mulford act banning the open carry of firearms to disarm black civil rights protesters and activists in California.

• The “permitted” demonstration clause is moot: a permit is not required on most public grounds and most cities and city parks allow permitless free speech events 
• Any gathering of 15 people becomes a protest, ensnaring lawfully carrying citizens, like on a sidewalk in CHAZ or Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver where Antifa gathered to destroy property. 
• A Black family picnicking in a park and subsequently surrounded by 15+ members of a hate group would be arrested for lawfully open carrying. 
• An LGBTQ group holding a vigil are left vulnerable to further hate crimes when their security team is arrested for openly carrying firearms after a hate group gathers around them
• Most businesses and many individuals lease property, preventing someone from lawfully protecting their lives at their apartment or at their place of business they don’t own
• Allowing unpermitted protests in parking lots and open spaces under the control of a business is an extreme danger to the safety of customers

Feel free to add your own points as well.

A couple of comments:

This bill is going to be amended with a striker amendment (see links below). This will do the following:

1. Prohibit open carry firearm or weapon at any permitted demonstration, on person or in a vehicle
2. Prohibit open carry firearm or weapon within 250 ft of a permitted demonstration after a LEO directs you to leave
   1. Doesn’t apply if you are on private property you own (but not leased, and not if you’re not the actual lease-holder)
3. Exempts federal, state, local LEO, and Federal/WA armed forces
4. Permitted demonstration = permit issued by federal agency, state agency, or local government OR 15 people gathered for a single event, which has been declared as permitted by law enforcement of the local govt
5. Public place = Any site accessible to the public for business, entertainment, or another lawful purpose (basically anywhere up to the door of any business), parking lot, street, sidewalk, park or other public grounds
6. And includes all the areas of the west state capitol campus grounds, any buildings on the state capitol grounds, in any state legislative office, or any location of a public legislative hearing or meeting during the hearing or meeting
   1. Federal/state/local LEO exempted, as are US/WA armed forces
7. Penalties are gross misdemeanor

Read the bill: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5038&Year=2021&Initiative=false

Read the amendment: http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2021-22/Pdf/Amendments/Senate/5038-S%20AMS%20VAND%20S1370.2.pdf

Feel free to visit https://wacivilrights.org/2021/01/25/the-fallacy-of-the-open-carry-ban/ for more talking points, and share yours in the Washington 2021 Legislative Action Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/walegislativeactiongroup

Let’s push back HARD and LOUD! 

—–