SIGN IN AGAINST ESSB 5038 OPEN CARRY BAN

Testify, submit written testimony, or merely make your position known!

ESSB 5038 banning open carry is being heard by House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee on 3/16.

THIS IS THE ANTI-GUNNER’S SIGNATURE BILL

They will claim the majority of WA supports this bill

HELP US PROVE THEM WRONG

Let’s push back HARD and LOUD

This is the biggest anti-gun bill remaining this session

It doesn’t matter whether you open carry or not. Do it for those who can’t conceal carry. 

Do it because it is another right they’re taking away-yours will be next in a coming session.

We need to SHOW UP BIG TIME. Let’s drown out the red-shirts and make our voices heard! Numbers matter!

The other side will absolutely claim that the majority of WA supports this bill. We HAVE TO PROVE THEM WRONG by signing in and signing up!

Visit here to sign in: https://app.leg.wa.gov/CSIRemote/House

Select Committee=Civil Rights & Judiciary, Meetings = 3/16/2021; Click ESSB 5038, then choose: submit testimony, testify live, or position noted. You’ll be opposing (Under Position, select Con).

You’ll need to enter your contact information so they can determine which district you’re in (and which legislators should really care about your position) and that you are actually a WA resident.

PLEASE testify-all you have to do is prepare and read a statement on camera for 1 minute. 

Or you can take a moment and draft brief comments and submit. 

Or just make your position known for the record (CON).

If you want to leave a short testimony, here are some talking points: 

• This bill will target women, minority, and marginalized communities by actively criminalizing innocents who get caught near protests or demonstrations.
• This bill will make the Mulford Act look archaic in how it targets individuals who are attempting to protect their families
• There is ZERO provision to protect Black & Brown small business owners who lease property for their endeavors
• There is ZERO protection for the residents of a home who are NOT on the lease or property deed
• There is ZERO protection for those who are gathered for a memorial, armed to protect against hate crimes, from being targeted by racist & misogynistic groups
• This bill is insidious gun control bigotry at its finest

If you’re testifying, download your super cool WCRA ZOOM backgrounds here: http://bit.ly/WCRAZoomBG

A couple of comments:

This bill has been 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: http://bit.ly/ESSB5038Bill

For more, visit https://bit.ly/WCRAOpenCarryPoints–scroll down to the section on SSB 5038 for a summary of the bill and the latest talking points. 

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Your voice absolutely matters. We only win if you take action!

Visit https://wacivilrights.org for the latest Easy Action of the Day, updated bills, and current information.

Join the discussion on Facebook @ https://bit.ly/WaLAGFacebookGroup16

Let’s push back HARD and LOUD! 

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