SB 5568 STATE PREEMPTION WILL DESTROY YOUR GUN RIGHTS
URGENT!
Keep an eye on the Easy Actions of the Day for ways you can help us stop these regressive bills!
This is one of the signature bills for all the anti-gun politicians and Bloomberg-backed anti-gun organizations.
But this year we need EVERYONE to get involved. And we mean EVERYONE! It is ONLY by providing a united front will we convince the in-the-middle politicians that they won’t get re-elected if they vote for these bills!
Below are some great talking points. If you have some spare cycles to help collect, collate and distill more, PLEASE contact us!
SB 5568-Overturning State Preemption
Presently, WA State law preempts “the entire field of firearms regulation” at the state level in RCW 9.41.290. This means that all firearm regulations, including “the registration, licensing, possession, purchase, sale, acquisition, transfer, discharge, and transportation of firearms, or any other element relating to firearms or parts thereof, including ammunition and reloader components” must be made by the state. The statute prohibits cities, towns, and counties or other municipalities from making laws regulating firearms that are inconsistent with or exceed the requirements of state law.
This bill would enable horribly anti-gun politicians in Seattle, King County, Tacoma, Olympia, and elsewhere to create any onerous anti-gun law they can dream up, without being held accountable by the legislature.
The proposed bill would create a patchwork of prohibited places that would be impossible to keep track of. A concealed carry permit holder could unknowingly commit a crime by going to hiking trails, parks, libraries, community centers, ferries, and other government owned properties.
Here are some additional basic talking points:
- A myriad of mismatching laws and regulations will inevitably make criminals out of citizens as they violate an ordinance of which they were previously unaware as they travel from one city to another.
- Disproportionately affects minorities ie bigger cities in WA will implement regulations denying citizens their 2A rights which affects minority communities more.
- Creates confusion and uncertainty for law enforcement.
- Potential conflicting state, local and federal laws / regs
It is interesting to note that the NRA has been very active in championing our cause here in Washington as they’ve fought and won against two local ordinances:
In Bass v. Edmonds, Washington’s Court of Appeals sided with NRA-ILA in an important case that ultimately struck two unlawful firearm-storage ordinances. These ordinances—both of which were imposed by the City of Edmonds—required counterintuitive firearm locks and imposed liability for the unlawful acts of criminals seeking to access such weapons. In September, the Washington Supreme Court agreed to hear the city’s appeal. Meanwhile, NRA-ILA is successfully challenging the City of Seattle’s nearly identical storage laws in Alim v. Seattle.
https://www.nraila.org/articles/20211217/nra-ila-winter-2021-litigation-newsletter
Join the Conversation
Your voice absolutely matters. We only win if you take action! This year we’re more organized and active than ever. How do we know? The anti-gun lobby is sending out impassioned pleas to their base, begging them to get more involved. They’re afraid of your voice. Let’s get louder. Let’s bring our friends in to make even more noise.
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[…] 5568, Preemption: https://wacivilrights.org/2022/01/27/talking-points-for-sb-5568-overturning-state-pre-emption/ and the testimonies that were given in hearings: […]
[…] https://wacivilrights.org/2022/01/27/talking-points-for-sb-5568-overturning-state-pre-emption/ and the testimonies that were given in hearings: https://wacivilrights.org/2022/01/27/2022-legislative-testimony-on-sb-5568-preemption/ […]