“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”
Sun Tzu
During the 2022 legislative session the ruling Democratic Party abandoned their constituents and embraced party demagoguery to push through egregious gun control bills. They debated the unintended consequences of criminal sentencing and the disproportionate impact on people of color. Then, 1/2 hour later, they ignored those same concerns raised by communities of color and reduced their ability to choose the best self defense option for their family in the aftermath of the defunding of their neighborhood police. They proposed decreasing penalties for drive-by-shootings and releasing incarcerated criminals who had firearm enhanced penalties. Finally, in the dead of night, they passed the magazine ban.
They ignored the overwhelming response of more than 15,000 people who signed in to the hearings on the magazine ban (ESSB 5078), which broke all previous state records for citizen response. They summarily dismissed the powerful testimonies presented by women, immigrants and people of color. Those 15,000 voices will echo through the halls of the legislature come November.
The ruling party ignored powerful testimony from law enforcement describing how banning home-built firearms (ESHB 1705) will have zero impact on crime, in addition to the huge numbers of constituents who described how criminals are NOT the ones who’ll be serializing their firearms. They voted to further imperil people by banning firearms in certain places (ESHB 1630). While simultaneously allowing criminals to roam freely, endangering citizens outside of court houses and office buildings.
Citizens of Washington are understandably upset. The most vulnerable, economically challenged, and marginalized communities are suffering the brunt of skyrocketing crime, and the legislature continues to strip them of their abilities to defend their loved ones. Law abiding citizens continue to be punished for the behavior of the criminals.
Since the end of session, we’ve engaged in discussions ranging from lawsuits, referenda and ballot initiatives to restore your 2A rights so cavalierly tossed away by the ruling party. Clearly, the most effective effort long-term must be in replacing those legislators statewide. The Washington Civil Rights Association board is taking time to carefully assess the tactics and tools to best regain those rights.
We’re strategizing with our partners, allies and political experts. We are working to determine the most efficient and most intelligent path forward. We must move carefully and deliberately to choose a path that has the highest likelihood of broad success. We must finish securing our legal entities, our funding sources and our organizational requirements. Our time and resources, just as yours, are precious and limited. When we ask you to take action, we want to ensure that it will be swift and effective. To act prematurely and fail will only embolden those seeking to further impair your rights.
We can’t wait to have you join us in this new, supercharged adventure!
Please, sign up for the mailing list where we’ll be announcing the new efforts and inviting you to help protect your rights to defend your lives and your loved ones: https://dist.wacivilrights.org
Join us on our Discord server: https://discord.gg/7nZae42umd
Or join us on Facebook: 2022 Legislative Action Group
(Image borrowed from Law Enforcement Today https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/seattle-protestor-arrested-after-stealing-police-rifle-lighting-cop-car-on-fire/)
