OLYMPIA — About 1,000 gun-rights advocates, many openly carrying rifles and handguns, rallied Saturday outside the Capitol to protest a new expanded gun background check law in Washington state.
Organizers of the “I Will Not Comply” rally promised to exchange and sell firearms without conducting background checks during the daylong rally in opposition to the state’s voter-approved universal background check law.
“We’re going to stand up for our rights,” rally organizer Gavin Seim said. “Our rights are not up for negotiation.”
Initiative 594 passed with 59 percent of the vote last month. Geoff Potter, who served as a spokesman for the pro-initiative campaign, said that the rally was “a very loud, but very, very narrow and unrepresentative view of what the people of Washington have clearly demonstrated they want on background checks and gun laws.”
At an I-594 “violation station” people posed with rifles that weren’t theirs, and a wedding party unaffiliated with the protest that was taking pictures on the Capitol steps got into the spirit.
Rally participant Brandon Lyons of Spanaway handed his AR-10 rifle to the groom, who posed with the rifle and his bride, then the best man held the firearm and mugged with the couple. The bride and groom, who were to be married later in Tacoma, wouldn’t give their full names.
“We’ve all just broken the law,” Lyons said after they took pictures with the rifle.
However, Washington State Patrol Trooper Guy Gill said “we’re not convinced that handing someone a gun is a violation of 594.”
The law, which took effect Dec. 4, requires background checks on all sales and transfers, including private transactions and many loans and gifts.
Opponents have taken most issue with the language surrounding transfers. I-594 defines a transfer as the delivery of a firearm “without consideration of payment or promise of payment including, but not limited to, gifts and loans.” Exceptions include emergency gun transfers concerning personal safety, gifts between family members, antiques and loans for hunting.
Capitol officials were preparing for up to 6,000 protesters, and Washington State Patrol troopers were seen on the periphery of the crowd.
Gill said there are no plans to arrest people for exchanging guns or even selling weapons, but they could forward violations they see to prosecutors.
Washington has joined six other states — California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, New York and Rhode Island, plus Washington, D.C. — in requiring universal background check.
http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/32550995-75/1000-protest-new-washington-gun-law.html.csp
I don’t consider 60% of the 30% of eligible voters who went to the polls much of a mandate.It does seem to show voters don’t have much faith in the system with such a low turnout. How the statists plan to monitor private trades and sales will be interesting to watch.
Why aren’t these protestors being beaten, gassed, and bean-bagged to death? Why aren’t they being corralled into a paddy wagon?
I’ll tell you why; the sissy pig-boys only beat up on old people, sick people, and little girls, but if there’s ever a chance someone might stand up to them, the cowardly little bastards quickly decide that “no laws are being broken”.
Let that be a lesson to all protestors. Protest with your finger close to the trigger, or you’re going to get the crap beaten out of you.
“However, Washington State Patrol Trooper Guy Gill said ‘we’re not convinced that handing someone a gun is a violation of 594’.
But I’ll bet he’s totally convinced that pretty girls driving alone on the highway need to be pulled over and raped for the good of society.
“We’re going to stand up for our rights,” rally organizer Gavin Seim said. “Our rights are not up for negotiation.”
Those left that you can count on one hand?
A bit late in the game for THAT, Homer.