Gun rights activists gather in Olympia to oppose gun bill passed Wednesday night in Senate
A group of gun rights demonstrators and activists gathered at the Capitol in Olympia Thursday to fiercely oppose proposed laws making their way through the legislature this year.
On Wednesday night, the Senate passed a bill that would make the selling, distributing, purchasing or manufacturing of magazines with more than 10 rounds of ammunition a gross misdemeanor.
The penalty for a gross misdemeanor in Washington state is up to 364 days of jail time, and/or fines up to $5,000.
The bill defines a large capacity magazine as “an ammunition feeding device with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition, or any conversion kit, part, or combination of parts from which such a device can be assembled if in the possession of the same person.”
The proposed legislation does have some exemptions. Licensed firearms dealers could still sell, manufacture, import, or distribute “large capacity magazines” to any branch of the military and to law enforcement agencies.
Senators debated for nearly two hours before passing the legislation 28-20.
Dozens of people attended the rally sponsored by the Gun Rights Coalition on Thursday. Several groups turned out to show their support for the coalition and air their grievances against the proposed law.
Sharyn Hinchcliffe, a civil rights advocate, was at the rally to represent the nonpartisan Seattle and Tacoma “Pink Pistols” Chapter.
The organization started as a group to train those in the LGBTQ community to learn how to shoot guns, as well as raise awareness that people in those communities are able and trained to shoot. The all-inclusive organization now provides safety information and firearms training for anyone who wants it.
Hinchcliffe said she is opposed to the legislation that passed Wednesday, and other firearms legislation because the enforcement of such bills are “unequally enforced in marginalized and minority communities.”
“They are dangerous to BIPOC communities,” Hinchcliffe said. And, she added, they are “lethal” to minority communities.
She said that if the proposed gun legislation passes, she believes people will focus on voting elected officials out of office.
“We are working on getting candidates who are not going to violate human and civil rights,” Hinchcliffe said. “And then we’re going to work on getting these laws repealed.”
She dismissed the idea of violence in the pursuit of those goals, and said she would prefer not to see that happen.
Ben “Chief” Charles opened the rally. Charles, who is Native American and Jewish, said he has grown up with the Second Amendment as a “standard” for his family. Historically, he said, guns have been taken away from his Native community, therefore he believes in standing up for the Second Amendment.
“This isn’t just a Republican or Democrat issue, it impacts everybody,” Charles said. “We’re not just gunslingers in the Old West, we take the precautions, we have the safety, we train our family members … and we want them to be safe.”
Charles said he was “disappointed” in the legislation that passed Wednesday evening and said he feels a “righteous anger.”
“These are servants to the people,” he said of the Senate. “They’re not representing the people in a righteous way.”
Moving forward, if the legislation passes Charles said he doesn’t think elected officials “will ever stop.” He said small moves have been made already and Second Amendment rights continue to be infringed upon. He pointed to the fact that the Capitol used to allow open carry of weapons, but no longer does.
Multiple legislators including Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, and Rep. Vicki Kraft, R-Vancouver, spoke to the crowd. Fortunato was heavily involved with the debate on the Senate floor Wednesday, introducing more than a dozen amendments to Senate Bill 5078. None of his amendments were adopted.
Sen. Marko Liias, D-Everett, is the bill’s prime sponsor. During public testimony he talked about the importance of this legislation. He testified that he believes in Second Amendment rights and “fundamental constitutional freedoms,” but that those have to be balanced with the “underlying right to life.”
“High-capacity magazines make it easy for shooters to inflict maximum damage by allowing more shots to be fired without needing to pause to reload,” he said. “Because of that, these accessories are favored by mass shooters in our country.”
He said six of the most recent deadly mass shootings have involved high-capacity magazines.
He said the bill sets up a ”reasonable framework” for protecting public safety, while respecting constitutional rights. Liias thinks the bill is a balanced approach for the state.
If passed, the bill would go into effect 90 days after the adjournment of the legislative session on March 10.
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Gun rights activists gather in Olympia to oppose gun bill passed Wednesday night in Senate."
