Free Republic

27 years ago, Washington state passed a bill requiring the Washington State Police to sell valuable firearms rather than destroying them. Provisions were made for the destruction of firearms which could not be legally owned. For political reasons, local law enforcement agencies were not included. In some of those jurisdictions, such as the Yakima Police Department and Vancouver Police department, all guns are destroyed for political reasons.A bill to allow the State Police to destroy legal guns passed the House in the Washington state legislature on 23 January 2020. Selling or not selling the guns has no effect on the...

On 12 November 2019, the Tacoma City Council passed its controversial tax on guns and ammunition. The tax is based on a similar tax in Seattle.  The vote was unanimous, 8-0. 112 people were reported to have spoken on the issue. To an ordinary reader, the tax would seem to violate the Washington State preemption law. The Washington Supreme Court held differently in 2017. It voted that a tax was not a regulation. One judge dissented, writing it was obvious the tax was aimed specifically at firearms. From the opinion: That different inquiry centers on the language of the preemption...

In Tacoma, Washington, the City Council is proposing a special tax on guns and ammunition. From q13fox.com: Tacoma is considering implementing a tax that would add $25 to all firearms purchase. The tax would also add 2 cents per round to ammunition purchases that is .22 Caliber or less and add 5 cents per round to all other ammunition. Such a tax should be held unconstitutional because it chills the right to keep and bear arms, protected by both the U.S. Constitution and the Washington State Constitution. The proposed tax seems to violate the state preemption statute.  From leg.wa.gov: RCW...

Pt. 1: Brad Dacus talks with PJI staff attorney, Jorge Ramos, about a shocking story of an unjust arrest of a pastor who was leading a peaceful protest against a drag queen story hour in a public library. Jorge gives the legal case that PJI is taking on. Pt. 2 Brad Dacus interviews Pastor Afhsin Yaghtin, the pastor arrested and jailed for praying and preaching, about his experience with aggressive SWAT team officers including a sniper who blocked him from carrying out his free speech rights outside of a public library where a drag queen story hour was taking place

As House Impeachment Inquiry Continues,Senator Murray Outlines President Trump’s Grave Threats to American Democracy,Security.Oct 17 2019 In a speech on the Senate floor, Senator Murray highlighted the importance of a thorough investigation by the House into the actions of President Trump and his associates Senator Murray: “This is about maintaining our nation’s security and defending the rule of law. It is about nothing less than the future of our democracy”

by Brian Hayes | BorderPAC An illegal alien is wanted by law enforcement officials after he reportedly attacked the woman he raped following his release by the sanctuary city of King County, Washington. Francisco Carranza Ramirez, 35, has been living in the United States as an illegal alien for an unknown period of time, a law enforcement official confirmed to KOMO News. Ramirez crossed the southern border during an unknown time from his native Mexico. Ramirez, according to court records reviewed by the Seattle Times, raped a 32-year-old woman — who is bound to a wheelchair because of her disability — in...

There are now more active concealed pistol licenses in Washington State than ever before, according to new data from the state Department of Licensing, showing more than 5,000 additional CPLs issued in June and more than 13,750 since Jan. 1, going along with the growing national trend toward more concealed carry. There are now more than 622,000 CPL holders in the state, a new record. And that apparently is just fine with the nation’s police chiefs, according to data from annual surveys conducted by the National Association of Chiefs of Police. In the most recent survey results available, from the...

by Brian Hayes An illegal alien is wanted by law enforcement officials after he reportedly attacked the woman he raped following his release by the sanctuary city of King County, Washington. Francisco Carranza Ramirez, 35, has been living in the United States as an illegal alien for an unknown period of time, a law enforcement official confirmed to KOMO News. Ramirez crossed the southern border during an unknown time from his native Mexico. Ramirez, according to court records reviewed by the Seattle Times, raped a 32-year-old woman — who is bound to a wheelchair because of her disability — in King County...

Afshin Yaghtin of New Covenant Baptist Church was arrested for obstructing an officer as he contended with police that the South Hill Library is public property and that he should be able to speak adjacent to the facility instead of being required to stand across the street. Video footage posted to social media shows police telling Yaghtin that if he does not support the event, he needs to stand on the other side of the street, away from the library — though those defending the drag queens were permitted to be on the same side. “So, I can stand right...

More than 100 House Democrats -- nearly half of the new majority -- have signed on to a new single-payer healthcare bill that supporters describe as "battle ready." If by "battle ready," they mean, "extremely controversial, deeply politically risky, and totally bereft of any acknowledgement of the proposal's eye-poppingly exorbitant costs," they're undoubtedly correct. Politico's story on the legislation is full of extraordinary tidbits and quotes. Here are some of the most important facts we've learned: (1) The bill "doesn’t include a price tag or specific proposals for financing the new system, which analysts estimate would cost tens of trillions...

Saying they don’t believe the legislation is constitutional, some sheriffs in Washington are rebelling against a new state gun law. The law delivers an omnibus assortment of restrictions for gun owners, Fox News reported Monday. Both the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) say it is unconstitutional and have initiated a federal lawsuit against the state. The sheriffs in a dozen rural counties say they will not recognize the law until the courts rule on its legality. At least one police chief has publicly condemned the legislation and refused to enforce it. Washington voters passed the...

EPHRATA — It seems ironic coming from gun control advocates. But law enforcement agencies across Washington state are looking into threats to kill county sheriffs who have said they will not enforce last year’s gun control measure, I-1639, which was approved by state voters with a little more than 59 percent of the vote. According to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, around 1 p.m. Monday the department was told about threats made online specifically against Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich. “(S)heriffs that are non compliant will be shot. (B)y me,” said the online threats, apparently posted on a Facebook page....

Clark County Public Health officials created an automated phone system to call people that may have been exposed to measles. That phone call will go out at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. In the past, nurses would call potentially exposed people, but they switched to an automated system because of the sheer number of possible cases. At PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, security guards are posted at five entrances around the building to look for symptoms. They are advising children and people who are not vaccinated against measles to not visit the hospital. “Measles is a relatively rare disease, so it's been...

The National Rifle Association's (NRA) insurance policy known as NRA Carry Guard is for concealed carriers who want personal liability insurance. The insurance policy protects carriers from civil liability and "provides them with immediate access to attorneys, supplementary payments as needed for bail, criminal defense legal retainer fees, lawful firearm replacement, compensation while in court, psychological support and cleanup costs for any covered claim resulting from the use of a legally possessed firearm—including an act of self-defense." Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler on Tuesday announced a ban "on the sale of illegal insurance policies branded by the National Rifle...

On the afternoon of 22 December, 2018, two young men decided to steal from a Coastal Farm & Ranch store in Marysville, Washington. Marysville is a town of about 60,000 population 35 miles north of Seattle. The two young men took nail guns worth about $3200 from the store, without paying. They did not expect opposition. Most stores teach their staff not to confront thieves. While it may prevent some lawsuits, it is an invitation to steal. In this case, concerned citizens worked to stop the blatant theft.  An impromptu militia of six formed up and surrounded the suspects'...

For months, gun control advocates in Washington State have peddled initiative 1639, which moves to create stricter firearms laws. On Tuesday, 60 percent of Washingtonians voted in favor of ballot measure, the Seattle Times reported. Specifically, i-1639 will: • Raise the age someone can purchase a rifle to 21. • Create an "enhanced background check system similar to what is used for handguns." • Require a person to complete a firearms safety training course. • Create a common stand for secure gun storage. Those in favor of the measure believe that even further gun laws will prevent mass shootings. “My...

Election 2018: Next week, voters in five states will decide whether they want to raise their own taxes, kill jobs and lower their standards of living. All in a fanciful effort to stop "global warming." They'd be better off letting the free market do the work. Washington, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado all have global-warming ballot initiatives, each heavily financed by environmental activists. New Mexico voters will decide whether to elect a powerful land commissioner who promises stiff curbs on emissions. None of these will make any difference in the global climate. But they will cost their residents dearly. In Washington,...

Recordings and summaries of emergency calls show Washington wildlife officials at first objected to an air rescue of a woman treed by wolves, or help from the Okanogan County sheriff. Washington wildlife managers initially opposed sending a helicopter or a search-and-rescue team to save a woman treed by wolves in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, according to recordings and summaries of emergency calls. ... Notes from a call between DNR dispatcher Jill Jones and a wildlife officer summarized WDFW’s position, and her position, shortly before the helicopter launched. “No helicopter. Federally listed species. 3 WDFW personnel saying so,” according to DNR’s...

On 12 July, 2018, a salmon researcher was treed by a pack of wolves in a Washington state wilderness area. She tried pepper spray and yelling, but the pack surrounded her and she climbed a tree. She later climbed down, only to find the wolves still there. She scrambled back up the tree and called for rescue, about 12:30 p.m. From capitalpress.com: Washington wildlife managers initially opposed sending a helicopter or a search-and-rescue team to save a woman treed by wolves in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, according to recordings and summaries of emergency calls obtained Tuesday.The Department of Natural Resources...

SAF Founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb previously told Townhall that I-1639's signature petitions "failed to underline new law and strike through removed law so that the reader could not know the current law, added law and subtracted law." Judge James Dixon, who ruled in the case, was very clear about his position. “Frankly, this court does not struggle with this issue,” Dixon said. The law, he said, requires that petitions “must have a readable, full, true, correct copy of the proposed measure.” “We got our day in court,” Gottlieb said. “We expected it. We won.”