Desertdog
Member
Judiciary Committee hears gun testimony
http://www.columbian.com/01262005/clark_co/236975.html
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
By DON JENKINS, Columbian staff writer
OLYMPIA - The Senate Judiciary Committee, under new Democratic management, took testimony on five gun-control bills Tuesday, including one that would punish gun owners who leave loaded firearms within reach of children.
For the past two years, Spokane Valley Republican Bob McCaslin has chaired the committee and declined to hear the gun-storage bill or other gun-control legislation.
Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle, took over as chairman when Democrats won control of the Senate in recent elections and scheduled the hearing, prompting gun-rights advocates to pack the hearing room.
An overflow crowd listened in a nearby conference room as gun owners and their lobbyists criticized the bill and warned that gun control leads to tyranny and less security for citizens.
Among the bills they criticized was Senate Bill 5342, which would threaten gun owners with up to a year in jail if their unsecured weapons fell into the hands of children younger than 16.
Some 18 states have enacted such laws. Proponents argue the laws prevent youth suicides and accidental shootings, while the National Rifle Association says a gun in a lock box isn't much protection from home intruders.
Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, has introduced the gun-storage legislation in the House.
Moeller sponsored the bill two years ago in the wake of the accidental shooting death of a 10-year-old Battle Ground girl. Her 13-year-old brother shot her with a pistol owned by their father, a Clark County sheriff's sergeant.
Moeller said he didn't press the bill because the Republican-controlled Senate clearly wasn't going to act.
"Maybe there's some initiative that's been lost because of the passage of time. But the danger is still there, and I think this legislation will make kids safer," Moeller said.
Moeller said he expected to gain some Republican support for the bill. But he said some Democrats will oppose the measure.
"It'll be an uphill battle," he said. "If we get a hearing, we'll be another step ahead. I think long-term on these things."
Other gun-control bills introduced in the Legislature include:
* SB 5433 and HB 1489 would force citizens visiting the Legislative Building to check their guns at the door. Currently, gun owners with concealed weapons permits can carry them in.
Prime sponsor Sen. Darlene Fairley, D-Lake Forest Park, said lawmakers shouldn't have to worry about angry and armed constituents. "We don't need that type of pressure," she said.
Kline said he doubted people who qualify to carry a concealed-weapon permit pose a danger to lawmakers.
* SB 5343 would close the so-called "gun show loophole" by prohibiting unlicensed dealers from selling guns without conducting a background check.
A spokesmen for gun owners said very few felons buy weapons at gun shows.
Kline said one would be too many.
* HB 1490 would prohibit guns in public parks. That bill has not had a hearing yet.
Two bills have not yet been assigned numbers.
* One would ban .50-caliber rifles. Fairley called the rifles "artillery pieces" and "weapons of mass destruction" that could bring down an airliner.
National Rifle Association lobbyist Brian Judy said those fears are exaggerated. He said the rifles are used in competitions and to hunt big game in Alaska and Africa. "It does clearly have sporting uses."
* The other would replace the recently expired federal ban on assault weapons with a state ban (no number assigned to bill yet).
Vancouver resident Heidi Yewman, a volunteer with Washington Ceasefire, testified there was "no practical purpose" for private use of assault weapons.
"Because they are fun to use, it's not a reason to have those weapons," she said.
Gun rights advocates hotly disagree with the ban, saying the weapons are used in shooting matches.
The debate
Should gun owners be guilty of a crime if they let their loaded firearms fall into the hands of children under 16?
On one side: A law would keep firearms away from suicidal and reckless youths and provide a way to punish irresponsible gun owners.
On another side: A gun doesn't provide protection from homicidal home intruders when it's in a lock box. Better to educate children about safety than infringe on adults' liberties.
http://www.columbian.com/01262005/clark_co/236975.html
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
By DON JENKINS, Columbian staff writer
OLYMPIA - The Senate Judiciary Committee, under new Democratic management, took testimony on five gun-control bills Tuesday, including one that would punish gun owners who leave loaded firearms within reach of children.
For the past two years, Spokane Valley Republican Bob McCaslin has chaired the committee and declined to hear the gun-storage bill or other gun-control legislation.
Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle, took over as chairman when Democrats won control of the Senate in recent elections and scheduled the hearing, prompting gun-rights advocates to pack the hearing room.
An overflow crowd listened in a nearby conference room as gun owners and their lobbyists criticized the bill and warned that gun control leads to tyranny and less security for citizens.
Among the bills they criticized was Senate Bill 5342, which would threaten gun owners with up to a year in jail if their unsecured weapons fell into the hands of children younger than 16.
Some 18 states have enacted such laws. Proponents argue the laws prevent youth suicides and accidental shootings, while the National Rifle Association says a gun in a lock box isn't much protection from home intruders.
Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, has introduced the gun-storage legislation in the House.
Moeller sponsored the bill two years ago in the wake of the accidental shooting death of a 10-year-old Battle Ground girl. Her 13-year-old brother shot her with a pistol owned by their father, a Clark County sheriff's sergeant.
Moeller said he didn't press the bill because the Republican-controlled Senate clearly wasn't going to act.
"Maybe there's some initiative that's been lost because of the passage of time. But the danger is still there, and I think this legislation will make kids safer," Moeller said.
Moeller said he expected to gain some Republican support for the bill. But he said some Democrats will oppose the measure.
"It'll be an uphill battle," he said. "If we get a hearing, we'll be another step ahead. I think long-term on these things."
Other gun-control bills introduced in the Legislature include:
* SB 5433 and HB 1489 would force citizens visiting the Legislative Building to check their guns at the door. Currently, gun owners with concealed weapons permits can carry them in.
Prime sponsor Sen. Darlene Fairley, D-Lake Forest Park, said lawmakers shouldn't have to worry about angry and armed constituents. "We don't need that type of pressure," she said.
Kline said he doubted people who qualify to carry a concealed-weapon permit pose a danger to lawmakers.
* SB 5343 would close the so-called "gun show loophole" by prohibiting unlicensed dealers from selling guns without conducting a background check.
A spokesmen for gun owners said very few felons buy weapons at gun shows.
Kline said one would be too many.
* HB 1490 would prohibit guns in public parks. That bill has not had a hearing yet.
Two bills have not yet been assigned numbers.
* One would ban .50-caliber rifles. Fairley called the rifles "artillery pieces" and "weapons of mass destruction" that could bring down an airliner.
National Rifle Association lobbyist Brian Judy said those fears are exaggerated. He said the rifles are used in competitions and to hunt big game in Alaska and Africa. "It does clearly have sporting uses."
* The other would replace the recently expired federal ban on assault weapons with a state ban (no number assigned to bill yet).
Vancouver resident Heidi Yewman, a volunteer with Washington Ceasefire, testified there was "no practical purpose" for private use of assault weapons.
"Because they are fun to use, it's not a reason to have those weapons," she said.
Gun rights advocates hotly disagree with the ban, saying the weapons are used in shooting matches.
The debate
Should gun owners be guilty of a crime if they let their loaded firearms fall into the hands of children under 16?
On one side: A law would keep firearms away from suicidal and reckless youths and provide a way to punish irresponsible gun owners.
On another side: A gun doesn't provide protection from homicidal home intruders when it's in a lock box. Better to educate children about safety than infringe on adults' liberties.
