Gunning for our Guns

 Guest Commentary by Dick Pilling

November 22, 2018

I know that this will surprise the heck out of you… astonish you even…  But lefty anti-gunners have pushed through an initiative that will dramatically impact the gun owners of this state. 

And it will have even greater effect in the future because, as always, this is just another salvo in their war against gun owners and those who wish to become gun owners.  They say it is just common-sense gun legislation… and they say it is good for the country… and they say it is not another step towards their ultimate goal of gun confiscation… But you know they are lying… because their lips are moving…

I am talking about Initiative 1639, which proports to increase public safety by implementing certain so-called safety measures.  It’s 30 pages of enhanced checks, increased age requirements, additional storage dictates, and a host of other impediments, many of them complex and conflicting which, by any definition, infringe on our rights. 

I wonder what it is that they don’t understand about the phrase “shall not be infringed” as enshrined in the second amendment. 

Because infringing is just what 1639 does… and doesn’t do.  I haven’t the time to go through the entire bill but here is some doeses and does nots.  

It DOES incorrectly re-define all semi-automatic rifles – the most common rifle on the market today – as assault rifles.  Which makes it an easier sell…  Because, in the uneducated public’s mind, this is the same as a fully automatic rifle… a machine gun.  And why would any civilian need a machine gun???

And incidentally, our beloved politician’s favorite whipping boy – or gun – is the AR 15 which they have, in the minds of the ignorant – mostly democrats – caused the AR to stand for Assault Rifle… in fact, it stands for Armalite Rifle… because Arrmalite is the manufacturer..

It DOES NOT impact crime or stop criminals because it addresses itself to rifles whereas a criminal’s weapon of choice is a handgun and not a rifle.  And even if rifles were used more extensively by criminals, this law still wouldn’t stop them… Because laws don’t mean anything to criminals… because they break laws… that’s why we call them criminals…

It DOES affect law abiding gunowners who do try to obey the law and will have to jump through many additional hoops in order buy, store, and use their weapons.  And it DOES NOT affect criminals who don’t obey the law… that’s why we call them criminals…

It DOES require gun owners to lock up their fire arms or face criminal charges and, therefore, become criminals.  It DOES NOT bother criminals because, duh, they are already criminals.  That why we call them criminals…

It DOES prohibit law-abiding 18 to 20-year olds from purchasing both rifles and pistols thereby stripping them of their right to defend themselves.  It DOES NOT affect the younger criminal because they will ignore the law….  That’s why we call them criminals…

If allowed to stand, this law will not only make criminals of a large segment of our gun-owning population… it will tend to criminalize self-defense itself…  and if you elect to vigorously follow the founder’s definition of the second amendment and the right to defend yourself, you too can become a criminal. 

And that may be a good thing… sounds a lot less stressful…  after all, if you are a criminal, you don’t have to worry about obeying all those silly laws…

Seriously however, for those of us who are not criminally inclined and feel that this initiative is an unacceptable assault on our right of self-defense, hope is at hand.  The Second Amendment Foundation and the National Rifle Association have jointly filed suit to block this egregious erosion of one of our most fundamental civil liberties, arguing that it violates both the Washington State and federal constitutions. 

Let us hope for their success because no matter what our lefty friends say, this initiative is just another attack on the second amendment. 

Remember, since the  second amendment defends us… we must, in turn, defend the second amendment.