EGC_Content

GOAL Post

GOAL Post 2010-16

Legislative Update from Olympia 23 April 2010

AZ GOVERNOR SIGNS CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY BILL
NO ACTION YET ON IOWA SHALL-ISSUE CONCEALED CARRY

The only gun-related activity of note this past week is Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's signing of the "constitutional carry" bill into law. "Constitutional carry" is the term used to describe open or concealed carry of a firearm without a license from the state. Arizona has had open carry since its inception, but has previously required a license for concealed carry. Now any law-abiding citizen who is not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a firearm may carry in Arizona. Only two other states allow "constitutional carry:" Vermont (since 1903) and Alaska (since 2003).

Arizona will still issue concealed pistol licenses so Arizonans may take advantage of other states' reciprocity laws. WARNING: Only licensees may carry in a restaurant in Arizona that serves alcohol. "Constitutional carry" apparently doesn't extend that far. And if a restaurant is posted, even carry with a concealed pistol license is prohibited.

Iowa Governor Chet Culver has yet to sign SF 2379, the bill that changes Iowa's concealed carry law from discretionary issue to shall issue. The bill, which will take effect 1 January 2011 if signed, also recognizes concealed carry licenses issued by all other states. Governor Culver is a Democrat AND both chambers of the Iowa legislature are Democrat-controlled. So anti-gun stereotypes don't always hold. Yet!

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST P ROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com." Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

"The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men."
Article 1, Section 24
Constitution of the State of Washington

Copyright 2010 Gun Owners Action League of WA
GOAL Post 2010-15

Legislative Update from Olympia 14 April 2010

TAXES RAISED; SPECIAL SESSION ADJOURNS
EYMAN FILES TAX REPEAL INITIATIVES
NO ACTION ON GUN BILLS, PRO OR CON
CITY OF SEATTLE APPEAL ON GUN BAN
GUN-RELATED INITIATIVES FILED

The legislature adjourned Monday evening, a day before it's 30-day special session limit after passing several tax increase bills. One way or another, every citizen of Washington will end up giving more money to the state.

Tax opponent Tim Eyman has already filed several initiatives overturning the 2010 tax increases. This should be to the advantage of gun owners as it will draw more conservatives to the polls in November (assuming the initiatives make it onto the ballot). It appears nearly 50 Initiatives to the People have been filed with the Secretary of State this year; many deal with the tax increases, many do not. Most will never see the ballot. The complete list of initiative to the people filed thus far is available at http://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/initiatives/people.aspx?y=2010

Firearms were apparently among the furthest things from the legislators' minds during the recently adjourned special session.

It appears the City of Seattle's appeal of Judge Shaffer's decision overturning the Seattle gun ban will drag out for a few more months, with extended time necessary for appropriate paperwork and responses by either side. This should put it past the time when the U.S. Supreme Court will issue its ruling on the Chicago handgun ban (McDonald et al v City of Chicago). Will a favorable (for gun owners) ruling in McDonald cool Seattle's jets? Not likely. Anyone who voted for Mike McGinn, hoping for a change from Greg Nickels, will surely be disappointed! It appears arrogance comes with the office.

Two firearms-related initiatives have been filed by two Spokane County residents. I-1059 (similar to HB 2711) affirms the right of self defense and prohibits certain record-keeping. I-1062 is an initiative version of the Firearms Freedom Act (HB 2709) that was introduced and died during the 2010 session. While both initiatives are commendable and worthy of support, it is unlikely they will get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. Initiative language is available at: http://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/initiatives/text/i1059.pdf and http://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/initiatives/text/i1062.pdf

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Not applicable

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Not applicable

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

None

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993, also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com." Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

"The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men."
Article 1, Section 24
Constitution of the State of Washington

Copyright 2010 Gun Owners Action League of WA
GOAL Post 2010-14

Legislative Update from Olympia 9 April 2010

THEY'RE CLOSE IN OLYMPIA; SPECIAL SESSION ENDS TUESDAY
DOR DEMANDS SALES TAX ON FIREARM TRANSFERS
EASTERN WA MAN CHARGED WITH DEATH THREAT
ARIZONA PASSES NO-LICENSE CONCEALED CARRY

On day 26 of the Special Session, House and Senate leadership are reportedly close to an agreement on targeted tax increases, ruling out the Senate's preferred raise in the overall sales tax. Final negotiations (read "concessions") are underway to gather the few remaining votes necessary to pass the legislation. Among other tax increases proposed are "temporary" taxes in beer and soft drinks, sales tax on candy, a business tax "surcharge" on service businesses, and new taxes on out-of-state businesses such as banks and credit card companies. The special session must wrap up by Tuesday. (One wonders what arm-twisting and threats might be being made, and bribes possibly offered, in order to get the needed votes, as appeared to be the case with the federal health care reform bill.)

The state Department of Revenue has determined that sales tax must now be collected on firearms bought from out-of-state sources and transferred to a Washington resident by a local licensed gun dealer (FFL) (as required by federal law). The firearms in question are not part of the dealer's stock, and he or she is merely providing a paperwork service to comply with the law. In some cases, the FFL never even sees the sale price. But now sales tax on these transfers must be collected and turned over to the state. The DOR notice is available at http://dor.wa.gov/Content/GetAFormOrPublication/PublicationBySubject/TaxTopics/FirearmTransfers.aspx

Why mention an incident where a man was arrested and charged with threatening to kill U.S. Senator Patty Murray? Because the man made a point that in addition to at least one handgun, he also possessed a concealed pistol license. And that fact was widely reported by the media. While I don't expect any legislative reaction to the incident at this time, this is the kind of thing that the other side delights in exploiting to demonstrate the alleged "danger to public safety" of concealed carry, especially licensed concealed carry. Over the past few years, the gun control lobby has published "studies" of concealed carry license holders who run afoul of the law, including a very few who commit violent crimes with firearms. They ignore the fact that approximately SIX MILLION Americans now have carry licenses, and that the percentage who commit crimes is significantly smaller than the population at large, or even the number of police officers who commit crimes.

To end with a little good news, Arizona becomes the third state to allow lawful concealed carry of a firearm without first obtaining a license (Arizona already recognizes ALL state concealed carry licenses, including Washington's). Vermont started the trend in 1903, in a state Supreme Court case challenging a city concealed carry ban, and Alaska followed a century later, passing a law in 2003 allowing unlicensed concealed carry (the bill was sponsored by Anchorage Democrat Eric Kroft). Governor Brewer is expected to sign the bill, as she did earlier this week with an expanded state preemption statute and the seventh-in-the-nation Firearms Freedom Act. Arizona will continue to issue licenses to allow citizens to take advantage of other states' reciprocity provisions (as does Alaska). And as I understand it, if you want to carry in a restaurant that serves alcohol, you must be licensed to carry.

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Not applicable

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Not applicable

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

None

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993, also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com." Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

"The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men."
Article 1, Section 24
Constitution of the State of Washington

Copyright 2010 Gun Owners Action League of WA
GOAL Post 2010-13

Legislative Update from Olympia 2 April 2010

NO CHANGE IN OLYMPIA
HOUSE AND SENATE LEADERSHIP CONTINUE TO DISAGREE
GOVERNOR SIGNS SHB 2226

On day 19 of the Special Session, House and Senate leadership are still agreeing to disagree about how to resolve the budget shortfall. Most of the legislators are at home, while the fiscal committee members meet to discuss the relative merits of THEIR solutions. Any way you spell it, the end result is tax increases. (You'd better get used to THAT one.)

Under proposals being pushed by the Democrat-led Senate, everyone in the state would pay an increased sales tax to generate $800 million in additional revenue. The Democrat-led House "solution" is to focus the same amount in tax increases on specialized items such as Business & Occupation taxes, higher cigarette and other "sin" taxes (to include a tax on bottled water), and increased taxes on some food items. Meanwhile, Republican proposals to close the shortfall by cutting spending were dismissed without consideration. (Just as Republican proposals in Congress for health care reform were ignored by Democrat leadership.)

(If this looks like I'm Democrat-bashing, that's just the way I see it. And for the record, I was raised in an FDR-Democrat, union household whose family voted only Democrat... until 1968 when the party abandoned the little guy in favor of left-wing special interests.)

Again, the one bright spot in the Special Session is that revenue-raising has occupied ALL of their attention. Gun control is NOT on the table.

SHB 2226, the bill that would standardize procedures whereby retired peace officers could qualify to carry concealed firearms all across the U.S. under the provisions of HR 218, the Law Enforcement Officers' Safety Act of 2004, was signed by Governor Gregoire in a ceremony on 31 March. Several of the bills she signed that day toughened rules on parole and parolees.

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Bill # Subject Sponsor Status

SHB 2226 Retired peace officer qualification Orcutt (R-18) Gov. signed

Key to abbreviations: SHB = Substitute House Bill

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Not applicable

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

None

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993, also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com." Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

"The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men."
Article 1, Section 24
Constitution of the State of Washington

Copyright 2010 Gun Owners Action League of WA
GOAL Post 2010-12

Legislative Update from Olympia 26 March 2010

LITTLE ACTION IN OLYMPIA AS BUDGET IMPASSE CONTINUES
SHB 2226 STILL SITS ON GOVERNOR'S DESK
CITY OF SEATTLE FILES NOTICE OF APPEAL

Today is the 12th day of the special legislative session, and legislative leaders are still at an impasse as to how to resolve the $2+BILLION budget shortfall for the remainder of 2010. How can this be, you ask, given that one party, the Democratic Party, has solid control of BOTH chambers (House AND Senate)? This should have been resolved during the regular session to begin with. Why is the legislature spending approximately $20,000 PER DAY in special session?

If there is good news coming out of Olympia, it is that there has been no action on any gun-related bills during the special session, nor is any anticipated.

SHB 2226, the bill that would standardize procedures whereby retired peace officers could qualify to carry concealed firearms all across the U.S. under the provisions of HR 218, the Law Enforcement Officers' Safety Act of 2004, still sits on Governor Gregoire's desk, awaiting her action: sign the bill into law or veto it.

Earlier today the City of Seattle filed Notice of Appeal in the case of the Seattle city ban. The appeal will be heard in Division 1 of the Court of Appeals. The presiding judge of Division 1 is none other than Judge Marlin Appelwick, who back in his days as a legislator, was one of the "fathers" of 1994's E2SHB 2319, the so-called Youth Violence Act. E2SHB 2319 was the largest and most comprehensive gun control law in Washington history, essentially a major rewrite of our state's firearms code.

At this point I don't see what arguments Seattle attorneys could make that would overcome Judge Catherine Shaffer's February decision to toss the ban based on the state preemption law (RCW 9.41.290). Add to that the fact that by the time the appeal is heard, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely have announced its decision in the case of McDonald v City of Chicago, a decision that is likely to incorporate the Second Amendment to the states. As if Washington's constitutional provision, Article 1, Section 24 (quoted at the end of every GOAL Post) wasn't enough. More taxpayer dollars wasted to salve the egos of arrogant politicians (is that redundant?).

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Bill # Subject Sponsor Status

SHB 2226 Retired peace officer qualification Orcutt (R-18) To Governor

Key to abbreviations: SHB = Substitute House Bill

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Not applicable

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

None

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993, also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com." Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

"The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men."
Article 1, Section 24
Constitution of the State of Washington

Copyright 2010 Gun Owners Action League of WA
GOAL Post 2010-11

Legislative Update from Olympia 19 March 2010

SPECIAL SESSION CONVENED 15 MARCH
GUN BILL RUMOR UNTRUE
THE OTHER SEATTLE GUN BAN LAWSUIT

The legislature reconvened at noon on Monday to conduct a special session to resolve budget difference between the House and Senate. At this time, the legislature is still in session, and the budget impasse has NOT been resolved.

At the end of every legislative session, bills that did not pass are retained in their status at the end of the session. When a special session is called, bills are technically reintroduced, in their last status. A rumor has started that the proposed "assault weapon" bill, SB 6396, was reintroduced and is running for the special session. Not true. ALL bills that died at the end of the regular session were technically "reintroduced," but no action is anticipated on any gun bill, good or bad.

Shortly after the Second Amendment Foundation, the NRA and several local residents filed a challenge to the City of Seattle handgun ban, based on grounds it violated the state's preemption law (RCW 9.41.290, the state reserves to itself the right to regulate firearms), Kent resident Robert Warden filed a similar challenge in federal court, claiming the Seattle gun ban violated his Second Amendment rights.

On Friday, 12 March, federal district Judge Marsha Pechman found the Seattle ban did NOT violate the Second Amendment. Not surprising. Judicial precedent in the 9th Circuit holds that the Second Amendment does NOT affirm an individual right to arms, and as a general rule, judges are bound by court precedent. Thus Judge Pechman was simply applying standing 9th Circuit decisions. That will likely change in June when the Supreme Court incorporates the Second Amendment to the states.

In the meantime, Judge Pechman's ruling is irrelevant, because King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Shaffer HAS ruled the ban to be a violation of state preemption. Seattle's gun ban signs remain as an example of elected official arrogance and fiscal folly. The folly, of course, comes at taxpayer expense, despite the fact that the state's Attorney General, Rob McKenna, warned Mayor Nickels that the ban was in violation of state law. But some elected officials, like Nickels and his replacement, Mike McGinn, consider themselves above the law.

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Bill # Subject Sponsor Status

SHB 2226 Retired peace officer qualification Orcutt (R-18) To Governor

Key to abbreviations: SHB = Substitute House Bill

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Not applicable

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

None

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993, also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com." Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

Copyright 2010 Gun Owners Action League of WA
GOAL Post 2010-10

Legislative Update from Olympia 12 March 2010

IT'S OVER!
SPECIAL SESSION AHEAD
END RESULT FOR GUN OWNERS? ZILCH
RECAP OF BILLS FILED/RUN LATER
ELECTION 2010
FUTURE GOAL POSTS AND GOAL ALERTS

The state legislature adjourned sine die at 8:44 p.m. on 11 March, ending its 2010 regular session.

Unfortunately, the House and Senate failed to reach agreement on revenue bills to complete the 2010 budget, so a special session will be convened. They will take a break, allowing individual members and committees to work out compromise language, and then come back to Olympia at noon on Monday, 15 March to pass the budget. While the purpose and focus of the special session is on budgetary matters, once the special session is convened, the legislature can address any issue it chooses. As noted previously, neither your wallet nor your liberties are safe as long as the legislature is in session.

I'm going to hold off on a recap of the gun bills filed during the session until the special session adjourns. Although I don't anticipate any action on gun bills, once again, the fat lady has tripped off to the wings, waiting to sing (again).

2010 is a mid-term election year, meaning a year in which there is no presidential election (or statewide elections in Washington), but major Congressional and legislative election will take place. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election/reelection, as well as 1/3 of U.S. Senate seats. Likewise, all state House of Representative seats and 1/2 of state Senate seats are up for grabs.

Needless to say, the outcome of the mid-term elections could make significant changes in the direction of the country or the state -- or both. The gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia last November, and the special U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts in January appear to indicate some voter dissatisfaction with the way business was being conducted in those Democrat-controlled states. Will that dissatisfaction carry over to the mid-term elections?

Is YOUR voter registration up to date? Address corrections? Name changes? How about your family members? Co-workers? Shooting or hunting buddies? This is the time to pull that voter registration card out and see that you are properly "armed" to fulfill your duty as a citizen and vote.

The principal intent of the GOAL Post is to keep citizens informed of legislative activities in Olympia. During the remainder of the year, if circumstances warrant, additional GOAL Posts and/or GOAL Alerts MAY be published. This being an election year, I anticipate at least two more GOAL messages, reporting our endorsements for the primary and general elections. And probably before that, the Supreme Court's decision in the case of McDonald v City of Chicago, which may be released in late June.

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Bill # Subject Sponsor Status

SHB 2226 Retired peace officer qualification Orcutt (R-18) To Governor

ESHB 2499 Black powder storage/transport Bailey (R-10) Died in S. Rules

Key to abbreviations: SHB = Substitute House Bill, L&C = Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, Jud = Judiciary Committee

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Not applicable

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

None

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993, also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com." Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

Copyright 2010 Gun Owners Action League of WA
GOAL Post 2010-9

Legislative Update from Olympia 5 March 2010

SCOTUS: McDONALD v CITY OF CHICAGO
ESHB 2499 STALLS IN SENATE, DIES
SHB 2226 PASSES SENATE, GOES TO GOVERNOR
ESHB 2777 PASSES SENATE, GOES TO CONFERENCE
SECOND CHAMBER CUT-OFF TODAY
SESSION ENDS NEXT THURSDAY NIGHT

On Tuesday, 2 March, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard one hour of oral arguments in the case of McDonald v City of Chicago. This is step two of the original District of Columbia v Heller case from 2008, that ruled 5-4 that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms, specifically to keep a handgun in your home for the purpose of self defense. Because Dick Anthony Heller was a D.C. resident, the ruling only applied within that federal enclave. McDonald is challenging the same type of handgun ban in the city of Chicago. If the court rules the same way it did in Heller, that will force application of the Second Amendment to the states (and political subdivisions) as well. The third step will be for the SCOTUS to determine the level of scrutiny to be applied to the Second Amendment, with strict scrutiny being the highest standard, usually reserved to fundamental rights. A decision in McDonald is expected in late June. If and once incorporation occurs, the door will be opened toi challenging all kinds of gun control laws across the country. This is only the beginning of Second Amendment jurisprudence, not the end.

ESHB 2499 (possession and transport of black powder), stalled on the Senate floor and died at today's chamber cut-off. SHB 2226 (retired peace officer firearms certification) passed the Senate without amendment and now goes to the Governor for her signature. ESHB 2777 (domestic violence) was amended on the Senate floor and now goes back to the House for a concurrence vote or to a conference committee to iron out differences.

Today was the last day for bills to pass out of the opposite chamber (House bills from the Senate, Senate bills from the House).

Six days remain in the 2010 regular legislative session. There are several bills still under consideration, including many budget bills. Amendments can be made, language added to bills. As the saying goes, it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings, and that won't happen until late on the evening of 11 March.

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Bill # Subject Sponsor Status

SHB 2226 Retired peace officer qualification Orcutt (R-18) To Governor

ESHB 2499 Black powder storage/transport Bailey (R-10) Died in S. Rules

Key to abbreviations: SHB = Substitute House Bill, L&C = Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, Jud = Judiciary Committee

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

SHB 2226 SUPPORT

ESHB 2499 SUPPORT

ESHB 2777 MONITOR

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

None

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993, also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com." Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

Copyright 2010 Gun Owners Action League of WA
GOAL Post 2010-8

Legislative Update from Olympia 26 February 2010

ESHB 2499 PASSES COMMITTEE
SHB 2226 PASSES COMMITTEE
ESHB 2777 (NOT 2778) PASSES COMMITTEE
TACOMA SHOOTING INCIDENT COULD OPEN DOOR
SECOND POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF TODAY
MARCH 5 SECOND CHAMBER CUT-OFF
TWO WEEKS REMAIN IN THE 2010 REGULAR SESSION

Engrossed Substitute House Bill (ESHB) 2499 passed out of the Senate Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee and goes to Senate Rules awaiting a floor vote.

Substitute House Bill (SHB) 2226 passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and goes to Senate Rules awaiting a floor vote.

Engrossed Substitute House Bill (ESHB) 2777 passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and goes to Senate Rules awaiting a floor vote. This is NOT HB 2778, which we bottled up in House Ways & Means two weeks ago, but another bill dealing with domestic violence. The title of the bill is vague enough that anti-gun language from HB 2778 COULD be added to the bill, hence it bears a close watch.

Why worry about ESHB 2777? A school teacher was shot and killed this morning outside her Tacoma school. Her murderer was a man who had been stalking her for years, despite the fact that the two were never in any kind of relationship. She had received an anti-harassment order against the man, who was locked up last weekend for violating that order. Apparently he was released and illegally acquired or possessed a firearm , with which he killed her.

This is exactly the kind of incident that gun control advocates try to exploit, using the emotion of the moment to pass this or that restrictive law. That is what HB 2778 WOULD have done. We need to be alert to the possibility that an attempt may be made to amend ESHB 2777 to include the gun restrictions from HB 2778.

Today, February 26th is the policy committee cut-off for bills that crossed over to the other chamber. Bills that do not pass their policy committee by the end of that day are considered dead for the session.

Next Friday, 5 March, is the second chamber cut-off day. All House bills that have not passed the Senate, and Senate bills that have not passed the House, are considered dead for the session. The last six days of the session are devoted to bills that passed both chambers in different forms. Conference committee will be created to reconcile differences.

Two weeks remain in the 2010 regular legislative session. As the saying goes, it ain't over til the fat lady sings, and that won't happen until late on the evening of 11 March.

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Bill # Subject Sponsor Status

SHB 2226 Retired peace officer qualification Orcutt (R-18) S. Rules

ESHB 2499 Black powder storage/transport Bailey (R-10) S. Rules

Key to abbreviations: SHB = Substitute House Bill, L&C = Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, Jud = Judiciary Committee

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

SHB 2226 SUPPORT

SHB 2499 SUPPORT

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

24 Feb
3:30 p.m. SHB 2226 Senate Judiciary Committee
Senate Hearing Room 1, J.A>C. Bldg

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993, also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com." Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

Copyright 2010 Gun Owners Action League of WA
GOAL Post 2010-7

Legislative Update from Olympia 19 February 2010

COURT OVERTURNS SEATTLE GUN BAN
CITY MAY ATTEMPT TO REPEAL PREEMPTION
PUBLIC HEARING ON SHB 2499
CHAMBER CUT-OFF PASSES
SHB 2226 SCHEDULED FOR A PUBLIC HEARING
SECOND CHAMBER POLICY CUT-OFF 26 FEBRUARY
BILL STATUS REPORT ABBREVIATED

On Friday, 12 February, King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Shaffer granted a summary motion to overturn the gun ban imposed by former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. In a rider to the court order, Judge Shaffer noted: 1. Plaintiffs have a clear legal or equitable right to carry firearms under federal and state constitutions. 2. Plaintiffs have established a well-grounded fear of invasion of that right. 3. Plaintiffs have established that they have suffered a substantial injury.

In an article in the on-line Seattle Post-Intelligencer, new Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn referred to the state's firearms preemption law, saying, "It's time for the state Legislature to repeal that law." This won't be the first time Seattle has tried to repeal or amend preemption. Their last attempt was 7-8 years ago, when they proposed an amendment to allow cities with populations over 400,000 to create their own gun laws (who do you think that would have applied to?). The amendment failed.

The question is, will Seattle ask the legislature to repeal or amend preemption in this session, or will they wait until next year? The make-up of the legislature may be significantly different next year. Then again, given public anger over the legislature's tax shenanigans this year, does Speaker Chopp want to jump into another controversy? We'll see over the next three weeks.

The Senate Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee conducted a public hearing on SHB 2499, by Bailey (R-10), the bill that would increase allowable limits on the storage and transportation of black powder. Some of the supporters of the bill appeared (and testified) in period uniforms.

Tuesday, 16 February was the chamber cut-off date ("flop" date). Bills that have not passed out of their original chamber (House bills from the House, Senate bills from the Senate) are considered dead for the season. Keep in mind that these are self-imposed dates, and are subject to change by a vote of the legislature. Keep in mind, also, that in some cases language from one bill may be inserted as an amendment into another bill. Limitations on "scope and object" preclude this in most cases (if the language of a bill or an amendment don't fit the original title of the bill, it's not allowed).

SHB 2226, by Orcutt (R-18), a bill that would standardize procedures for issue of an H.R. 218 certification card for retired police officers, will be heard in a public hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 24th.

Friday, February 26th is the policy committee cut-off for bills that crossed over to the other chamber. Bills that do not pass their policy committee by the end of that day are considered dead for the session.

Bills that died in committee or after the chamber cut-off date will no longer be listed in the "Bill Status/GOAL Position on Bills" section. The end-of-session recap will include all gun bills filed or acted on during the session.

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Bill # Subject Sponsor Status

SHB 2226 Retired peace officer qualification Orcutt (R-18) S. Jud

SHB 2499 Black powder storage/transport Bailey (R-10) S. L&C

Key to abbreviations: SHB = Substitute House Bill, L&C = Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, Jud = Judiciary Committee

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

SHB 2226 SUPPORT

SHB 2499 SUPPORT

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

24 Feb
3:30 p.m. SHB 2226 Senate Judiciary Committee
Senate Hearing Room 1, J.A>C. Bldg

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993, also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com." Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

Copyright 2010 Gun Owners Action League of WA

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
SHB 2226	Retired peace officer qualification	Orcutt (R-18)	Gov. signed

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
SHB 2226	Retired peace officer qualification	Orcutt (R-18)	To Governor

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
SHB 2226	Retired peace officer qualification	Orcutt (R-18)	To Governor

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
SHB 2226	Retired peace officer qualification	Orcutt (R-18)	To Governor
ESHB 2499	Black powder storage/transport	Bailey (R-10)	Died in S. Rules

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
SHB 2226	Retired peace officer qualification	Orcutt (R-18)	To Governor
ESHB 2499	Black powder storage/transport	Bailey (R-10)	Died in S. Rules

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
SHB 2226	Retired peace officer qualification	Orcutt (R-18)	S. Rules
ESHB 2499	Black powder storage/transport	Bailey (R-10)	S. Rules

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
SHB 2226	Retired peace officer qualification	Orcutt (R-18)	S. Jud
SHB 2499	Black powder storage/transport	Bailey (R-10)	S. L&C

GOAL Post 2010-6

Legislative Update from Olympia 12 February 2010

HB 2778 DIES IN HOUSE WAYS & MEANS
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED IN COMMITTEE
FISCAL COMMITTEE CUT-OFF 9 FEBRUARY
HB 2499 PASSES HOUSE
CHAMBER (HOUSE/SENATE) CUT-OFF NEXT TUESDAY

After passing out of the House Judiciary Committee, HB 2778 was sent to the House Ways & Means Committee due to its impact on the state budget (all bills that cost the taxpayer over a certain dollar amount must pass one of the chamber's fiscal committees). While in the Ways & Means Committee, committee member and House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler (D-24) offered an amendment that stripped out the firearm restrictions in the bill.

Before the bill was voted on, a caucus meeting (Democrats and Republicans meeting separately, usually to discuss a bill or amendments to it) was held. Following the caucus meeting, HB 2778 was NOT called up for a vote. Thus it died at the fiscal committee cut-off later that day.

There are 23 sections to HB 2778, only two of which deal with firearms (Sections 310 and 311). It appears there was a split -- a wide split -- in the Democrat caucus (14 of 22 committee members are Democrats) on the gun issue. Enough of a split to lose on the gun vote. In the words of a senior pro-gun politico in Olympia, that they would rather let the bill die than take out the firearm provisions. A reasonable conclusion can be drawn that the remaining 21 secstions of the bill were just eyewash to cover a gun control bill.

(Keep in mind that until the session ends, bills can be revived. We're not home free yet!)

As noted above, the fiscal committee cut-off occurred at close of business on Tuesday, 9 February. The next big hurdle is Tuesday, 16 February: chamber cut-off day. If a House bill hasn't cleared the House, or a Senate bill the Senate, it's considered dead for the session. Of the four thousand or so bills filed in any two-year biennium, only a quarter receive a public hearing, and fewer still actually pass the legislature and go to the governor.

Starting next Wednesday, bills that passed the House will go through the committee process in the Senate, and vice versa. Only two gun bills remain in play for a Senate hearing: HB 2226, a bill that would standardize in-state requirements for retired law enforcement officers to qualify to carry firearms nationwide and SHB 2499, the bill increasing the storage limits on black powder. At this time, HB 2226 is not scheduled for a hearing in Senate Judiciary. HB 2499 is scheduled for a hearing in Senate Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection on Thursday, 18 January.

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
HB 1604	Firearm suppressors	Condotta (R-12	Died H. Jud.
SHB 2226	Retired peace officer qualification	Orcutt (R-18)	S. Jud
HB 2264	Gun show regulation	Williams (D-22)	Died H. Jud.
HB 2477	Gun sale liability	Williams (D-22)	Died H. Jud.
SHB 2499	Black powder storage/transport	Bailey (R-10)	S. L&C
HB 2703	Sport shooting ranges	Takko (D-19)	Died H. Jud.
HB 2709	Firearms freedom act	Shea (R-4)	Died H. Jud.
HB 2711	Right to protection	Shea (R-4)	Died H. Jud.
SHB 2778	Domestic violence	Goodman (D-45)	Died H. W&M
HB 3082	Lowers age for CPL to 18	Williams (D-22)	Died H. Jud.
SB 6396	So-called "assault weapon" ban	Kline (D-37)	Died S. Jud.
SB 6429	Suppressor use by police	Brandland (R-42)	Died S. Jud
SB 6473	Right to protection	Stevens (R-39)	Died S. Jud.

Key to abbreviations: HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Jud = House Judiciary, H. C&L = House Commerce & Labor, H. W&M = House Ways & Means

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

HB 1604	SUPPORT (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
HB 2226	SUPPORT
HB 2264	OPPOSE (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
HB 2477	OPPOSE (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
SHB 2499	SUPPORT
HB 2703	SUPPORT (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
HB 2709	SUPPORT (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
HB 2711	SUPPORT (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
HB 2778	OPPOSE (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
SB 6396	OPPOSE (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
SB 6429	SUPPORT IF AMENDED (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
SB 6473	SUPPORT (DIED IN COMMITTEE)

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

18 February
3:30 p.m.

SHB 2499

Senate Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection
Senate Hearing Room 4, John A. Cherberg Building

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993, also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com." Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

GOAL Post 2010-5

Legislative Update from Olympia 5 February 2010

HB 2226 PASSED HOUSE 97-0; GOES TO SENATE JUDICIARY
SB 6396, “ASSAULT WEAPON” BAN, DIES IN COMMITTEE
HB 2778 -- GUN CONTROL TROJAN HORSE
HB 2499 SUBSTITUTE A STEP BACKWARDS
FIRST POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF PASSES
GUN BILLS DIE

HB 2226 is a holdover bill from last year. It would standardize requirements for retired peace officers to acquire their certificate to carry concealed firearms nationwide under the 2004 federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (H.R. 218). This is primarily an assist for out-of-state officers retired in Washington.

SB 6396, the so-called “assault weapon” ban bill, died in the Senate Judiciary Committee at the policy committee cut-off. Knowing he didn’t have the votes to pass it out of committee, he didn’t even bring it up for a vote. While in Olympia earlier this week, one Senator showed me two 4” thick binders full of e-mails opposing SB 6396. Several others mentioned similar responses. Along with the overwhelming turn-out for the public hearing last week, it’s input like this that demonstrates the strength of the gun lobby in influencing the legislative process. To paraphrase the bumper sticker, we’re ALL the gun lobby!

HB 2778, the bill that would combine the worst of federal and state restrictions for firearm possession by individuals convicted of certain domestic violence-related misdemeanors or subject to certain restraining orders sits in the House Ways & Means Committee. Fiscal committee cut-off is Tuesday, 9 February. Assuming it passes out of Ways & Means, it will go to House Rules, awaiting a pull to the floor for a vote of the full House. Amendments will be offered to eliminate or reduce the firearms provisions of the bill.

HB 2499, the bill that would increase limits on the amount of black powder allowed to be stored in the home, transported on public highways or be offered for sale in commercial establishments suffered a setback when a more restrictive version passed out of the House Labor & Commerce Committee on 2 February. The substitute bill, SHB 2499, increases the limit to private possession from five to 10 pounds, and requires “hazardous cargo” placards to be placed on vehicles transporting more than five pounds of black powder. While not as good as the original bill, it does reflect an incremental improvement in the current situation. NOTE: these restrictions DO NOT apply to Pyrodex and other black powder substitutes. These substitutes are treated the same as conventional smokeless powders.

Friday, 5 February, was the last day for bills to pass out of their original chamber policy committee. Bills that did not pass are considered technically dead for the remainder of the session. However, these cut-off dates are self-imposed for bill management purposes; if leadership wants to make an exception to policy, the can call for a vote to do so. The “Bill Status” section below provides current status of bills. As some dead white man observed a century ago, neither your wallet nor your liberties are safe as long as the legislature is in session,

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
HB 1604	Firearm suppressors	Condotta (R-12)	Died H. Jud.
HB 2226	Retired peace officer qualification	Orcutt (R-18)	S. Jud
HB 2264	Gun show regulation	Williams (D-22)	Died H. Jud.
HB 2477	Gun sale liability	Williams (D-22)	Died H. Jud.
HB 2499	Black powder storage/transport	Bailey (R-10)	H. Rules
HB 2703	Sport shooting ranges	Takko (D-19)	Died H. Jud.
HB 2709	Firearms freedom act	Shea (R-4)	Died H. Jud.
HB 2711	Right to protection	Shea (R-4)	Died H. Jud.
HB 2778	Domestic violence		H. W&M
SB 6396	So-called "assault weapon" ban	Kline (D-37)	Died S. Jud.
SB 6429	Suppressor use by police	Brandland (R-42)	Died S. Jud
SB 6473	Right to protection	Stevens (R-39)	Died S. Jud.

Key to abbreviations: HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Jud = House Judiciary, H. C&L = House Commerce & Labor

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

HB 1604	SUPPORT (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
HB 2226	SUPPORT
HB 2264	OPPOSE (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
HB 2477	OPPOSE (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
HB 2499	SUPPORT
HB 2703	SUPPORT (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
HB 2709	SUPPORT (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
HB 2711	SUPPORT (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
HB 2778	OPPOSE, UNLESS AMENDED
SB 6396	OPPOSE (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
SB 6429	SUPPORT IF AMENDED (DIED IN COMMITTEE)
SB 6473	SUPPORT (DIED IN COMMITTEE)

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

None

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

GOAL ALERT 1-2010 1 February 2010

One almost slipped past us! House Bill 2778 appears to adopt federal restrictions on firearm possession in cases of domestic violence or "no-contact" or other family-related restraining orders.

Federal law is already bad enough. Banning possession of firearms, a fundamental constitutional right, for a misdemeanor simple assault conviction is already unconscionable. The same is true with regard to firearm bans on individuals subject to certain restraining orders -- individuals who have committed no crime whatsoever.

But HB 2778 goes much further than that. Bill sponsors claim the bill merely incorporate the federal prohibitions into state law. But rather than simply quote federal law, or cite it in existing Washington law, it adds entirely new language that far exceeds the already oppressive federal restrictions.

From the NRA Legislative Counsel:

Adding "harassment" to the provisions of the federal DV law would exceed the scope of the federal law. "Harassment" under Washington law may not even contain an element of the use of or threatened use of force.

"Family or household members" as defined in RCW 9.41.040(2) is broader than the definitions of "intimate partner" in federal law.

The surrender of firearms and prohibitions contained in RCW 9.41.800 would apply to ex parte restraining orders, where the subject of the order would not even have the opportunity to defend him- or herself.

HB 2778 passed out of the House Judiciary Committee on 21 January. It was subjected to a hearing in the House Ways & Means Committee today (1 February) and will likely come out of that committee in a few days. Then it goes to the full House for a floor vote by all Representatives.

You are urged to call both of your Representatives and ask them to oppose this poorly drafted legislation. A substitute MAY be offered that would limit the impact of the bill to that of federal law. While that is infinitely preferable to the version under consideration at this time, the bottom line is, do we really want to deny a fundamental constitutional right to someone who has not been convicted of a serious crime? Or in the case of a restraining order, NO CRIME?

You may contact your Representatives via the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000 or directly via the contact information available at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx When your legislative district pops up, it will include links to your Representatives' web site, with office and e-mail addresses and direct telephone numbers.

In no way does our opposition to HB 2778 imply we condone domestic violence, in any form. As my father taught me many years ago, boys don't hit girls. Period. This is simply a poorly written bill that does not deserve serious consideration.

GOAL Post 2010-4

Legislative Update from Olympia 29 January 2010

PUBLIC HEARING ON SB 6396
313 SIGN-IN, 298 IN OPPOSITION TO 6396!
PUBLIC HEARING ON HB 2499

(Admin note: GOAL Post distribution was late last week because I was in Las Vegas working the annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trades (SHOT) show. I'm sending it out a few hours early this week because I'll be on my way to Orlando to attend the annual meeting of the Florida Sport Shooting Association. If there are any significant changes, I'll publish a separate GOAL Alert.)

Anticlimactic probably best describes the public hearing on SB 6396, except for the turn-out by gun owners. 313 citizens signed in for the hearing, 298 opposed to the bill, 14 in favor, and one confused gent didn't take a position. Several other gunnies showed up but didn't sign in because once again they "ran out" of sign-in sheets, or they were unable to find a parking space. WAY TO GO! AND THANK YOU!

(As with the hearing on gun shows in 2007, when well over 300 pro-gun citizens showed up, this kind of presence sends signals far across the campus. Even before the hearing ended, I received calls from House members across the campus asking what was going on and why did we have so many people there. This is what grassroots activism and grassroots lobbying is all about. That, and literally thousands of e-mails and calls to legislative offices urging a "no" vote on SB 6396.))

Judiciary Committee chair Kline, the bill's prime sponsor, limited testimony to three on each side of the issue, but took plenty of time for himself to proclaim the virtues of the bill. There was a lot of misinformation and misdirection passed out by the other side, from Chairman Kline to Washington Ceasefire president Ralph Fascitelli to Bellevue police chief Linda Pillo (allegedly speaking as a private citizen, but appearing in uniform. Had it been a debate format, almost all their points would have been easily refuted.

At this time, it does not appear the votes are there to pass the bill out of committee. It must clear the committee by Friday, 5 February, or be considered dead for the session.

Because this GOAL Post is coming out a day early, I can't provide a recap of the public hearing on HB 2499. Hopefully I'll have more next week.

At this point, no new gun bills have been introduced and no additional hearings are scheduled on gun bills.

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
HB 1604	Firearm suppressors	Condotta (R-12)	H. Jud.
HB 2226	Retired peace officer qualification	Orcutt (R-18)	H. Jud
HB 2264	Gun show regulation	Williams (D-22)	H. Jud.
HB 2477	Gun sale liability	Williams (D-22)	H. Jud.
HB 2499	Black powder storage/transport	Bailey (R-10)	H. C&L
HB 2703	Sport shooting ranges	Takko (D-19)	H. Jud.
HB 2709	Firearms freedom act	Shea (R-4)	H. Jud.
HB 2711	Right to protection	Shea (R-4)	H. Jud.
SB 6396	So-called "assault weapon" ban	Kline (D-37)	S. Jud.
SB 6429	Suppressor use by police	Brandland (R-42)	S. Jud
SB 6473	Right to protection	Stevens (R-39)	S. Jud.

Key to abbreviations: HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Jud = House Judiciary, H. C&L = House Commerce & Labor

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

HB 1604	SUPPORT
HB 2226	SUPPORT
HB 2264	OPPOSE
HB 2477	OPPOSE
HB 2499	SUPPORT
HB 2703	SUPPORT
HB 2709	SUPPORT
HB 2711	SUPPORT
SB 6396	OPPOSE
SB 6429	SUPPORT, IF AMENDED
SB 6473	SUPPORT

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

None

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

GOAL Post 2010-3

Legislative Update from Olympia 22 January 2010

PUBLIC HEARING ON SB 6396
PUBLIC HEARING ON HB 2499
NEW PRO-GUN BILL FILED?

A public hearing will be conducted on SB 6396, the so-called “assault weapon” ban bill on Tuesday, 26 January. The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. in Senate Hearing Room “1” in the John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building on the Capitol Campus in Olympia.

It is imperative that as many individuals as possible attend the hearing and sign in in opposition to the bill. A sign-in sheet will be available at a side table just inside the hearing room (or if the crowd is large enough, the sign-in sheet may be outside the room in the corridor). Sign in with your name, address and a position on the bill: “con.” There is a place on the sign-in sheet to indicate whether or not you would like to testify. Time is limited, so I anticipate only a few individuals will be called upon on both sides of the issue. Who gets to testify and who does not is solely up to the committee chair (Senator Adam Kline, sponsor of the bill).

Hints on testimony: public input is limited to three minutes or less. Begin by stating your name and where you are from. Personal attacks on the motives of bill supporters are not allowed. If a point has already been made, do not repeat it. As with a letter to the editor, short, concise points are best. While reference to “cold, dead fingers” may be dramatic, this is NOT a drama. Courtesy is a virtue!

Parking in and around the Capitol Campus is extremely limited. Olympia parking enforcement makes a ton of money enforcing the one-hour limit in the residential areas just south of the Campus! If the spaces on Campus or overflow parking lots to the east are taken, it’s best to park in the business area in the blocks to the north, using the parking meters. Car-pooling is the way to go!

It is equally imperative that, whether you can attend the hearing or not, you contact your Senator, by e-mail (https://dlr.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx), direct telephone (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx) or Legislative Hotline (1-800-562-6000) to indicate your opposition to the bill.

A committee vote on the bill will likely be taken a few days later in executive session. The Judiciary Committee has eight members, five Democrats and three Republicans (matching the proportion of Democrats to Republicans in the Senate). The three Republicans and one Democrat lean our way.

Public testimony will also be taken on HB 2499, the bill that increases the allowable limits on possession of black powder. That hearing will be conducted on Friday, 29 January, at 8 a.m. by the House Labor & Commerce Committee in House Hearing Room “B” in the John L. O’Brien House Office Building, also on the Capitol Campus. This is more of a technical bill, lacking the controversy of SB 6396. While a turn-out isn’t needed, calls to your two Representatives in support of HB 2499 ARE needed.

HB 3082, a bill that would lower from 21 to 18 the age at which an application for a concealed pistol license could be applied and issued. The bill was filed by Representative Brendan Williams (D-22), a legislator heretofore known for filing anti-gun bills (e.g. HB 2264, HB 2477). While the language of the bill is straightforward, at this point I can only assume this is a case of election year politicking. Until proven otherwise (and simply filing a bill is not proof), I question the motive behind the bill.

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
HB 1604	Firearm suppressors	Condotta (R-12)	H. Jud.
HB 2226	Retired peace officer qualification	Orcutt (R-18)	H. Jud
HB 2264	Gun show regulation	Williams (D-22)	H. Jud.
HB 2477	Gun sale liability	Williams (D-22)	H. Jud.
HB 2499	Black powder storage/transport	Bailey (R-10)	H. C&L
HB 2703	Sport shooting ranges	Takko (D-19)	H. Jud.
HB 2709	Firearms freedom act	Shea (R-4)	H. Jud.
HB 2711	Right to protection	Shea (R-4)	H. Jud.
HB 3082	Reduce CPL age from 21 to 18	Williams D-22)	H. Jud.
SB 6396	So-called "assault weapon" ban	Kline (D-37)	S. Jud.
SB 6429	Suppressor use by police	Brandland (R-42)	S. Jud
SB 6473	Right to protection	Stevens (R-39)	S. Jud.

Key to abbreviations: HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Jud = House Judiciary, H. C&L = House Commerce & Labor

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

HB 1604	SUPPORT
HB 2226	SUPPORT
HB 2264	OPPOSE
HB 2477	OPPOSE
HB 2499	SUPPORT
HB 2703	SUPPORT
HB 2709	SUPPORT
HB 2711	SUPPORT
HB 3082	SUPPORT
SB 6396	OPPOSE
SB 6429	SUPPORT, IF AMENDED
SB 6473	SUPPORT

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

1/26/2010 10 A.M.	SB 6396 (“assault weapons”)	Senate Judiciary Committee Senate Hearing Room “1”
1/29/2010 8:00 A.M.	HB 2499 (black powder)	House Labor & Commerce House Hearing Room “B”

1-800-562-6000 -- TDD 1-800-635-9993

GOAL Post 2010-2

Legislative Update from Olympia 15 January 2010

CUT-OFF CALENDAR ADOPTED
PRO- AND ANTI-GUN BILLS FILED
NO PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED -- YET

The legislature adopted the cut-off calendar for the 2010 session. Certain "cut-off" dates are established, dates by which bills must clear certain hurdles or be considered "dead" for the session. Most bills die at the various cut-offs. Remember: "dead" doesn't necessarily mean "dead." Language from a bill can be amended into another bill, or the cut-off can be waived by a majority vote.

Feb 5	Bills must pass their original "policy committee"
Feb 16	Bills must pass their original chamber (House or Senate)
Feb 26	Bills must pass policy committee in the second chamber
Mar 5	Bills must pass second chamber (Senate or House)
Mar 11	Last day of session

HB 2703, by Rep. Dean Takko (D-19), is a shooting range protection bill that would immunize ranges against nuisance lawsuits filed for noise abatement. Similar bills have passed twice in previous years, only to be vetoed by the governor.

HB 2709, by Rep. Matt Shea (R-4) is similar to bills passed in Montana and Tennessee and filed in more than a dozen other states. It effectively says if a firearm is manufactured within Washington and sold within the state, the interstate Commerce Clause does not apply and thus federal firearms laws do not apply. The intent of this bill is NOT to encourage people to go out and build firearms, it's to open the door to a challenge of the federal commerce clause.

HB 2711, by Rep. Matt Shea (R-4), broadly defines the right of self defense, and declares any federal or state law to the contrary to be invalid. The bill also prohibits tracking of firearms and other self defense tools by means of RFID chips and other technical means.

SB 6396, by Sen. Adam Kline (D-37), called by the sponsors the "Aaron Sullivan Public Safety and Police Protection Act," would ban possession of so-called "assault weapons." The term would include a broadly-defined category of BOTH semi-automatic and pump action firearms (rifles, shotguns AND handguns) capable of accepting a detachable or fixed box magazine of more than 10-rounds capacity with certain "evil" features, some parts for these firearms (defined as "conversion kits"), and all magazines with greater than 10-round capacity. If the firearm was possessed prior to the effective date of the act, it could be kept ("grandfathered"), but subject the owner to warrantless "inspections" by the county sheriff and possession is limited to property owned by the possessor and "licensed ranges."

SB 6429, by Senator Dale Brandland (R-42) would lift the current prohibition on use of otherwise lawfully possessed (i.e. registered with the ATF) by law enforcement officers ONLY. Current law allows possession, if legally-possessed under federal law, but prohibits their use BY EVERYONE. SB 6429 would NOT legalize suppressor use by private citizens. HB 1604 is the preferred bill, as it makes use of ALL lawfully-possessed suppressors legal.

SB 6473, by Senator Val Stevens (R-39), is the Senate companion bill to HB 2711.

No public hearings have been scheduled for gun bills in the coming week. However, past experience indicated close attention to this. Legislative hearing schedules are published on the Wednesday of the week prior to the hearings, to provide the legal advance notice and allow for time to plan to attend. Last minute changes are allowed, but are supposed to be only when unavoidable. Several years ago, a "gun show loophole" bill was NOT on the weekly schedule, but added later without the statutory advance notice. An oversight, maybe. Except that Washington Ceasefire published a message to its members, informing them of the hearing BEFORE the weekly schedule came out. I guess they must be clairvoyant.

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
HB 1604	Firearm suppressors	Condotta (R-12)	H. Jud.
HB 2226	Retired peace officer qualification	Orcutt (R-18)	H. Jud
HB 2264	Gun show regulation	Williams (D-22)	H. Jud.
HB 2477	Gun sale liability	Williams (D-22)	H. Jud.
HB 2499	Black powder storage/transport	Bailey (R-10)	H. C&L
HB 2703	Sport shooting ranges	Takko (D-19)	H. Jud.
HB 2709	Firearms freedom act	Shea (R-4)	H. Jud.
HB 2711	Right to protection	Shea (R-4)	H. Jud.
SB 6396	So-called "assault weapon" ban	Kline (D-37)	S. Jud.
SB 6429	Suppressor use by police	Brandland (R-42)	S. Jud
SB 6473	Right to protection	Stevens (R-39)	S. Jud.

Key to abbreviations: HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Jud = House Judiciary, H. C&L = House Commerce & Labor

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

HB 1604 SUPPORT

HB 2226 SUPPORT

HB 2264 OPPOSE

HB 2477 OPPOSE

HB 2499 SUPPORT

HB 2703 SUPPORT

HB 2709 SUPPORT

HB 2711 EVALUATING

SB 6396 OPPOSE

SB 6429 EVALUATING

SB 6473 EVALUATING

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

NONE (at this time)

1-800-562-6000 -- TDD 1-800-635-9993

GOAL Post 2010-1

Legislative Update from Olympia 8 January 2010

LEGISLATIVE SESSION TO CONVENE MONDAY, 11 JANUARY
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS
HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW
CUT-OFF CALENDAR
HOLDOVERS FROM 2009 -- PREFILED BILLS
FIRST (PRO)GUN BILL SCHEDULED FOR A HEARING
2010 PROGNOSIS

The state legislature convenes Monday, 11 January, for a 60-day "short" session (a longer, 105-day session is held during odd-numbered years). Much of the attention this year will be focused on budgetary issues and fixes or patches for the economy. Rest assured, however, time will be set aside to take a look at firearms and laws regulating their use!

Once convened, the legislature does not take holidays off (MLK Day in January, President's Day in February), although they do take most weekends off to visit the home district and receive input from constituents.

Before each session starts, there is typically a reshuffle of offices as assignments are changed, replacements are seated, etc. Telephone numbers remain the same, by district, so if your Senator or one of your Representatives has changed, the office telephone will be the same. Your elected legislators and their contact information is available by inserting your residence zip code at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx

Combined House and Senate e-mail addresses are available at https://dlr.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx

Several thousand bills are filed in a typical two-year legislative biennium (in this case, 2009-2010). Bills that were filed but not acted on last year may still be considered this year. In addition, new bills are being filed daily. Only a small percentage of bills filed actually make it to the Governor's desk for her signature or veto.

Getting a bill all the way to the governor is generally a five or six step process. It must first be heard by the appropriate policy committee (for firearms, usually the House or Senate Judiciary Committees). If it passes out of the policy committee, it goes to the Rules Committee where it awaits a floor vote by the entire chamber (House or Senate). If it passes out of the original chamber, it then goes across the capitol building to the other chamber, where it goes through the committee and floor vote process again. (Bills that have a fiscal impact must also be passed by the fiscal committee in each chamber.)

If a bill is modified in the second chamber (House bill in the Senate or Senate bill in the House), it must receive a concurrence vote by the original chamber or go to a conference committee for reconciliation, then back for an concurrence vote by both chambers. Once all those hurdles are passed, it's on its way to the governor. Now you can see why only a fraction of bills make it all the way through the process.

A graphic depiction of the process is available at http://www.leg.wa.gov/StudentsPage/Pages/bill2Law_elementary.aspx

One of the first items of business in each legislative session is adoption of a cut-off calendar. The cut-off calendar establishes the dates by which a bill must clear steps in the process. In most cases (not always) if a bill does not pass it's cut-off date, it is considered dead for the session. Exceptions are made occasionally, so the only real cut-off date is when the legislature adjourns, this year at midnight on Thursday, on March 11.

I'll post the cut-off dates in the next GOAL Post.

A few bills of interest from the last session remain and may or may not be acted on. HB 1604 would allow use of lawfully registered suppressors (current law allows lawful possession, but prohibits their use). HB 2226 improves the process that allows retired peace officers to carry firearms nationwide (scheduled for a public hearing Monday, 11 January; see information below). HB 2264 requires all firearm transfers at gun shows be conducted (and papered) by a licensed dealer (FFL).

HB 2477, by Rep. Brendan Williams (D-22) would impose strict liability standards against anyone who sells or transfers a firearm at a gun show to a person who could not have passed a NICS check. (It's already a criminal offense to KNOWINGLY transfer a firearm to a prohibited person. The Williams bill does NOT include "knowingly.")

HB 2499, by Rep. Barbara Bailey (R-10) pre-filed a bill that relaxes the limit on possession of black powder used in muzzle-loading firearms. The bill increases the current limit of five pounds to 50 pounds.

Senator Adam Kline (D-37) and Rep. Ross Hunter (D-48) held a press conference last month where they said they would introduce a bill banning possession of so-called "assault weapons." Kline said the bill will be similar to the 1994 Clinton gun ban, which wasn't really a ban at all. He declined to share a copy of his draft with me. I expect the bill will go far beyond the Clinton ban, just as his so-called a/w bill from 2005 did: it bans all future possession, with a limited grandfathering provision for those already in possession, IF you register them with the local sheriff, pass a background check and pay a registration fee -- annually.

2010 is an election year. That will have an impact on what bills pass and those that die. According to an article in the Seattle Weekly published shortly after the Kline/Hunter press conference, both Speaker of the House Frank Chopp and House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler expressed doubts about such a bill getting through their chamber. With a large number of rural Democrats taking our side of the gun issue, passing anti-gun bills is no sure thing, even in a legislature that's 2/3 controlled by Democrats. If your legislators are rural democrats, be sure to contact them and give them your views on the various bills. (Actually, you should all give your legislators your position on bills; whether they choose to follow it or not is something for subsequent discussion in November!)

BILL STATUS / GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

The following bills were filed for the 2009-10 biennium:

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
HB 1604	Firearm suppressors	Condotta (R-12)	H. Jud.
HB 2226	Retired peace officer qualification	Orcutt (R-18)	H. Jud
HB 2264	Gun show regulation	Williams (D-22)	H. Jud.
HB 2477	Gun sale liability	Williams (D-22)	Unassigned
HB 2499	Black powder storage/transport	Bailey (R-10)	Unassigned

Key to abbreviations: HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, H. Jud = House Judiciary,

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS:

HB 1604	SUPPORT
HB 2226	SUPPORT
HB 2264	OPPOSE
HB 2477	OPPOSE
HB 2499	SUPPORT

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

Monday, 11 January
1:30 p.m.

HB 2226

Senate Judiciary Committee
House Hearing Room "A", Obrien House Office Bldg

GOAL Post 2009-16

Legislative Update from Olympia 1 May 2009

SESSION ENDS
THREE GUN-RELATED BILLS PASSED, SIGNED BY GOV
GOVERNOR TO CALL SPECIAL SESSION
GOAL POST TO CONTINUE PERIODICALLY
REP. TOM CAMPBELL ANNOUNCES CONGRESSIONAL BID

The 2009 regular session of the Washington legislature adjourned sine die late on Sunday, 26 April. 26 April was the 105th day of the session and the last day allowed by the state constitution for the session. The primary focus of any odd-year session is the biennial budget. That was all the more critical this year with the ongoing recession and significant reductions in state revenues. To at least some degree, that kept legislators focused on fiscal matters and limited dabbling into other areas.

Three gun related bills passed the legislature, out of 15 filed. Keep in mind that bills remain alive for the full biennium. Bills that "died" during the 2009 regular session may be reactivated in future session(s).

Governor Gregoire has indicated she will call a special session of the legislature, possibly in mid- or late May, to pass a few bills relating to implementation of the biennial budget. She wants to limit it to a single day, with the agenda already laid out. Keep in mind, once the legislature goes into session, they may act on ANY BILL of their choosing. The bills that died in committee during the regular session MAY be resurrected and voted on.

GOAL Post is intended to keep individuals informed of legislation directly impacting the right to keep and bear arms in Washington. We normally close out after the session has ended, and resume publication during any special sessions or at the beginning of the next regular session (in this case, in January 2010).

Due to several ongoing initiatives by the Obama administration, we will continue to publish GOAL Post during the remainder of the year, probably on a bi-weekly or monthly basis, to keep you informed of activity in the "other Washington." If you do not wish to continue receiving GOAL Post, send an e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the subject line to "jwaldron@halcyon.com."

State Representative Tom Campbell (R-2), a long time and loyal friend of gun owners, has announced he will seek election to Congress in the 2010 mid-term elections. Tom is running against Adam Smith (D-9) in the 9th Congressional District, or Smith's successor should he be appointed to an Obama administration position as has been rumored. As a state Senator in 1994, Smith was one of the three principal authors of the Youth Violence Act (E2SHB 2319) which rewrote Washington's firearms code, to our detriment.

While he was on the campaign trail in 2008, Barack Obama said "The United States is the greatest country in the world. Please help me change it." In the first 100 days of his presidency, he has certainly worked to make those changes. If he continues at this pace, 2010 may well be another 1994, the Year of the Republicans.

BILL STATUS:

The following bills were filed for the 2009-10 biennium:

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
2SHB 1052	Alien firearm licenses	Moeller (D-49)	Signed by Gov.
HB 1114	Youth hunting age requirement	Blake (D-19)	Died
HB 1498	Involuntary commitment	Hunter (D-48)	Signed by Gov.
HB 1604	Suppressors	Condotta (R-12)	Died
HB 1832	Firearms during emergencies	Herrera (R-18)	Died
HB 2011	Firearms safety education	Chase (D-32)	Died
HB 2065	LEO firearm certification	Orcutt (R-18)	Died
HB 2226	LEO firearm certificate	Orcutt (R-18)	Died
HB 2264	Gun show regulation	Williams (D-22)	Died
HJM 4009	10th Amendment sovereignty	Shea (R-4)	Died
SB 5095	Lead shot ban	Jacobsen (D-46)	Died
SB 5193	Alien firearm licenses	Delvin (R-8)	Died
SB 5559	Youth hunting age requirement	Kohl-Welles (D-36)	Died
SB 5637	CPL renewal by mail for military	Swecker (R-20)	S.Died
SB 5739	CPL renewal by military members	King (R-14)	Signed by Gov.

Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, 2SHB = Second Substitute House Bill, ESHB = Engrossed Substitute House Bill,

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com" or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

GOAL Post 2009-15

Legislative Update from Olympia 24 April 2009

HB 1498 PASSES SENATE, GOES TO GOVERNOR
HB 1052: HOUSE CONCURS, GOES TO GOVERNOR
HB 1114 DIES AT CHAMBER CUT-OFF
EFFECTIVE DATE OF SB 5739
TWO DAYS AND COUNTING -- SPECIAL SESSION?

HB 1498 (involuntary commitment and restoration of rights) is on its way to Governor Gregoire's desk.

On 16 April the House voted unanimously to concur in the Senate amendments to 2SHB 1052 (alien firearm licenses). 2SHB 1052 now goes to Governor Gregoire, who is scheduled to sign the bill on Saturday, 25 April.

HB 1114, which would have reinstated the minimum age of 14 for unsupervised hunting, died at the second chamber cut-off. The bill was placed on the floor calendar, then a hold was placed on it after several amendments were filed.

SB 5739 (military CPL renewal), signed by Governor Gregoire last week, takes effect on July 26, 2009. (Most laws passed during a legislative session don't take effect until three months after the session to give regulatory agencies time to prepare for the changes. In this case, issuing agencies will have to be officially notified that military members returning from out-of-state deployments have an extended period to renew their CPLs.)

The fat lady is in the wings, pumping up her lungs to sing. The 2009 regular session of the legislature adjourns at or before midnight, 26 April. The principal focus of the long legislative session is preparation of the biennial budget. If the biennial budget is not completed at that time, a special session may be called.

In some states, the scope of a special session is limited to the reason for which it was called. That is NOT TRUE in Washington. In Washington if the legislature convenes a special session, ANY subject matter may be addressed. As the saying goes, " No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session."

BILL STATUS:

The following bills have been filed for the 2009-10 biennium:

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
2SHB 1052	Alien firearm licenses	Moeller (D-49)	To Gov.
ESHB 1114	Youth hunting age requirement	Blake (D-19)	Died S. Rules
HB 1498	Involuntary commitment	Hunter (D-48)	To Gov.
SB 5739	CPL renewal by military members	King (R-14)	Signed by Gov

Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, 2SHB = Second Substitute House Bill, ESHB = Engrossed Substitute House Bill,

HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

There are no public hearings scheduled next week on gun-related bills.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com" or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

GOAL Post 2009-14

Legislative Update from Olympia 17 April 2009

HB 1498 PASSES SENATE, GOES TO GOVERNOR
HB 1052: HOUSE CONCURS IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
HB 1114 DIES AT CHAMBER CUT-OFF -- MAYBE
EFFECTIVE DATE OF SB 5739
NINE DAYS AND COUNTING -- SPECIAL SESSION?

HB 1498 (involuntary commitment and restoration of rights) is on its way to Governor Gregoire's desk.

On 16 April the House voted unanimously to concur in the Senate amendments to 2SHB 1052 (alien firearm licenses). 2SHB 1052 now goes to Governor Gregoire.

HB 1114, which would have reinstated the minimum age of 14 for unsupervised hunting, should have died at 5 p.m. today at the second chamber cut-off. The bill was placed on the floor calendar, then a hold was placed on it after several amendments were filed. However, a Senate floor session is scheduled for tomorrow. Procedural rules don't always apply.

The 2009 regular session of the legislature adjourns at or before midnight, 26 April. The principal focus of the long legislative session is preparation of the biennial budget. If the biennial budget is not completed at that time, a special session may be called.

BILL STATUS:

The following bills have been filed for the 2009-10 biennium:

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
2SHB 1052	Alien firearm licenses	Moeller (D-49)	To Gov.
ESHB 1114	Youth hunting age requirement	Blake (D-19)	S. Rules
HB 1498	Involuntary commitment	Hunter (D-48)	To Gov.
SB 5739	CPL renewal by military members	King (R-14)	Signed by Gov

Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, 2SHB = Second Substitute House Bill, ESHB = Engrossed Substitute House Bill,

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

2SHB 1052	SUPPORT
ESHB 1114	SUPPORT
HB 1498	SUPPORT

HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

There are no public hearings scheduled next week on gun-related bills.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com" or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

GOAL Post 2009-13

Legislative Update from Olympia 10 April 2009

SSHB 1052 PASSES SENATE
HBs 1114 AND 1498 AWAITING SENATE FLOOR VOTE
SB 5739 PASSES LEGISLATURE
16 DAYS AND COUNTING

2SHB 1052 was amended on the Senate floor and passed with a unanimous vote. It now awaits a concurrence vote in the House. If the House fails to accept the Senate amendment, it will go to a conference committee. At this time, it is expected the House will concur in the Senate action.

ESHB 1114 (reinstating the minimum unsupervised hunting age to 14) and HB 1498 (involuntary commitment and reinstatement of firearm rights) remain in Senate Rules awaiting a full floor vote. A vote is expected well before the 17 April chamber cut-off date.

SB 5739 (military CPL late renewal) was signed into law by Governor Gregoire today. The bill extends the 90 day period for renewal of an expiring CPL and waives the $10 late fee for late renewal. A returning military member has 90 from the date of return/reassignment/release to renew his or her CPL with the normal $32 renewal fee.

There are two weeks left in the 2009 regular legislative session. The legislature MUST adjourn by midnight Sunday, 26 April.

BILL STATUS:

The following bills have been filed for the 2009-10 biennium:

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
2SHB 1052	Alien firearm licenses	Moeller (D-49)	S. Rules
ESHB 1114	Youth hunting age requirement	Blake (D-19)	S. Rules
HB 1498	Involuntary commitment	Hunter (D-48)	S. Rules
SB 5739	CPL renewal by military members	King (R-14)	Signed by Gov

Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, 2SHB = Second Substitute House Bill, ESHB = Engrossed Substitute House Bill,

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

2SHB 1052	SUPPORT
ESHB 1114	SUPPORT
HB 1498	SUPPORT

HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

There are no public hearings scheduled next week on gun-related bills.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com" or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

GOAL Post 2009-12

Legislative Update from Olympia 3 April 2009

SB 5739 PASSES LEGISLATURE
HB 1052 IN SENATE RULES
SB 5193 DIES IN COMMITTEE
FINAL THREE WEEKS OF THE SESSION
NO PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

SB 5739 (military CPL renewal) passed the legislature and now goes to the Governor for her signature. Given the unanimous votes in both chambers, I would not expect a problem with the Governor. The bill waives the $10 late fee, or complete new application requirement if expired more than 90 days, for service members returning from overseas deployments.

HBs 1052, 1114 and 1498 are all in Senate Rules, awaiting a pull to the floor for a full vote of the Senate. Again, given the unanimous votes on 1052 and 1498, I would not expect a problem in passing the Senate. HB 1114 received 70 votes in the House, so it, too, is likely to pass the Senate.

SB 5193 (alien firearm licenses) died in committee at the policy cut-off this past Monday. While the approach is somewhat different, HB 1052 accomplishes essentially the same task as SB 5193.

There are three weeks left in the 2009 regular legislative session. The legislature MUST adjourn by midnight, 26 April. The bills we are tracking are moving well within remaining cut-off deadlines.

There are no public hearings scheduled next week on gun-related bills.

BILL STATUS:

The following bills have been filed for the 2009-10 biennium:

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
2SHB 1052	Alien firearm licenses	Moeller (D-49)	S. Rules
ESHB 1114	Youth hunting age requirement	Blake (D-19)	S. Rules
HB 1498	Involuntary commitment	Hunter (D-48)	S. Rules
SB 5193	Alien firearm licenses	Delvin (R-8)	Died H. Jud
SB 5739	CPL renewal by military members	King (R-14)	Passed, to Gov

Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, 2SHB = Second Substitute House Bill, ESHB = Engrossed Substitute House Bill, Jud = Judiciary, HS&C = Human Services & Corrections, NatRes = Natural Resources, Oceans and Recreation

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

SHB 1052	SUPPORT
HB 1114	SUPPORT
HB 1498	SUPPORT
SB 5739	SUPPORT

HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

There are no public hearings scheduled next week on gun-related bills.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com" or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

GOAL Post 2009-11

Legislative Update from Olympia 27 March 2009

HBs 1114, 1498 PASS COMMITTEE, GO TO RULES
HB 1052 PENDING SIGNATURES
5193 TO DIE IN COMMITTEE
POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF MONDAY, 30 MAR
NO PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

House Bills 1114 (no unsupervised hunting under age 14) and 1498 (involuntary commitment prohibition) passed out of their Senate committee to Senate Rules. They now await a pull to the Senate floor for a full vote.

2SHB 1052 was voted on in Executive Session in the Senate Judiciary Committee Friday morning. It appeared to pass on a voice vote, but under Senate rules, committee members must sign a "sign in" sheet recording their vote. Occasionally a bill appears to pass on a voice vote, but fails to get the required signatures. The sign-in sheet on 2SHB 1052 hasn't been returned to committee staff as this is being written.

It appears SB 5193 (alien firearm licenses) will die in committee. 2SHB 1052 effectively addresses the same issue, so at this point 5193 is probably redundant.

The policy committee cut-off date in the second chamber is Monday, 30 March. House bills that have not passed their Senate committee, and vice versa, will be considered dead for the remainder of the session. Of the five bills we're tracking, three have already passed their policy committee (ESHB 1114, HB 1498, SB 5739); the fourth (2SHB 1052) is on the way, and one (SB 5193) will likely die.

There are no public hearings scheduled next week on gun-related bills.

BILL STATUS:

The following bills have been filed for the 2009-10 biennium:

Bill # Subject Sponsor Status

2SHB 1052 Alien firearm licenses Moeller (D-49) S. Jud

ESHB 1114 Youth hunting age requirement Blake (D-19) S. Rules

HB 1498 Involuntary commitment Hunter (D-48) S. Rules

SB 5193 Alien firearm licenses Delvin (R-8) H. Jud

SB 5739 CPL renewal by military members King (R-14) H. Rules

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

SHB 1052	SUPPORT
HB 1114	SUPPORT
HB 1498	SUPPORT
SB 5193	SUPPORT
SB 5739	SUPPORT

HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

There are no public hearings scheduled next week on gun-related bills.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com" or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

GOAL Post 2009-10

Legislative Update from Olympia 20 March 2009

SB 5739 PASSES COMMITTEE
HB1498 PENDING
PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED
NEXT CUT-OFF DATE 30 MARCH

SB 5739 (military CPL renewal) has passed out of the House Judiciary Committee on a unanimous vote. It now moves to the House Rules Committee awaiting a full floor vote.

HB 1498 was voted on in Executive Session in the Senate Human Services and Corrections Committee Friday morning. It appeared to pass on a voice vote, but under Senate rules, committee members must sign a "sign in" sheet recording their vote. Occasionally a bill appears to pass on a voice vote, but fails to get the required signatures. The sign-in sheet hasn't been returned to committee staff as this is being written.

Public hearings are scheduled for HB 1052 in Senate Judiciary on Tuesday, 24 March at 10 a.m., and for HB 1114 on Wednesday, 25 March at 8 a.m. in Senate Natural Resources. At this time, no hearing has been scheduled for SB 5193 (HB 1052, if it becomes law, will resolve the alien firearms issue without further action needed).

The policy committee cut-off date in the second chamber is Monday, 30 March. House bills that have not passed their Senate committee, and vice versa, will be considered dead for the remainder of the session. Of the five bills we're tracking, two have already passed their policy committee; two are scheduled for a hearing next week.

BILL STATUS:

The following bills have been filed for the 2009-10 biennium:

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
2SHB 1052	Alien firearm licenses	Moeller (D-49)	S. Jud
ESHB 1114	Youth hunting age requirement	Blake (D-19)	S. NatRes
HB 1498	Involuntary commitment	Hunter (D-48)	S. HS&C
SB 5193	Alien firearm licenses	Delvin (R-8)	H. Jud
SB 5739	CPL renewal by military members	King (R-14)	H. Rules

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

SHB 1052	SUPPORT
HB 1114	SUPPORT
HB 1498	SUPPORT
SB 5193	SUPPORT
SB 5739	SUPPORT

HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

24 Mar 10:00 a.m.	HB 1052	Senate Judiciary Committee Senate Hearing Room 1, JAC Bldg
25 Mar 8:00 a.m.	HB 1114	Senate Natural Resources Senate Hearing Room 2, JAC Bldg

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com" or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.