(Originally appeared in American Thinker.)
Now that Oregon narrowly passed some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the country this past election, should it be any surprise that Washington wants to follow suit?
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson, both Democrats, have announced three new measures they plant to pursue during next year’s legislative session.
“We know we can act. We know we should act. And we know we will act in this session of the legislature. And the reason is, Washingtonians demand assertive, effective and protective gun safety laws. We intend in this session of the legislature to give Washingtonians assertive, effective and protective laws to protect them and their children against this epidemic of gun violence,” Inslee said.
Inslee and Ferguson want to ban assault-style weapons, hold manufacturers and retailers accountable for gun sales, and implement a permit-to-purchase requirement for all gun buyers, according to a press conference.
“You need to get a license to drive a car in the state of Washington. You need to get a license to go fishing. It’s time you get a license to make sure you have safety training to purchase a gun in the state of Washington, and it’s high time that we pass a bill to make sure you get a permit before you get a firearm,” Inslee said.
These measures are supposed to lower gun violence in the state.
They won’t.
What they will do is ensure that criminals who will be armed even if these measures pass will worry less about meeting an armed citizen capable of defending his or herself. It will encourage crime, and with it, gun violence.
The Left never learns the failed lessons of others. Or they don’t want to learn because they couldn’t care less. These measures aren’t about reducing gun violence. They are about controlling citizens.
Inslee cited the dismal statistics of how many Washingtonians had been killed from gun violence. It is interesting that he would cite these statistics since Democrats have controlled the state government for years and have been passing increasingly restrictive gun-control laws that have brought the state to the point where 800 residents were shot and killed last year.
And when these laws don’t work and the state sees an increase in crime, the politicians will claim that more needs to be done. More restrictions on the freedoms of law-abiding citizens need to be made.
They never acknowledge that inverse relationship that can be seen all over the country. The more politicians restrict gun ownership, the more crime in those areas increases.
Republican state Rep. Jim Walsh called the measures a waste of taxpayer time and money.
“The biggest problem with the governor and state attorney general’s proposals is that they are a waste of taxpayers’ time and money. The U.S. Supreme Court, in its recent Bruen decision, has clearly ruled that state gun-control schemes like these are unconstitutional — and unlawful. They will eventually be overturned by federal courts,” Walsh said in a release.
While he is correct, overturning the laws would take time to work through the court system, and in the meantime, citizens would lose their rights and their lives.
Michael A. Letts is the CEO and Founder of In-VestUSA, a national grassroots non-profit organization helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs.
