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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As expected, Initiative 591 (Protect Our Gun Rights Act) and Initiative 594 (Background Check for Gun Sales and Transfers) have not moved forward in the legislative process. While they can still be considered until the last day of the legislative session on March 13, it appears that voters will decide their fate in November. Here is an update on other gun-related legislation:
- House Bill 1371 would adopt the Washington State Firearms Freedom Act of 2013 and establish penalties (I support this bill) | Died in the House Judiciary Committee
- House Bill 2020 would expand economic development and create jobs by increasing the availability of ammunition, firearm parts and accessories in our state (I support this bill) | Died in the House Judiciary Committee
- House Bill 1561 would legalize the possession, transportation, acquisition, or transfer of a short-barreled rifle that is legally registered and possessed, transported, acquired, or transferred in compliance with federal law. (I support this bill) | Died in the House Judiciary Committee
- House Bill 1588 would require universal background checks for firearm transfers (I oppose this bill) | Passed out of the House Judiciary Committee on February 19, 2013; died in the House Rules Committee in March 2013
- House Bill 1840 would provide that a person is guilty of a crime (or can be ordered to not possess a firearm) if the person has violated a court order that (1) restrains the person and (2) includes a finding that the person represents a credible threat and (3) explicitly prohibits physical force.| Passed off the House floor 97-0 on February 12, 2014 (I voted for this bill); scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Law and Justice Committee tomorrow (February 26) at 6:30 p.m.
Make sure your voice is heard in the legislative process
A complete list of bills that have passed both chambers as of February 18 can be found here. Please remember that there is a feature on the Legislature's website that provides you the opportunity to comment on legislation. For example, when you click on House Bill 2020, you will see a green icon that says “Comment on this bill.” The information you provide is then forwarded to me and your other two 39th District state lawmakers (assuming you are constituents).
Recent TVW interview
I sat down with Anita Kissée, host of TVW's The Impact, and House Democratic Majority Leader Pat Sullivan last Tuesday to talk about the legislative session. We discussed various issues, including cutoff, K-12 education funding, a transportation tax package and minimum wage. You can find the interview here.
Profile piece in The Seattle Times
I'm not sure if you subscribe to or read The Seattle Times. If so, you may have seen the profile piece they had about me on February 17. If not, you can find it here.
In your service,
Dan Kristiansen
