We need to repeal I-1639. Please take the time to find and sign a petition to repeal I-1639.
I-1639, while touted as a “common sense” step in the push for gun safety, has shown itself to be nothing more than a burden on law abiding citizens looking to own a firearm. Some of the changes in I-1639 that should cause us alarm (and remember, by Washington state law an initiative is supposed to address one change to a law not multiple changes as this one did):
1. Defined all semi-automatic rifles as “assault weapons”. I recently acquired a semi-automatic .22 that was manufactured in 1940. It has a 10 round tubular magazine and it is classified as an “assault rifle”.
2. To purchase an “assault weapon” you have to give up your right to medical privacy for life. Medical privacy is the same thing used to push for legalizing abortion but to own a semi-automatic rifle made in 1940 I had to give mine up.
3. Adults aged 18-20 are prohibited from buying and owning “assault weapons”. This was pushed as “common sense” because the maturity level of young adults made their ability to understand that shooting people was wrong questionable. This was seen as “common sense” even though the large number of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines aged 18-20 who stand guard armed and are serving armed in areas of conflict around the world do not engage in mass shootings.
4. I-1639 requires that local law enforcement departments conduct all background checks, use of the FBI’s instant background check system is not authorized. Prior to I-1639 Washingtonians who had a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) were allowed to be checked using the FBI’s instant background check system. To obtain a CPL requires an enhanced background check that includes fingerprints.
These are just some of the changes that were addressed in the text of I-1639. I would like to take a moment and address some of the consequences of passing this initiative that were not in the text.
Background checks are now required to be done by Police and Sheriff departments who staffs were not set up to take on the extra administrative burden of all background checks. This has resulted in background checks taking significantly longer than before I-1639 was passed.
Background checks are started by filling out an ATF Form 4473. The information on this form is only good for 30 days. If the background check is not completed within 30 days the background check must be started again. This is happening more and more frequently, because as discussed above, the staffing of law enforcement agencies in Washington did not take into account the extra added administrative burden of processing all background checks.
I-1639 requires a minimum 10 day waiting period from the start of a background check until the dealer is allowed to complete the transfer. If a background check is not completed within 30 days it has to be restarted which restarts the 10 day clock. This means that if the second filing of the background check paperwork comes back the same day the person buying the firearm has to wait another 10 days, or 40 days in all, before they can take possession of the firearm. I have recently had this happen to me.
While I-1639 was advertised as a way to make Washington residents safe from gun violence its real purpose was to make gun ownership harder for law abiding citizens. The end goal of make it so hard that people are discouraged from buying firearms. This violates both the US Constitution’s Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 24 of the Washington State Constitution which states “"[t]he right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired".
Please take the time to find and sign a petition to repeal I-1639.
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