Washington – -(AmmoLand.com)- Initiative 1639 promises to make Washington safer by limiting access to what they are calling “semiautomatic assault rifle.”
It will not.
It will do three things; punish responsible, law-abiding, tax-paying citizen, fail to change the behavior of thugs, thieves, rapists, murders, crazies, and terrorists, and impose a significant cost upon Washington tax-payers.
The good guys are not the problem – even the 10 to 20 year-olds who 1639 hopes to disarm. Gun owners own firearms for a number of reasons; recreation, collecting, target shooting, hunting, and personal protection. These people are not out to hurt others. Their tools, or their hardware, is not the issue. The issue is intent.
Conversely, the bad guys do not care and have incredibly evil intentions. It’s the bad guys who commit assaults, robberies, rapes, and murders, and if they are already willing to commit such heinous acts of violence, then please explain how another law would somehow change their behavior.
If anything the bad guys will become even more emboldened because the good guys will be easier to prey upon.
There’s also the question of enforcement. The system described in 1639 will be more expensive than most expect. How do I know this? Because I fail to recall a single government program that came in under budget. Yes, 1639 implements new taxes and fees meant to pay for this gun grab but similar taxes have never raised nearly as much money as promised. But those who propose these ideas continue making those promises all the same.
Initiative 1639 punishes the good guys by denying 18-20 year-olds the best tools for self-defense, by collecting the personal information of rifle owners that some say will be used as a gun registry, and by making gun owners liable if their firearms are stolen. Are car owners responsible if their vehicles are stolen and used in a crime? Are little league coaches accountable if their bats are stolen and used in a crime? No, but gun owners, should this initiative becomes law, will face a higher bar of responsibility.
What most fail to realize is that bad guys don’t get their guns through legal channels. That means none of the restrictions found in 1639 will affect their ability to get their guns illegally. Does anyone honestly believe that people willing to commit assaults, robberies, rapes, and murders, will follow the letter of the law when it comes to acquiring a gun?
The new taxes will also make it more difficult for those living in low-income neighborhoods to defend their loved ones and homes. For families who struggle find the funds to pay rent, utilities, groceries, and clothes, every dollar counts. If they’ve been making the sacrifices necessary to put aside money to purchase a firearm for self-defense, then the additional tax means they’ll need to sacrifice even more.
That means Washington ballot initiative 1639 makes it more difficult for poor people, young adults, and law-abiding gun owners to protect themselves.
1639 is not the answer. Yes, there have been calls to “do something,” but sometimes something is more dangerous than doing nothing. Why not stop, take a breath, and do something that punishes the bad guys and leaves the good guys alone. We already have laws against assault, robbery, and murder. We already have laws against criminals possessing guns. 1639, on the other hand, only punishes the good guys for exercising their Second Amendment rights.
That’s why everyone should vote NO on 1639.
Richard Ripley, Washington, USA.