proposed laws

PA Bill Number: HB777

Title: In firearms and other dangerous articles, further providing for definitions and providing for the offense of sale of firearm or firearm parts without ...

Description: In firearms and other dangerous articles, further providing for definitions and providing for the offense of sale of firearm or firearm parts without ...

Last Action: Third consideration and final passage (104-97)

Last Action Date: Mar 27, 2024

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WaPo & MSNBC choked: Americans support gun rights, carrying sidearms :: 07/30/2015

The Washington Post must have choked yesterday when it published a blog headlining the fact that Americans “increasingly see more guns as the solution, not the problem,” while a new Quinnipiac poll released yesterday – and covered by the Denver Post – shows Colorado voters oppose tougher gun laws by a 56-39 percent margin.

This comes on the heels of an MSNBC on-line – and unscientific – poll asking whether people should be allowed to carry guns in public. An overwhelming 92 percent said yes.

The Washington Post story referred to a 2014 Pew Research Poll that essentially supports the notion of armed citizens fighting back. In the wake of last week’s murderous attack at a theater in Lafayette, Louisiana, and days earlier the alleged “lone wolf” attack on military recruiters in Chattanooga, a lot of people – including members of Congress – are taking an overdue look at so-called “gun-free zones,” and are finding them wanting.

What do you think? Should Americans be allowed to carry sidearms in public for personal protection? Weigh in below in the "Comments" section.

Writer Amber Phillips seemed to lament in her WaPo blog that “with every major mass shooting in America, gun-rights supporters seem to be digging in even further -- and bringing the rest of America along with them.” And there’s a problem with that? After all, Second Amendment activists will quickly observe, the nation has tried the gun control strategy and all we have to show for it are body counts in places like Baltimore, Chicago, the District of Columbia, Newark and on and on.

Yesterday’s Quinnipiac poll revelation was Colorado-specific, but it apparently reflects the trend sweeping the country, considering the Washington Post piece. The Denver Post noted that the greatest objection to tougher gun laws is found among Republicans. They dislike new gun control laws by a margin of 80-18 percent.

The newspaper said these results come from a “swing state” poll that also included Iowa and Virginia. Pollsters contacted 1,231 Colorado voters with a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.

What does all this mean? With the exception of liberal anti-gun enclaves, the culture shift in America is continuing to swing back toward a more common-sense approach to violent criminals and personal protection. By some estimates, there are more than 12 ½ million Americans licensed to carry concealed handguns, and that doesn’t include the small, but expanding cadre of open carry advocates.

And what is this common-sense approach? Fight crime by shooting back. The Chattanooga attack demonstrated that would-be terrorists aren’t shy about opening fire in public places where innocent bystanders could be caught in the crossfire and killed or injured. The Lafayette theater attack – as did the Aurora theater attack three years ago – demonstrated the futility of so-called “gun free zones.”

People who dislike firearms don’t need to own them. But their dislike should not translate to a public policy of citizen disarmament, say gun rights activists.

MEANWHILE, the National Rifle Association is hosting a grassroots activism gathering tomorrow evening (July 29) at the Comfort Inn Suites in Federal Way, 7-8:30 p.m. Featured will be Republican State Rep. Jay Rodne. Here are three other important gatherings:

  • This Saturday is the annual King County Republican summer picnic at Marymoor Park in Redmond. Admission is $5 per person or $25 per family. They will gather at the Velodrome Pavilion.
  • Also this weekend is the monthly Washington Arms Collectors gun show in Puyallup at the fairgrounds. The show opens at 9 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday.
  • Last, and definitely not least, another meeting of importance to recreational shooters in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is slated next Tuesday, Aug. 4 at the Department of Natural Resources building in Enumclaw, 6:30-7:30 p.m. At issue are complaints of unsafe shooting along the Highway 410 corridor east of Enumclaw. Some local residents are apparently pressuring the offices of Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and Congressman Dave Reichert to force a shooting closure at a popular spot along USFS Road 70 southeast of Greenwater.

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Suggested Links

http://www.examiner.com/article/wapo-msnbc-choked-americans-support-gun-rights-carrying-sidearms