Although three major law enforcement groups have lined up against a billionaire-backed gun control initiative now on the Washington State ballot, grassroots pro-rights activists will quickly observe that nobody would know it if not for online media including Conservative Firing Line.
Had the Washington State Sheriff’s Association (WSSA), Washington Council of Police & Sheriffs (WACOPS) and the Washington State Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association (WSLEFIA) all come out in support of Initiative 1639—instead of opposing the 30-page measure supported by the Seattle-based Alliance for Gun Responsibility—would that be in headlines?
That’s an interesting question in the wake of a statement from the National Rifle Association’s Keely Hopkins that appeared online earlier this week.
“The people of Washington deserve to know that the sheriffs and police officers throughout the Evergreen State believe that Initiative 1639 is an attack on every law-abiding citizen’s constitutional rights,” Hopkins said. “After learning that Washington’s premier law enforcement associations oppose this initiative, we hope the Washington voters will finally realize that 1639 is nothing more than a feel good measure that will have zero impact on crime.”
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That much was made clear by WSLEFIA in its website statement:
“Initiative 1639 is being promoted as a public safety measure; those actually working law enforcement know that IT WILL DO NOTHING TO STOP A SINGLE CRIME.”—Washington State Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association
According to Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, which has partnered with NRA and the Washington Arms Collectors to oppose the initiative, Evergreen State voters have a right to know that law enforcement professionals think the measure has serious problems.
Gottlieb summed up the situation.
“Law enforcement professionals recognize the extreme nature of I-1639,” Gottlieb said. “Not only does the initiative discriminate against gun owners, it classifies common recreational firearms as ‘semiautomatic assault rifles’ and requires gun buyers to surrender their medical privacy in order to exercise a constitutionally-protected right.”
