By Dave Workman | Senior Editor
Spokane County, WA, Sheriff Ozie Knezovich
Evergreen State lawmen were investigating alleged threats on social media against several county sheriffs for their refusal to enforce provisions of anti-gun Initiative 1639, a measure passed by Washington voters in November that raised the minimum age for buying and owning a so-called “semiautomatic assault rifle.”
Named specifically as someone who would “get a bullet in his skull” was Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich. He has told reporters that the initiative is unenforceable and unconstitutional, and that there is nothing in it for county sheriffs’ departments to enforce.
The individual who allegedly made the threats has been identified, and he appears to be a resident of North Central Washington. His Facebook page contained at least three threatening posts, including one that stated “Ozzie Knezovich is gonna get a bullet in his skull.” Another post declared, “I-1639 is law. sheriffs (sic) that are non compliant (sic) will be shot. By me.”
Passage of the restrictive gun control measure last November has ignited emotions on both sides of the gun rights issue, but the specific posts on the Facebook page in question are alarming to gun owners now following the controversy.
In one post, the individual declared, “f—ing republican (sic) terrorists i (sic) am going to kill every single one of them.” Liberty Park Press has surveyed the Facebook page in question.
The 30-page gun control measure raised the minimum age for purchasing a semiautomatic rifle of any kind to 21 years, while defining literally every semi-auto rifle ever manufactured as a “semiautomatic assault rifle.” It also requires proof of training to purchase a semi-auto rifle, requires registration and contains other provisions that were opposed by gun owners in the state.
A federal lawsuit has been filed against the measure by the Second Amendment Foundation, National Rifle Association, two retailers and young adults in the affected age group. There have been hints of other lawsuits, possibly dependent upon how the SAF/NRA legal action fares.
A majority of the state’s sheriffs have announced they will not actively enforce I-1639 provisions on the grounds that they are unconstitutional. Joining them were the commissions in both Stevens and Cowlitz County.
Many Washington gun owners have also declared they will not comply, and they are slowly recognizing that their state has become a petri dish for testing all manner of gun controls, a fact acknowledged by Seattle-based gun prohibitionists who have been buoyed by their victory in November.
There is presently a strong effort to dramatically restrict concealed carry in the state. One of those bills is SSB 5174, which the Senate Law & Justice Committee passed on a strictly party line 4-3 vote. Under provisions of this bill, a mandatory training course is added to the requirements for acquiring a concealed pistol license. This course includes “proficiency testing” with each firearm the applicant is applying to be licensed to carry.
One veteran rights advocate observed via email that this legislation “significantly increases the risk of lowering the number of CPL holders,” which may be the ultimate goal. He said passage of this requirement would create “the highest bar to obtaining a CPL in any state in the country.”
According to the state Department of Licensing, there are now more than 613,000 active CPLs in the state.
But with the threats against sheriffs opposed to the initiative, which was backed by the gun control group, many are wondering just who poses a real threat to public safety, law-abiding gun owners or the people who want to disarm them.
