By Dave Workman | Senior Editor
A work night crowd of devoted shooters and gun rights activists turned out for the first annual Northwest Freedom Shootout at a gun range south of the Washington state capitol of Olympia, and what the group may have lacked in numbers, they made up for with sheer firepower as they not only shot clay targets, they talked strategy for coming political battles.
The Evergreen Sportsmen’s Club hosted the event. This facility is located about a dozen miles south of Olympia, the state capital.
The Freedom Shootout was the brainchild of the Olympia-based Freedom Foundation, a conservative think tank. Co-sponsoring the event were the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) and the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF). Staffers from both groups tried their skills on the line, and also compared notes with grassroots gun owners.
Also participating in the event was the Washington Waterfowl Association.
CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb told TGM that he was gratified by the numbers that turned out with relatively short notice on a work night, and he is already looking forward to making next year’s event many times larger.
One shooter who especially interested the crowd was Republican state Sen. Pam Roach (31st Dist.) a stalwart pro-gunner who shot a round of trap before talking to the crowd about the importance of next year’s elections. She elicited smiles and applause by noting that this year saw no new gun control legislation, which is no small accomplishment with anti-gun Democrats in control of key House committees and former Congressman Jay Inslee now serving as governor.
Gottlieb told shooters that their continued involvement with an initiative campaign is critical to prevent a 15-page gun control initiative from becoming law in November 2014.
One shooter busts a bird during the action at the Freedom Shootout, which will become an annual event in Washington.
Initiative 594 is being pushed by the Seattle-based Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, a big-money group of liberal anti-gunners largely funded by wealthy venture capitalist Nick Hanauer.
Countering that measure is I-591, a measure backed by CCRKBA, the Hunters Heritage Council, Gun Owners Action League of Washington, the Washington Arms Collectors and the Washington State Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association. Their coalition is called Protect Our Gun Rights.
Washington state Sen. Pam Roach (R-
31st Dist.) brought her shotgun to the
event and fired a round of trap.
Gottlieb predicted that both measures will make it to the 2014 ballot, and if both pass, it could create a legal conflict.
The Evergreen Sportsmen’s Club, where the event was held, is billed as the largest trap facility west of the Mississippi River, and that certainly seems the case. There would have been room for three times as many shooters, and in addition to the shotgun range, this facility also has separate rifle and pistol ranges.
The Freedom Foundation has been active in the Evergreen State for several years. This was a first for the group, however, as it involved a shooting opportunity.
