By Dave Workman | Senior Editor
State legislatures are now in full swing, and among the various bills that have already been introduced are a couple of pro-gun measures in Washington State, a gun control bill in neighboring Oregon and one in West Virginia that would render federal gun laws unenforceable.
In Arizona, they’re considering allowing people in the military who are under age 21 to get a concealed carry permit, and in California, some lawmakers want to get tough on BB guns and home gunsmiths.
Evergreen State lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow the legal possession of short-barreled rifles and shotguns, provided they are owned in compliance with federal laws.
Another measure would remove the sales tax from firearms and ammunition in an effort to keep Washington residents from purchasing firearms from out-of-state sources. Of particular interest to gun rights activists, the bill notes legislative recognition that the people of the state have reserved to themselves the individual right to bear arms. At this writing, it does not appear the Legislature will take any action on either Initiative 591 or I-594, instead allowing them to go to the voters in November. I-591, backed by a coalition of gun owners, hunters and law enforcement professionals, prohibits government gun confiscation without due process and requires background checks to comply with a uniform national standard. I-594 is a 17-page gun control measure being sold as a so-called “universal background check” proposal that also touches on taxes and possession of firearms by juveniles. It is backed by a Seattle-based group funded largely by wealthy elites and has been supported by Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
Neighboring Oregon gun owners are facing a so-called “universal background check” bill that requires such a check if guns are transferred or sold to anyone who is not a relative. This would, critics assert, prevent someone from loaning a rifle or shotgun to a neighbor or friend for hunting unless there is a background check. A similar measure died in committee last year when it could not garner enough support.
This legislation is being called a “gun registration” measure by Oregon gun rights activists.
In West Virginia, some state lawmakers are pushing the so-called Firearms Protection Act. According to published reports, this bill would prohibit enforcement of any federal law that attempts to limit magazine capacity or ban semi-auto firearms.
California lawmakers were quick to introduce new anti-gun legislation. Senate Bill 199 would, according to published reports, ban the sale or transfer of used and antique BB guns and “imitation firearms” that do not have some coloring on them that signifies they are toys. Senate Bill 808 slaps fees and restrictions on home gunsmiths who build or assemble personal firearms.
In Virginia, it looks as if several anti-gun bills may have trouble in this year’s legislative session. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that a number of proposals that would negatively impact gun rights, among those ones that would have required background checks on all private gun sales and limits on the size of magazine clips, were defeated in a state House committee Jan. 16.
The newspaper reported that the state Senate has its own version of a number of these bills, so pro-gun folks are not quite out of the woods yet. But, according to the Times-Dispatch, those bills may also end up not going anywhere. A wild card to all of this, though, is a special election which was scheduled to be held January 21 that could result in a change in party control of the state Senate.
Meanwhile, in nearby Delaware, state lawmakers set aside for now discussion on the issue of keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, killing a bill that had been expected to address this issue.
The Dover Post reported the House bill, which had died during last year’s legislative session, was officially shelved after legislators chose not to reconsider the proposal. The bill, according to the newspaper, would have called for police and state officials to address people’s fitness to own firearms if mental health providers indicated concerns. Gun rights supporters were concerned about the broad scope of the potential legislation.
According to the newspaper, the prospects for a new bill being proposed are not clear.
In New Hampshire, a pair of background check bills have been introduced, both by Democrats. According to SeacoastOnline.com, one bill would require universal background checks for all gun sales in the state, and the second would require the reporting of people determined to not be mentally fit to own a gun to the federal instant check database.
Both bills have caused consternation among gun rights supporters, according to the website, even though the one regarding mental fitness of prospective gun owners had the support of some pro-gun activists.
And in Missouri, there’s one big pro-gun bill working through that state’s legislature. Among the proposals in the bill, according to KRCG-TV, include lowering the minimum age one can get a CCW permit in the state from 21 to 19, tougher penalties for illegal immigrants found with a gun, barring doctors or other health care workers from asking patients whether they own guns, and expanded open carry for CCW holders in the state.
The TV station reported that prospects for the bill are not certain, even though the legislature is heavily Republican.
In Arizona, several lawmakers are backing legislation that would lower the age limit to 19 for members of the military who wish to get a state concealed carry permit, according to the Phoenix New Times. House Bill 2103 would allow people who were discharged from the military with an honorable or general discharge to get a carry permit even if they are under age 21.
