By Dave Workman | Senior Editor
An Elway poll conducted in early April shows strong support for dueling Washington state initiatives that deal with background checks, with the higher numbers going to a measure pushing so-called “universal background checks” that critics say is actually an 18-page gun control initiative.
Elway released the results of that survey noting that 55 percent of the respondents “were inclined” to vote for Initiative 591, 72 percent “were inclined” to support the competing measure, Initiative 594, and 40 percent said they “were inclined” to vote for both initiatives. The revelations already caused quite a stir.
I-594, sponsored by the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility (WAGR), mandates background checks for all firearms transfers—not just gun sales—and would extend the waiting period on a handgun transfer from five to ten business days. WAGR is a Seattle-based group funded by wealthy backers including venture capitalist Nick Hanauer, and Bill and Melinda Gates.
I-591, on the other hand, requires background checks in Washington to comply with a uniform national standard. Sponsored by Protect Our Gun Rights (POGR)—a coalition of gun rights activists, law enforcement professionals, sportsmen and women, target shooters and collectors—the measure is being spearheaded by Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and a member of the Washington Arms Collectors’ board of directors. Both groups are part of the POGR coalition.
An Elway poll last year survey revealed that 79 percent of respondents supported expanded background checks on all gun sales. This time around, according to Elway, 62 percent “favor making background checks more restrictive.” Elway noted in a release of the data that the disparity “could represent a significant decline in support for background checks.”
One interesting revelation in the Elway poll is that “Republicans said protecting gun rights was more important than controlling gun ownership by 74-20%, while Democrats chose controlling gun ownership over gun rights by 66-24%. Independents chose gun rights by 55-34%.”
Clearly, there is a partisan shift on gun rights in Washington state as there is nationally.
Gun rights activists are quick to point out that a majority of people who have committed mass shootings in recent memory actually did pass background checks because they purchased their firearms at retail outlets. None of them bought guns at gun shows, for example. That includes the gunman at the Seattle Jewish Federation offices in 2006, the Café Racer gunman two years ago, the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard shooter, the man who opened fire in Tucson, and both Fort Hood shooters.
