By Dave Workman | Senior Editor
State Sen. Pam Roach (right) is shown with Republican hopeful Lynda Wilson after they shot a round of trap.
State lawmakers often argue over gun control, but in Washington State, they’ve added a new dimension to the debate that actually involves sight alignment, trigger squeeze and steady hands.
A few weeks ago, Evergreen State legislators squared off for the Legislative Shootout, an event that dates back more than a quarter-century and was the brainchild of the late Sen. Kent Pullen, a Republican who went on to serve on the King County Council until his death a few years ago.
But Pullen’s protégé was Pam Roach, who now serves in the Senate, has kept the tradition alive with the help of various organizations including state sportsmen’s groups, the Littlerock gun range and the National Rifle Association. She got support for this event from several businesses in the state that cater to outdoorsmen and women, and armed citizens.
State Sen. Tim Sheldon shows off his battered but reliable Marlin .22-caliber semi-auto.
The event brings together Republicans and Democrats, legislative aides and staffers from various state agencies for an afternoon of shooting with all kinds of firearms, including many of their own. For example, Roach brought a Colt AR-15 target-grade rifle topped with a long range scope, stainless 20-inch barrel with recessed target crown, and bipod.
Her colleague, Sen. Tim Sheldon, a Democrat, brought a vintage Marlin semi-auto .22-caliber rimfire that he confessed to keeping in the trunk of his car. Despite scratches and dings to the hardwood stock and fading bluing on the barrel, the rifle shot rather well.
Sen. Roach and author with her AR-15 Colt rifle.
Sen. Mark Schoesler, a Republican from Eastern Washington, shot skeet with his Browning over-and-under, and Sen. Jim Hargrove, an Olympic Peninsula Democrat, brought a classic M-1 Garand.
Prior to the shooting events, Roach hosted a panel that
Sen. Jim Hargrove brought his M-1 Garand, shown here right after he touched off the last of eight shots. Notice the empty clip flying upwards out of the action.
included representatives from various conservation organizations and the National Rifle Association. They explained to reporters the economic benefits that hunting and fishing bring to Washington. Recreational fishing is a multi-million dollar industry, and hunting and target shooting benefit the state through the sale of licenses and tags, and federal excise tax apportionments for sportfish and wildlife restoration.
There are well over one million hunters and anglers in Washington state, and they contribute to the economy in a variety of ways beyond tax and fee revenues. Hunting and fishing provides jobs in all kinds of venues, from sporting goods to grocery and motel staff, restaurants and fast food places.
Roach told TGM that these shoots have always been designed to acquaint her colleagues with the legitimate uses of firearms, for hunting, recreation, competition and self-defense. Hargrove struck on that theme when he noted, during the press briefing, that in his rural part of the state, calling the sheriff’s department to report an emergency may not bring a very quick response.
“You’re pretty much on your own,” he observed, and not just when dealing with criminals, but four-legged predators. “Firearms are tools.”
They are also fun to shoot, as noted by Seattle Democrat Sen. Bob Hasegawa, who told one reporter that he likes to shoot recreationally, and that the range day was “a blast.”
While the shootout did not draw legions of lawmakers – they were still at work at the capital – it did attract an enthusiastic bunch. For Roach, that’s a start, and the publicity that followed was all positive.
