VIa Chuck Petras @Chuck_Petras
FREE HB-1143/I-1639 FIREARMS SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAM
With passage of HB1143/i-1639, Washington residents are now required to take a safety training class covering 8 specific topics before purchasing or transferring any firearm. This course is designed to address each of those 8 topics covered under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW9.41.090).
Imagine requiring training which must be renewed every few years before you are allowed to assemble in public, go to church, read a book or newspaper, exercise your right to remain silent, or a trial by jury. Hope the proponents of this law see their day in court and enjoy their trial.
At least there is free training available.
If people could “hold the line” I think a better approach would have been to make sure there was no training available and challenge the law on that basis. But that would be a really big “if” and lots of people would have been denied their rights while it was going through the courts.
How can this possibly be constitutional in accordance with WA state article 24?
https://law.justia.com/constitution/washington/constitution-1.html
“SECTION 24 RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS.
The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this Section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”
Requiring a training class EVERY TIME you buy or transfer (especially if they want to be picky about the definition of “transfer”) is a significant impairment.
If people could “hold the line” I think a better approach would have been to make sure there was no training available and challenge the law on that basis.
Or have training available, but with severely-limited space and very high costs.
Requiring training, but making it free (and maybe online?) is a minor burden that can be interest-balanced into Constitutionality. But if classes were limited, instantly booked to capacity months in advance, and ridiculously expensive, that’s a significant impairment even if training is ostensibly “available”.
I can see either pro or anti self defense people doing a DDOS on the training.
“Is a minor burden that can be interest-balanced into Constitutionality.”
Interest balancing was destroyed in both Heller and Bruen by the SCOTUS.
Go listen to Mark Smith at 4 boxes diner. He’s a member of the constitution bar.
The government has no interest outside what was already expressed as gun control when the 2A was adopted.
(Didn’t need a training class back then, can’t mandate one today.)
And any case that is dealing with the 2A. Burden of proof shifts to the government to show analogs that were in place before 2A was ratified.
No law then? Can’t make one up now.
And all this crap going on in the state/courts is just a temper tantrum by people that should be taking classes and having to get licenses to breath. And should never be allowed anywhere near the reins of power.
I’m sure “no training available” will come soon enough.
The bad guys have a history of passing laws that can’t be met. I remember some state that tried to mandate insurance while at the same time outlawing the existence of insurance.
Damn! I can hardly wait to see these morons going through constitutional classes before getting a license to run for office.
Wouldn’t that be nice.
We could make it worse than the DMV. And then add any restriction we want them to follow in the questionnaire.
Have you, or will you ever propose laws violating the constitution?
Along with a host of other crap they have to sign under the penalties of perjury.
After a year or so, maybe, when and if the FBI finishes the background checks. Then they can get the $200 tax stamp to be a politician, and file paperwork and get pre-approved permission to go from place to place?
Politicians are far worse than any SBR I’ve ever been around.
We got proof of its necessity in the Washington statehouse. Indeed, all across America.
We don’t have any constitutional rights. Politicians have restrictions they are ignoring. That makes them legally powerless.
What we got is what we have always had. BFYTW.
And Washington state is proving the point.