Earlier this week we ran through a half-dozen newly introduced gun control laws in Washington State, but there’s one in particular that’s worth some additional focus.
HB 1152 is being billed by its supporters as a gun storage measure, but in reality it’s a backdoor attack on gun owners; one that could turn them into felons for being the victim of criminals.
Under the proposed law, which had its first hearing this week, gun owners in Washington State would face new requirements for keeping firearms in their homes or vehicles. In the home, gun owners “shall not store or leave a firearm in their residence unless the firearm is securely stored whenever it is not being carried or readily controlled by that person or another lawful authorized user.” Secure storage is defined as “locked or disabled using a tamper resistant mechanical lock or other safety device properly engaged in order to render the firearm inoperable by any person other than the owner or other lawfully authorized user, and also kept out of plain sight; or stored within a locked gun safe or similar locked container secure from access by unauthorized users.”
For gun owners who have to leave their firearms in their vehicle, perhaps while running an errand in a gun-free zone, the legislation requires them to first unload their gun before storing it in a “container that is opaque, locked, hard-sided, and affixed within the vehicle. The container must also be concealed from view from outside the vehicle, and the vehicle must be locked in order to comply with the law.
So what happens if your gun is stolen from your home and your car and you can’t prove that you were in compliance with the statute? You could be looking at prison time.
he owner of a gun that becomes stolen could face a $1,000 fine, and if the thief who stole the firearm is someone who legally cannot own a gun and commits a violent crime with said gun, the gun owner could be charged with a separate felony.
… HB 1152 has 34 sponsors while others have deemed it too extreme.
“If they’ve had property stolen from them, they’re the victim of a crime. They shouldn’t be charged for that purpose,” Jeremy Ball, owner of Sharp Shooting Indoor Range in Spokane, told KNDO. “It’s a lazy approach to solving a complicated problem.”
According to the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, 4,074 firearms are stolen in Washington each year, based on data from 2017-2021, with the organization acknowledging the number could be significantly higher as many stolen firearms go unreported.
The Democrats in control of the state legislature could have run with bills that would increase the penalties for stealing a gun or possessing a stolen firearm, but instead they’re targeting lawful gun owners who have already been victimized.
That’s quite all right with fans of gun control, including a couple of hosts on KIRO radio in Seattle.
“I’m in favor,” Gee Scott, co-host of “The Gee and Ursula Show,” said. “I’d go out on a limb to say that most gun owners are responsible. However, we do have some irresponsible gun owners leaving guns in cars and leaving them unlocked around the house. All that stuff is leading to stolen guns and, oh, guess what? Some of these stolen guns are used in violent crimes. So, I am continuing to say that we’re going to have to do some drastic things to decrease our gun shootings and violent crime. And if we’re going to do that, this is a nice place to start. I’m for it.”
… “One of the arguments against this would be we are making them a criminal when they’re actually a victim of a crime,” Ursula Reutin, co-host of “The Gee and Ursula Show,” said. “But if you are going to have a gun, you have responsibilities that go with it.”
“I’ll make a deal,” Gee responded. “How about this? You can face a Class C felony, or you can settle by losing your gun license forever.”
How about this deal instead: go after the people who are actually stealing the guns, rather than the gun owners themselves. Otherwise, let’s punish everyone for actions that could inadvertently help criminals. Why not make it a felony to leave your home or car unlocked if there’s a break-in and items are stolen? How about making it a felony to leave alcohol out where minors might have access to it?
Sure, owning a gun comes with certain responsibilities, but that’s true for almost everything we own that could potentially be used to harm others. Should Washington legislators require sharp pointy knives be kept under lock and key unless they’re actively being used in the kitchen? Should they mandate that prescription drugs be stored in locked containers unless they’re actively being administered to the prescription holder?
No matter how much anti-gunners try to spin this proposal, it does criminalize crime victims, and could potentially send some of them to prison. If enacted, I’m sure that HB 1152 will be challenged in court, but not before some Washingtonians are irreparably harmed by the new law.
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