SUPPORT I594 Universal Background Checks on Gun Purchases
Click here to view this post as a pdf file suitable for printing or emailing. Below are two emails I am sharing (one from me to Representative Sam Hunt, and his reply) to encourage you to write your legislators about gun responsibility, particularly support for universal background checks on firearm sales as required by I-594. Although it is unlikely legislators will take action on this issue this session, they need to hear from those of us who support increased gun responsibility (See my letter at the end of this email for talking points). Public Hearings on both enhancing and relaxing background checks are scheduled for Tuesday, January 28th and Wednesday, January 29th.
Contacting legislators today is part of a longer-term campaign to get future legislative action on this issue. Last session legislators claimed they either did not hear from constituents supporting background checks, or that opponents greatly outnumbered supporters. Representative Hunter, if I am remembering correctly, reported 250 calls in opposition and only 40 in support.The following link makes it easy to access your legislators’ names and email addresses: http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/ . Just input your home address and then click on your legislator’s name when it pops up. Beneath her Fax number (which is to the right of the picture that appears when you click on her hame) is a link that says “E-Mail”. Click on it, fill in the blanks, and click “Send”, Shazzam!!!!
Steven, thanks for the email. I seriously doubt that the Legislature will vote on either of the gun initiatives this year and just let them go to the 2014 General Election ballot. I personally gathered about 200 signatures for I-594 and join in hoping the voters do the right thing in November. Contrary to what opponents say, this is not about the Second Amendment; background checks are about public safety and common sense.
State Representative Sam Hunt Democrat–22nd District
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—–Original Message—–Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2014 10:43 PM To: Hunt, Rep. Sam Subject: Support stronger gun laws, including I-594
Dear Representative Samuel Hunt (D),
Subject: Support stronger gun laws, including I-594
Please support stronger gun laws including initiative 594 which would apply background checks to ALL gun sales in Washington.
Universal background checks are an important safeguard to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Background checks save lives and reduce crime.
There’s no single solution to stopping gun violence, but implementing a few common sense reforms like requiring universal background checks for gun sales will help keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous people.
Sincerely,
Steven Aldrich