SB6841 (click here for full text), introduced January 28, 2008 by Senators Murray, Jacobsen, Kline, Shin, Kohl-Welles, is scheduled for a Public Hearing on February 7.
The bill makes it unlawful to carry a firearm (including a spring-loaded BB gun) onto the grounds or facilities of a "institution of higher education". That would be a college, University ... no word yet whether it includes a trade school.
Violation of this law would be treated as a "Gross Misdemeanor". Okay, it's not a felony; it's just a way of creating a Gun Free Zone, with some teeth in it.
Well, imprisonment for a "Gross Misdemeanor", whatever the term of incarceration, isn't the only penalty. They've added some frills.
They can kick you out of school (if you're a student). Don't expect to be reimbursed for your tuition, and/or say sayonara to any scholarships you may have.
Also, they can revoke your Concealed Carry permit (if you have one) for 3 years. Having been incarcerated for a weapons violation, you can kiss goodbye any chances that the local sheriff will look kindly on you re-application after the 3 years are up.
One of the most shameful of penalties is that you are reduced to an object; They can and will require that you be examined by a 'mental health professional', perhaps also by a 'chemical dependency specialist'. This is not a legalistic process, where you are reliably protected by your own lawyer. This is a 'medical procedure' (comparable to a hysterectomy) during which the 'professionals' and the 'specialists' can operate on you as they will, with no legal recourse and no defense against their predations. They're doing whatever they choose with your mind and your body, because it is 'for your own good'.
The Gods Must Be Crazy. And So Must You.
Sounds a lot like a Soviet Gulag, or more appropriately like the Soviet practice of incarcerating political prisoners in a mental institution, under the principle that if you protest against the state you must be crazy.
Adding insult to injury, the bill also encourages the posting of "Gun Free Zone" signs all over the place.
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SB6860 (click here for full text) was first read on January 29, 2008; it is also scheduled for a public hearing on February 7,2008. In a surprising contrast, this bill "[Prohibits] institutions of higher education from adopting rules concerning the possession of firearms".
Presented by Senators Roach, Delvin, Stevens, This bill is much more elegant. The basic premise is that "... The state of Washington hereby fully occupies and preempts the
8 entire field of firearms regulation within the boundaries of the state." It further states that "... Cities, towns, and counties or 13 other municipalities may enact only those laws and ordinances relating to firearms that are specifically authorized by state law ..." and "... Local laws and ordinances that are inconsistent with, more restrictive than, or exceed the requirements of state law shall not be enacted ..."
There are a few more word in the bill than are quoted here, but that's the gist of it.
The first bill says "the individual has no rights, and we will stomp you into the dirt if you insist upon them". The second bill says "the suits have no right".
I know which one I would support.
Live, work or go to school in Washington? Write your congress critter. And show up for the Public Hearings on February 7. Take a day off work, or school. There's nothing you can do on campus that day which is more important, more rewarding, or more meaningful in the evolution of a Free Citizen than to be there.
(Read the original article, link at the top, for place and time.)
And thank you, David, for bringing this to our attention.
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