Grand Coulee discusses controversial new gun law

Grand Coulee considered adopting a resolution refusing to enforce Washington state’s Initiative 1639 related to gun control, but chose instead to have a resolution drafted saying the city supports the United States Bill of Rights.

Several sheriffs and police chiefs in Washington have refused to enforce the law, and a resolution Cowlitz County commissioners approved stating their refusal to enforce the law was included in the council’s agenda packets as an example of what the city could adopt.

I-1639 took effect on Jan. 1, and raises the age limit for buying semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21. Beginning July 1, it requires purchasers to pass an enhanced background check, show proof of firearms training, and wait 10 days before getting the gun.

The new law also makes gun owners guilty of “community endangerment” if their gun is not properly stored and is accessible by a child or by anyone who then uses the gun in a crime.

The law passed in November with the support of 60 percent of Washington voters.

State Attorney General Bob Ferguson recently released a response to those refusing to enforce the law. “In the event a police chief or sheriff refuses to perform the background check required by Initiative 1639, they could be held liable if there is a sale or transfer of a firearm to a dangerous individual prohibited from possessing a firearm and that individual uses that firearm to do harm. In short, the taxpayers of your city or county assume the financial risk of your decision to impose your personal views over the law.”

The Grand Coulee city council and mayor discussed the issue at their Feb. 19 meeting.

“Just so everyone is up to speed, the attorney general is going after them on this,” Mayor Paul Townsend said.

“Maybe we should go after the attorney general for crimes against the people,” Councilmember Alan Cain responded.

The group discussed that the law is being challenged by the National Rifle Association, among others.

Townsend said the law represents western Washington residents more than eastern Washington residents, and that voters were misled when they voted on the law, thinking it would help make schools safer.

“Criminals don’t follow laws, so new laws don’t impact criminals,” Townsend said.

Townsend also said that allowing rights to be taken away sets a dangerous precedent. “Where’s it going to stop?” he asked.

City Clerk Lorna Pearce pointed out that there could be financial repercussions if the city would choose to openly defy state law.

“We all take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, first and foremost,” Councilmember Tammara Byers said.

“I find it ironic that I went to a foreign country and shot people to defend the Constitution, and now we’re looking at deleting the Constitution,” said Cain, who served in the Vietnam War in the U.S. Army. “I find it very unsettling.”

“Maybe we should have a resolution supporting the Bill of Rights as written and the way they were intended 200-plus years ago,” Byers said.

“That’s positive rather than negative,” Cain said, and the council agreed that was the route to take at a future council meeting.