WA STATE SENATE TOWN HALL JAN25-9:30 AM
Copy and pasted directly from ARF... Spread the word, WA State gun owners!
www.ar15.com
ATTN: WA STATE MEMBERS:
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Sign up for Senate hearings here: **https://app.leg.wa.gov/CSIRemote/Senate** (BOTH of these bills are Senate law and justice committee hearings, Jan 25 and Jan 26) **Please sign up, they just added ~150 new pro testifiers in the last hour, obviously coordinated. We are now outnumbered. YOU NEED TO SIGN UP TO TESTIFY IN PERSON, PLEASE DO IT NOW! EVEN IF YOU ALREADY SUBMITTED WRITTEN TESTIMONY**
Also install zoom (**https://zoom.us/download**) now and make sure you can open links to calls and have a working mic (at least) and a camera if possible. Your phone works too.
Ok now for some **tips on verbal testimony** (there's some humor here, not trying to poke at anyone!)
- **Introduce yourself properly.** "Mr. (the chair is male in this case) Chair and members of the committee, I am John Smith from Seattle. I am here representing myself. I oppose this bill because . . ."
- **Time limits.** you're only going to speak for 1-3 minutes max. Prepare more material than that as you'll want to try making points that other people haven't made already where possible. But also reinforce strong arguments. Practice speaking out loud, this really helps me personally.
- **Emotional appeal and legal reasoning.** I know it's frustrating but to be honest the "but my rights" line will fall on deaf ears. Use emotive stories, some strong data points (don't just read off of a spreadsheet), and point out how these bills jeopardize law abiding citizens and will lead to awful court cases. Talk about the mag ban not really having grandfathering etc.
- **Don't engage with the pro side or let them anger you.** It is very likely some 'pro' testifiers will try to construe people testifying on our side as all sorts of negative things. Just ignore it. Don't insult them, don't be insulted. It's designed to upset you and make you look bad.
- **Use your identity.** Nothing to put as your organization when you sign up? If you're a veteran, active duty mil, an advocate for social justice, a protestor, a lifelong democrat, a new gun owner this year... consider putting that in or mentioning it when you testify. Represent the diversity of Washington's gun owners, tie gun control into the other issues it inflames.
- But on that note **avoid discussing controversial non-gun related topics.** It detracts from what we're saying and brings emotion about other issues into play.
- **Do not say anything that can even remotely be construed as violent or threatening.** Optics. This is all really, really bad. It is entirely damaging. Don't be rude in general, don't call anyone on the committee a communist or a tyrant or a fascist.
-**If you have your camera on, look sharp.** Wear a nice shirt or blouse, take a shower, move the pile of mags in the back of your room.
-**If you're nervous...** write a note card with your main points on it. If you're REALLY nervous write out everything you want to say. Or more. You can turn your camera off if it makes you too anxious too. All good.
**Ban on ownership of firearm magazines over 10 rounds: [SB 5078](https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?billnumber=5078&year=2021)**
Talking points:
- Even with the weak grandfather clause, it is completely illegal to use these magazines defensively or for concealed carry, effectively criminalizing any practical use and making the already liability-ridden grandfather clause largely irrelevant. According to the language of the bill, you would be breaking the law by having grandfathered mags in your car that are loaded or not locked in a separate container on the way to the range. The lawful activity of most gun owners in the state will be criminalized.
- Owners have to prove that they owned the magazines before the ban, which is impossible. Magazines are not serialized in any way forcing owners to prove a negative in order to avoid criminal prosecution and liability. Again, we really want to hammer on the legal issues and criminal culpability rather than "muh rights" or just spamming data on how non-dangerous mags are in WA... they know and they don't care. It's all about showing how legally jeopardizing is, that's something they will genuinely want to avoid.
- Essentially all modern firearms use >10 round magazines, the bill's claim that nearly all handguns use less than 10 round magazines is blatantly untrue. The most common handgun in America, the Glock 17, uses 17 round magazines.
- The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs’ [extensive, peer-reviewed and well-funded study](https://www.waspc.org/assets/docs/Mass%20Shootings%20Work%20Group%20Report%20\(Compressed%20File\).pdf) regarding firearm violence solutions explicitly DID NOT recommend a mag ban, despite demands to do so by political groups. Please direct your attention to the recommendations listed on pages 4, 5 and 6.
- The exemption for off-duty and retired LEO is ridiculous. Police officers are not a superior class of citizens and should not enjoy separate rights. This ban is ineffectual and criminalizing and should not apply to anyone. The fact that an LE carveout is desired shows this.
- A slightly less egregious version of this law (no LEO exemption, 15 round limit) was defeated last session with bipartisan opposition in the state senate. More Washingtonians of all political and demographic backgrounds own firearms now than last session, and the bill is even more mass criminalizing. This is not politically wise And a CA ban is being challenged and has been ruled against in the 9th circuit, why pass a law that has a >50% chance of being ruled unconstitutional?
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Copy and pasted directly from ARF... Spread the word, WA State gun owners!
Emergency in Washington state: Mag ban hearing is tomorrow at 9:30 AM! Talking points and tips here - AR15.COM
Firearm Discussion and Resources from AR-15, AK-47, Handguns and more! Buy, Sell, and Trade your Firearms and Gear.
www.ar15.com
ATTN: WA STATE MEMBERS:
----------
Sign up for Senate hearings here: **https://app.leg.wa.gov/CSIRemote/Senate** (BOTH of these bills are Senate law and justice committee hearings, Jan 25 and Jan 26) **Please sign up, they just added ~150 new pro testifiers in the last hour, obviously coordinated. We are now outnumbered. YOU NEED TO SIGN UP TO TESTIFY IN PERSON, PLEASE DO IT NOW! EVEN IF YOU ALREADY SUBMITTED WRITTEN TESTIMONY**
Also install zoom (**https://zoom.us/download**) now and make sure you can open links to calls and have a working mic (at least) and a camera if possible. Your phone works too.
Ok now for some **tips on verbal testimony** (there's some humor here, not trying to poke at anyone!)
- **Introduce yourself properly.** "Mr. (the chair is male in this case) Chair and members of the committee, I am John Smith from Seattle. I am here representing myself. I oppose this bill because . . ."
- **Time limits.** you're only going to speak for 1-3 minutes max. Prepare more material than that as you'll want to try making points that other people haven't made already where possible. But also reinforce strong arguments. Practice speaking out loud, this really helps me personally.
- **Emotional appeal and legal reasoning.** I know it's frustrating but to be honest the "but my rights" line will fall on deaf ears. Use emotive stories, some strong data points (don't just read off of a spreadsheet), and point out how these bills jeopardize law abiding citizens and will lead to awful court cases. Talk about the mag ban not really having grandfathering etc.
- **Don't engage with the pro side or let them anger you.** It is very likely some 'pro' testifiers will try to construe people testifying on our side as all sorts of negative things. Just ignore it. Don't insult them, don't be insulted. It's designed to upset you and make you look bad.
- **Use your identity.** Nothing to put as your organization when you sign up? If you're a veteran, active duty mil, an advocate for social justice, a protestor, a lifelong democrat, a new gun owner this year... consider putting that in or mentioning it when you testify. Represent the diversity of Washington's gun owners, tie gun control into the other issues it inflames.
- But on that note **avoid discussing controversial non-gun related topics.** It detracts from what we're saying and brings emotion about other issues into play.
- **Do not say anything that can even remotely be construed as violent or threatening.** Optics. This is all really, really bad. It is entirely damaging. Don't be rude in general, don't call anyone on the committee a communist or a tyrant or a fascist.
-**If you have your camera on, look sharp.** Wear a nice shirt or blouse, take a shower, move the pile of mags in the back of your room.
-**If you're nervous...** write a note card with your main points on it. If you're REALLY nervous write out everything you want to say. Or more. You can turn your camera off if it makes you too anxious too. All good.
**Ban on ownership of firearm magazines over 10 rounds: [SB 5078](https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?billnumber=5078&year=2021)**
Talking points:
- Even with the weak grandfather clause, it is completely illegal to use these magazines defensively or for concealed carry, effectively criminalizing any practical use and making the already liability-ridden grandfather clause largely irrelevant. According to the language of the bill, you would be breaking the law by having grandfathered mags in your car that are loaded or not locked in a separate container on the way to the range. The lawful activity of most gun owners in the state will be criminalized.
- Owners have to prove that they owned the magazines before the ban, which is impossible. Magazines are not serialized in any way forcing owners to prove a negative in order to avoid criminal prosecution and liability. Again, we really want to hammer on the legal issues and criminal culpability rather than "muh rights" or just spamming data on how non-dangerous mags are in WA... they know and they don't care. It's all about showing how legally jeopardizing is, that's something they will genuinely want to avoid.
- Essentially all modern firearms use >10 round magazines, the bill's claim that nearly all handguns use less than 10 round magazines is blatantly untrue. The most common handgun in America, the Glock 17, uses 17 round magazines.
- The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs’ [extensive, peer-reviewed and well-funded study](https://www.waspc.org/assets/docs/Mass%20Shootings%20Work%20Group%20Report%20\(Compressed%20File\).pdf) regarding firearm violence solutions explicitly DID NOT recommend a mag ban, despite demands to do so by political groups. Please direct your attention to the recommendations listed on pages 4, 5 and 6.
- The exemption for off-duty and retired LEO is ridiculous. Police officers are not a superior class of citizens and should not enjoy separate rights. This ban is ineffectual and criminalizing and should not apply to anyone. The fact that an LE carveout is desired shows this.
- A slightly less egregious version of this law (no LEO exemption, 15 round limit) was defeated last session with bipartisan opposition in the state senate. More Washingtonians of all political and demographic backgrounds own firearms now than last session, and the bill is even more mass criminalizing. This is not politically wise And a CA ban is being challenged and has been ruled against in the 9th circuit, why pass a law that has a >50% chance of being ruled unconstitutional?
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