Support HB 1588 – Requiring Background Checks for ALL Gun Purchases
Dear Friends,
FCWPP Alert: Please ask your state legislators to support HB 1588, which strengthens our state’s background check system by requiring a background check for all gun purchases in Washington State.
Talking points:
- Current law allows people to sell guns at gun shows without background checks. This allows felons and other ineligible persons to buy guns at gun shows when they could not buy the same gun from a licensed gun dealer selling through a retail establishment.
- HB 1588 closes the above dangerous loophole by mandating a background check before purchasing any firearms in our state.
- The background check shall include a check of the national criminal instant background check system.
Please ask your state legislators to support HB 1588 to require universal firearms background checks in Washington State. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jamie Pedersen has 37 co-sponsors and is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Judiciary Committee (see below for members) on Feb. 13 at 8 a.m. (in JLOB-A). HB 1588 is available at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1588&year=2013. The companion bill in the Senate is SB 5625. We note that as worthy of support as HB 1588 is, much further work needs to be done to keep guns out of the hands of individuals who cannot pass background checks.
Legislators’ email addresses are in the form: , so, for example, Rep. Jamie Pedersen is . To find the names of your current legislators (several are new following the elections last November and you may be in a new legislative district due to redistricting), go to the leg.wa.gov website (http://www.leg.wa.gov/pages/home.aspx), select Find Your Legislator, and enter your street address.
There is also a new feature this year on the leg.wa.gov website for sending comments about a particular bill to your legislators. On the leg.wa.gov site, choose Bill Information and then enter the bill number and Search. When the window for that bill appears, choose Comment on this Bill. You will need to register with a password the first time you use this feature.
Thanks for all you do.
Sincerely,
Steven Aldrich, Legislative Advocate and Policy Analyst
FCWPP Legislative Committee
————————————————————————————————————
In addition to your direct involvement in advocacy, FCWPP cannot continue its work without your financial support. Credit card contributions may be made online at https://qvwa.org, clicking on the “Donate” button near the top of the page on the right. Mail checks payable to “FCWPP” to: FCWPP Treasurer, 838 Hiawatha Place S, Seattle, WA 98144. Although FCWPP is not for profit, because it is a lobbying organization contributions are NOT tax deductible.
————————————————————————————————————
House Judiciary Committee Members:
|
Representative |
Room |
Phone |
|
Pedersen, Jamie (D) Chair |
LEG 436B |
(360) 786-7826 |
|
Hansen, Drew (D) Vice Chair |
JLOB 369 |
(360) 786-7842 |
|
Rodne, Jay (R) * |
JLOB 430 |
(360) 786-7852 |
|
O’Ban, Steve (R) ** |
JLOB 424 |
(360) 786-7890 |
|
Goodman, Roger (D) |
JLOB 328 |
(360) 786-7878 |
|
Hope, Mike (R) |
JLOB 466 |
(360) 786-7892 |
|
Jinkins, Laurie (D) |
JLOB 311 |
(360) 786-7930 |
|
Kirby, Steve (D) |
LEG 437B |
(360) 786-7996 |
|
Klippert, Brad (R) |
JLOB 410 |
(360) 786-7882 |
|
Nealey, Terry (R) |
JLOB 404 |
(360) 786-7828 |
|
Orwall, Tina (D) |
JLOB 326 |
(360) 786-7834 |
|
JLOB 420 |
(360) 786-7950 |
|
|
Shea, Matt (R) |
JLOB 437 |
(360) 786-7984 |
*Ranking Minority Member **Asst. Ranking Minority Member