April 29, 2013 Blog

Taking the initiative

The regular session of the Washington State Legislature has come to an end, and with that end comes new beginnings.

This past year, the legislature showed its complete inability to stand up against the Olympia gun lobby and fight for the people of Washington.

To this, we have one simple response: if the legislators won’t lead, the people will.

Today, we are announcing our intent to pursue an initiative to ensure universal background checks for gun sales in Washington State.

Will you endorse our effort today and sign up to get involved?

We all agree that violent criminals and other threats to society should not possess firearms. That’s why licensed dealers are required to conduct background checks on all their sales. However, there is a hole in our laws that allow criminals and other dangerous people to go to “private sellers” at gun shows, on the Internet, and elsewhere to buy guns with no background check and no questions asked.

Law enforcement agencies and public safety officials agree that this loophole promotes illegal gun trafficking and enables individuals with criminal intent to purchase firearms. This initiative will simply ensure that a background check is conducted for every gun purchase.

We know this fight won’t be easy. The gun industry has vast resources at its disposal and will use them to distort the facts and mislead the public.

Can we count on you to stand with us in favor of commonsense background checks that will make our communities safer? Please endorse our campaign today.

With your support, we will show that in Washington we can both support the 2nd Amendment and promote responsible solutions to reduce violence.

Thank you,
Zach

P.S. This is just the beginning. Stay tuned for more updates on how you can help us make universal background checks a reality in Washington.