The Columbian reports

“We knew all along that the gun lobby, that they were going to try and confuse voters,” said Zach Silk, campaign manager with I-594. “And it’s clear from the poll, there is confusion out there.”

Silk said it’s a strategic move.

“The easiest way to defeat a popular measure is to put an alternative on the ballot; they knew that, we knew that,” Silk said, adding it doesn’t advance “meaningful policy.”

[…]

Initiative 594 would require background checks on gun purchases including transactions made through the Internet and private sales. There would be exceptions for sales between family members. Currently, under federal law, only licensed gun sellers are required to conduct a background check. If a person bought a firearm from a gun show, no background check would be required unless the seller was a licensed firearm seller.

“It dramatically reduces the access to guns. Right now, they can go online or to a gun show and get a gun. … No questions asked,” Silk said.

The measure would be a “very minor inconvenience for law-abiding gun owners,” Silk said, while being a “powerful deterrent for criminals.”

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