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Washington residents face few restrictions on gunsYakima Herald-Republic
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MOXEE -- The Supreme Court ruling handed down Thursday that protects an individual's right to own a gun for self-defense or hunting will have no immediate effect on gun laws in Washington. With the exception of felons, Washingtonians face few restrictions when it comes to firearms.
And in this rural part of the state, gun ownership is widely accepted -- and proudly embraced.
Joe Gifford, a member of the Sun Valley Shooting Park in Moxee, has owned guns since he was a teenager. He remembers attending firearms classes while he was a student at Toppenish Junior High School in the early 1960s.
Back then, he said, it was common for people to openly carry their firearms.
Now 60, Gifford still fires his weapons on a weekly basis, mostly as a hobby. He views his firearms as a form of self-defense.
On Thursday, he was doing target practice with two .38-caliber handguns, as well as a .32-caliber Ruger.
"(President James) Madison and other framers of the Constitution made a strong case that to not have tyranny, it's people's right to defend themselves," he said.
Gifford and shooting buddy Ric Bowman, president of the Yakima Rifle and Pistol Association -- an affiliate of the National Rifle Association since 1914 -- both believe firearms have received a bad rap, mostly because of the violent actions of a few.
"It's the person, not the tool," said Bowman.
They said the Supreme Court ruling will make no difference in the state of Washington because there are no gun bans here, certainly nothing like the handgun ban in Washington, D.C.
"Restrictions on honest citizens -- it doesn't solve a crime problem," Gifford said.
Bowman agreed, adding, "I really don't think regulating the tool is the solution."
Kristen Comer, executive director of Washington Ceasefire, said the Supreme Court decision will likely be unnoticeable in this state.
"I don't think any of our gun laws are in danger," she said. "I don't think any of the laws we advocated for will be endangered, either."
The state organization, which aims to reduce gun violence, has made strengthening the mental health reporting requirements a priority for the 2009 legislative session. Under state law, those who have been committed to a mental health facility for 90 days or more are prohibited from gun ownership.
Ceasefire wants to get the restriction changed to include those who have been committed for 14 days or more.
"The more we can make sure firearms are in the right hands, the less likely those who handle them responsibly will be thought ill of," she said.
Bowman and Gifford both think of themselves as responsible gun owners. At least once a week, the two meet at Sun Valley Shooting Park to practice shooting handguns, shotguns and rifles. Bowman also grew up around firearms.
"It's a cultural thing that we have always done," he said.
Washington is a "shall issue" state, considered by many to have some of the most lenient gun laws in the U.S. Almost all non-felons have a right to carry with a license, as long as they are over the age of 21 and meet a list of state requirements.
In recent years, several measures to restrict guns in Washington state have failed, including one designed to prevent the unregulated sale of handguns at gun shows. A perennial issue, the attempt to close the so-called "gun show loophole" has never gained traction.
During this year's Legislature, another measure that would ban weapons at colleges that host high school students did not pass. A countermeasure, aimed at prohibiting universities from banning concealed weapons, also failed.
In Seattle, Mayor Greg Nickels recently signed an executive order announcing plans to tighten gun restrictions on city property after two bystanders were injured at a May festival at Seattle Center.
He said he has no plans to turn back in light of Thursday's Supreme Court ruling.
"We're going to continue to go down this path," Nickels said.
Given historical resistance toward tighter regulation on the state level, he expects resistance, but will continue to push for more gun control in Seattle.
He thinks the court's decision strengthens his argument, pointing toward a section of the ruling that cautions against second guessing laws that ban firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings.
* Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
* James Joyce III can be reached at 577-7675 or jjoyce@yakimaherald.com
