WA Attorney General to Announce New Gun Reform Legislation

What does Attorney General Bob Ferguson have up his sleeve? Wednesday, he plans to announce a bill that he is supporting, and likely has or will be introduced by legislators in the next session. It's referred to as 'gun reform legislation.  We've heard this show before.

According to information released by the AG's office, he will be joined by 'dozens of community leaders, clergy and other legislators' at the AG's office in Seattle Wednesday morning.

The AG cannot sponsor or enter bills into the legislature, but he can officially support legislation he believes will 'benefit' the safety of the citizens of the state.

No details were announced about what he has in mind, but this blueprint is remarkably familiar. Dozens of community leaders usually refers to a group of self-appointed individuals (like some we've seen in the Mid-Columbia recently) who rock the boat and raise a ruckus in order to pressure public officials to adopt laws or policies that benefit small groups of people but don't reflect the wishes of the majority.

We've seen the effect these so-called 'community leaders' have had, especially in the wake of the Pasco Zambrano shooting. Many of their efforts have not helped, but only caused alienation and polarization between groups of people in the community.

Clergy are often included in these press conferences in an attempt to legitimize controversial legislation. Often, these clergy hail from fringe religious groups that have little in common with established theological churches.

Especially since anti-gun groups, including the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility (WAGR) have already tried (and failed) to introduce more restrictive gun control laws, observers are being hyper-sensitive about what the AG will want to do.

You may also recall Democratic legislators who tried to pass a bill a few years ago that would have required county sheriff's to annually "inspect" people's homes to ensure their guns were being safely stored. That was met with a firestorm of opposition, including our Benton and Franklin County sheriffs.  Such a measure violated privacy laws. For that reason, Ferguson's announcement is being watched very carefully.

We will stay on top of this and find out what Ferguson has up his sleeve, and who's pushing for this 'gun reform legislation.'