County sheriffs oppose enforcement of gun control initiatives

To date, the sheriffs in 15 counties in Washington State have said they will not enforce the new rules on gun ownership under Initiative 1639, until there is a court ruling on the legality of the measure.

While Initiative 1639 was passed by the voters in 2018 with 59 percent of the vote, it failed in all 15 counties where the sheriffs are refusing to enforce the law. Some of the initiative took affect on January 1 of this year, but most of it will become law in July 2019.

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution says in effect “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The United States Supreme Court has upheld that ruling, but has also allowed some restrictions.

Passage of I-1639 was paid for with $5 million dollars from four Microsoft and other Seattle area billionaires. It passed in the urban counties of the state, including Thurston County; but failed in most of the other counties.

It was opposed by most law enforcement organizations including those in whom most county sheriffs are members.

The question most asked by those opposed to the actions of local law enforcement is how can our government officials fail to enforce the laws. The response of course follows this course. Government officials often fail to enforce laws they don’t agree with. Most recently, it’s our immigration laws and the creation of “Sanctuary Cities.”

While our local county sheriffs want the courts to rule on the legality of the law, they will be sorely disappointed when the case gets to the Washington State Supreme Court. Most, if not all of the judges are from the urban areas of the state and will undoubtedly uphold this voter approved measure.

If it gets to the United States Supreme Court it will probably be overturned or sent back to the state for further legal review, but in the meantime, the law will go into full effect on July 1, 2019. Will the county sheriffs enforce the law while it slowly makes it way through the legal process? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.