By: José Niño
The Washington Supreme Court listened to oral arguments made against the city of Edmonds’ legislative attempts to impose draconian measures on how people store their firearms at home.
This same hearing also dealt with a measure that makes law-abiding gun owners liable in cases where thieves steal their firearms.
The case in question is Bass v. City of Edmonds, of which the NRA-ILA and the Second Amendment Foundation are party to.
During the oral arguments, the Supreme Court justices cited Washington’s preemption law, which reads:
“The state of Washington hereby fully occupies and preempts the entire field of firearms regulation within the boundaries of the state.”
The city of Edmunds made its case that its gun control regulations should be maintained, irrespective of the damage these laws inflict on the right to bear arms and people’s ability to defend themselves in a timely manner during home invasions.
This Supreme Court decision will have strong implications for the Second Amendment in Washington. Second Amendment groups like the NRA-ILA have already filed lawsuits against similar gun control moves in Seattle.
What’s taking place in Washington is part of the Left’s strategy to implement gun control. In the case they can’t pass state gun laws, they will carve out a patchwork of gun control safe spaces at the local level.
This goes to show that gun rights activists will have to always keep tabs on all levels of government. Even in what seems like an inconsequential town, the Left’s ability to pass anti-Second Amendment laws at the local level is what allows it to slowly build power bases. In time, gun controllers will engulf states with anti-gun legislation when their actions aren’t checked.
Ultimately, the Left must be stopped at the local level, so that we don’t have to fight them at the state or federal levels.
José Niño is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Contact him via Facebook, Twitter, or email him at [email protected]. Get his e-book, The 10 Myths of Gun Control, here.