³ÉÈËXÕ¾

³ÉÈËXÕ¾ NEWSRADIO OPINION

Ross: The assault weapons ban in the words of the legislators

Mar 9, 2023, 10:24 AM

culture...

An attendee holds a sign calling for a ban on assault weapons during the Moms Demand Action Gun Violence Rally (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

(Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

The assault weapons ban survives.
For this guest commentary — I’m turning it over to the members of our state House of Representatives, who conducted what I thought was a sincere, mutually respectful, and at times gripping debate on the wisdom of banning assault weapons.

More from Dave Ross: Ford offering a new method to deal with delinquent car owners

“I previously served as a war crimes prosecutor, I have held the hand of witnesses who struggled to testify about loved ones whose bodies were literally mutilated by assault weapons, only to return home to the United States and find that our neighbors and our children are facing a similar reality,” Rep. David Hackney-D said.

“Twelve years ago, my life changed forever on a bright sunny morning in Tucson, Arizona. When a gunman opened fire on a constituent event of my boss, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, two of my colleagues, Ron and Pam, were shot,” Rep. Liz Berry-D said.

“Madam Speaker, I’ve been in a lockdown for a mass shooting. Madam Speaker, I’m here to say that this is not good enough. Our young people deserve better, and our young people are saying that it is not good enough,” Rep. Darya Farivar-D said.

“So I opened up my daughter’s door to her bedroom. And lo and behold, there is a man outside her window, kicking our house and going ballistic. It turns out, Madam Speaker, that this was a gang member that had a fight with the girlfriend next door why he was on our roof. I can’t tell you. But what I can tell you, Madam Speaker is that it was frightening having that man outside my daughter’s bedroom window. Madam Speaker, we live in the city. And we were forced to have to go out there and deal with gang members ourselves. Because when we picked up the phone to call 911, they can’t send officers they don’t have,” Rep. Jenny Graham-R said.

“The kids who don’t feel safe are not the only ones who had been screaming out. In fact, the very ones who have been perpetrating these crimes, misusing these firearms, they are crying out for us to help them,” Rep. Ed Orcutt-R said.

“I think that there’s something going on deeper in our culture to our boys and our men, that they start to realize a sense of hopelessness, and they stayed at that point of despair, that they feel useless, and they feel worthless. And perhaps we should look at that first,” Rep. Mary Dye-R.

“We surround our young people with movies that are full of violence, abolishing an object is not going to fix those issues,” Rep. Tom Dent-R said.

“And you know, where they’re more likely to commit these crimes in gun-free zones. And you know, where we have higher crime rates, in places with lots of gun laws,” Rep. Cyndy Jacobsen-R said/

“This bill makes the same mistake that many others do. It assumes that by restricting the choices of law-abiding citizens, it will somehow affect the behavior of psychopaths and criminals, and people bent on making mayhem,” Rep. Jim Walsh-R said.

“Talked about the language talked about hunting and target practice. My daughter was in her language class. And somebody was hunting and looking to use children as target practice. So their self-defense was to stack up all the tables and chairs in their classroom against the door. We are here to defend our children, so they don’t have to defend themselves with their desks and pencils and tables and notebooks in their classroom,” Rep. Tana Senn-D.

“Madam Speaker, there are 55 yeas 42 nays one excused. Having received a constitutional majority substitute House Bill 1240 is declared passed,” the clerk said.

Listen to Seattle’s Morning News with Dave Ross and Colleen O’Brien weekday mornings from 5 – 9 a.m. on ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Dave's Commentary

Dave Ross on ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • to ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio weekdays at 5am for Dave Ross on Seattle's Morning News.

³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio Opinion

...

MyNorthwest Video

Video: Getting High for the Safety of the People

John officially asks management if he can take a day off of work to get stoned at the request of the Seattle Police Department. Listen to The John Curley Show every weekday at 3pm on ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio 97.3 FM. Listen to ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio 97.3 FM, or visit MyNorthwest.com to learn more!

2 hours ago

seattle spd lawsuit...

Jake Skorheim and Spike O'Neill Show

‘She’ll get paid’: Jake and Spike react to Jamie Tompkins’ request for $3M regarding Diaz allegations

Jamie Tompkins seeks $3M from Seattle over Diaz allegations. Jake and Spike share insights on this controversial development.

11 hours ago

...

MyNorthwest Video

Video: Jeremie Dufault on Ban, Ferguson & WA’s Future

State Rep Jeremie Dufault joined the John Curley Show to talk about being banned from the house floor last week, his optimism in Bob Ferguson as the Governor and why he still has hope for the future of the state of Washington. Listen to The John Curley Show every weekday at 3pm on ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio […]

23 hours ago

...

MyNorthwest Video

Video: Help Us Find Producer Laura’s Mystery Man!

On the Jake & Spike Show, producer Laura shares a missed connection. It was A chance meeting and a date in Greece straight from a rom-com. Listen to the Jake and Spike Show every weekday from 12pm – 3pm on ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio 97.3 FM. Listen to ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio 97.3 FM or go to MyNorthwest.com to […]

1 day ago

house floor republican...

John Curley Show

‘They’ve been lying, and nobody calls them on it’: Republican Rep. removed from House floor after Parents’ Bill of Rights outburst

The House of Representatives barred Republican lawmaker Jeremie Dufault from the floor for the rest of the legislative session following an outburst Thursday

1 day ago

...

MyNorthwest Video

Video: Is Bill Belichick’s 24-Year-Old Girlfriend Weird?

Did anyone else notice Bill Belichick’s new girlfriend has a uniquely sinister energy in this interview? Listen to the Jake and Spike Show every weekday from 12pm – 3pm on ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio 97.3 FM. Listen to ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio 97.3 FM or go to MyNorthwest.com to learn more!

1 day ago

Ross: The assault weapons ban in the words of the legislators