CrimePolitics

Gun rights activists plan demonstrations to support Connecticut battle

Olympia rally 1-19
Rain or shine, gun rights stalwarts are expected to turn out April 5 like they did for this Jan. 19 gathering in Olympia. Wash.

Gun rights activists across the country are planning Saturday demonstrations in support of beleaguered gun owners in Connecticut, where the battle is underway against restrictive laws pushed through last year in response to the Sandy Hook tragedy.

In Olympia, Wash., demonstrators will not only be showing solidarity with their contemporaries in the “Constitution State,” they will also be celebrating the signing into law of the Short Barreled Rifle (SBR) bill by traditionally anti-gun Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday. He inked the legislation quietly, but one could hear the cheers from gun activists from Spokane to Ocean Shores. Spokane-area State Rep. Matt Shea reported it on his Facebook page.

Washington was only one of a handful of states still prohibiting ownership of rifles with barrels less than 16 inches in length. People who buy such guns will have to go through a background check and pay a $200 tax, and that might just make the novelty a little too expensive for some folks.

Saturday’s rally will be held on the vast lawn area by the Tivoli Fountain from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. One can expect most of those in attendance to be carrying some sort of firearm, either openly or concealed.

And speaking of concealed carry, that’s something the Evergreen State has a lot of: active concealed pistol licenses. The tally right now is more than 454,200, according to the Department of Licensing, and this continues a trend that has been climbing steadily for more than two years.

The rally caps off a week of highs and lows for gun owners. On Monday, Rasmussen Reports released the results of a survey taken at the end of March showing waning public support for new gun control laws with only 40 percent of the respondents in favor of new legislation. On the other hand, 53 percent are opposed, which is the highest level in two years, according to Rasmussen.

That survey is almost a mirror of an earlier Gallup poll that also showed only 40 percent support for tough new gun restrictions, and 55 percent “dissatisfied” with America’s gun laws and policies.

But then came Fort Hood, though that tragedy has not had the typical fallout one normally gets following a mass shooting. Perhaps it is because the public quickly learned that the shooter had: a) passed a background check, b) committed his deed on a military base that is essentially a “gun-free zone” and c) violated existing policies and was stopped by a “good guy (in this case a “gal”) with a gun.”

For more on Saturday’s rally, check the Seattle Gun Rights Examiner.

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