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Patriot Prayer and the Washington Chapter of the “Three Percenters” group will host a rally from 5 to 7 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 24, at the Limitless America store, located at 501 26th St., in Washougal. Patriot Prayer’s founder, Joey Gibson, of Vancouver, said the rally is intended to “get a fire going” amongst people “who want to stand up and protect the (United States) Constitution.” At issue is Initiative 1639 (I-1639), a ballot measure passed by Washington voters in the November 2018 midterm election that strengthened the state’s gun-safety laws — raising the legal age to buy a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21; requiring semiautomatic rifle buyers to pass an annual background check, complete an approved training course and wait 10 days before obtaining their weapon; and developing a “dangerous access prevention” law that will hold gun owners responsible for safely storing their weapons and keeping them away from people who are not eligible to possess a firearm. Paul Kramer, of Mukilteo, Washington, sponsored the initiative after a teenager purchased an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and opened fire at a Mukilteo house party in July 2016, killing three other teens and severely injuring Kramer’s 18-year-old son, Will. The shooter later said he wished he had not been allowed to purchase the AR-15, and stated in court: “It was the ease of acquiring a gun that enabled me to act on my emotion. … I wish they never sold me a firearm. I wish I was never legally allowed to buy one.” Rally organizers hope local officials will not enforce law, despite majority support Washington state voters passed the sweeping gun-safety initiative with 59 percent approval in November 2018. In Clark County, 54 percent of voters approved the ballot measure. In Camas-Washougal, the approval rating was even stronger, with about 56 percent of voters casting a “yes”

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