GBC News Archives

Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Gov. Jay Inslee sent a letter to 262 gun dealers in counties where sheriffs have said they won't enforce the new law, known as Initiative 1639, warning that the dealers are still responsible for following the law. For the third time in the last month, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has sent a letter to the mostly rural areas in Washington where county sheriffs have threatened to not enforce the new, stricter gun laws that state voters approved last year. On Thursday, Ferguson and Gov. Jay Inslee sent a letter to 262 gun dealers in counties where sheriffs have said they won’t enforce the new law, known as Initiative 1639. The letters warned that the dealers are still responsible for following the law, which bars the sale of semi-automatic rifles to anyone under 21 and requires enhanced background checks for those guns. “Certain officials in your county have publicly said they will not enforce Initiative 1639 because they believe it is unconstitutional,” Inslee and Ferguson wrote. “We want to prevent you and your business from finding yourself in legal jeopardy because of a misunderstanding of the law caused by statements made by elected officials in your area.” The letter warns that “a law is in effect until a court declares it unconstitutional. No court has declared Initiative 1639 unconstitutional.” “We have a Supreme Court who will make a decision about the constitutionality of this law,” Inslee said Thursday. County sheriffs, he said, have a right to speak against the law “but they do not have a right to think that they’re mini-Supreme Courts.” The National Rifle Association and the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation have filed a lawsuit in federal court[1], claiming the law violates the U.S. and Washington constitutions and should be thrown out. Violations of the new law can

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