State attorney general spells out law to sheriffs

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson warned sheriffs and other law enforcement officers Tuesday that they are required to enforce a gun control law passed by voters last November.Sheriffs in four local counties cite Second Amendment concerns about enforcing Initiative 1639, as do law enforcement officials in more than half the state’s 39 counties. I-1639, which took effect on Jan. 1, raises the age limit for buying semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21. Beginning July 1, it requires purchasers to pass an enhanced background check, show proof of firearms training, and wait 10 days before getting the gun.The new law also makes gun owners guilty of “community endangerment” if their gun is not properly stored and is accessible by a child or by anyone who then uses the gun in a crime.The law passed in November with the support of 60 percent of Washington voters, but the sheriffs of Grant and Lincoln counties both released statements about refusing to enforce the law, while the statements from Douglas and Okanogan county sheriffs were more ambiguous. One of the main arguments against the law is that it violates the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. “Like all laws passed by the people of Washington and their representatives, Initiative 1639 is presumed constitutional,” Ferguson wrote in his Feb. 12 letter. “No court has ruled that this initiative is unconstitutional.”“I am confident we will defeat any constitutional challenge to Initiative 1639,” Ferguson continued. “Local law enforcement officials are entitled to their opinions about the constitutionality of any law, but those personal views do not absolve us of our duty to enforce Washington laws and protect the public.”Ferguson noted his own objections to the death penalty and that he continued to defend the state’s use of it until the state Supreme Court ruled against it last

Read more from our friends at the NRA...