Voters in Washington State face two opposing gun initiatives on the ballot next week in the wake of a high school shooting that has fanned the flames of an already heated campaign between Second Amendment and gun control supporters.
Those pushing for more gun control in the state used the school shooting as an opportunity to push their agenda within hours after the incident, even though facts about the shooter and the weapon were not yet known.
Latest reports indicate Jaylen Fryberg entered into the cafeteria and shot five students. Fryberg and one victim were killed at the scene. It’s unclear if Fryberg took his own life. One of the four wounded, 14-year-old Gia Soriano, died late Sunday night.
The gun Fryberg used was obtained legally, police said.
Initiative 591 would prohibit the government from confiscating guns or firearms without due process. It would also forbid background checks unless a federal standard is established.
Initiative 594 would require a background check on every purchase including private sales, online purchases, and transfers of firearms.
"Initiative 594 is not just background checks for private party gun sales, it prohibits most recreational, temporary transfers of firearms,’" Philip Shave, executive director of Washington Arms Collectors, said in an interview before the school shooting.
According to Shave, Initiative 594 would also prohibit "informal sharing of firearms" on private and public land and in ranges. He said women would be targets, as instructors would no longer be allowed to give loaner firearms to female self-defense students. A father who loans a hunting rifle to his adult son would also be violating 594.
The Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, a nonprofit group formed last year, has spent over $7.3 million of the $9.8 million it has raised for its Yes on Initiative 594 campaign. Former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Bill Gates, Venture Capitalist Nicholas Hanauer, and LA Clippers owner Steven Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft, have all donated at least $1 million, according to contribution filings.
Bloomberg’s group Everytown for Gun Safety has donated $2.3 million for Initiative 594 through Oct. 20. Ballmer and his wife have so far donated $1.08 million.
Within hours of the shooting, gun control supporters used social media to push for Initiative 594. Hanuer took to twitter on Friday and posted sarcastically, "We Need More School Shootings!!! Vote Yes on Initiative 591."
Moms Demand Action, part of Bloomberg’s group, also issued a statement within hours of the school shooting, pushing for a Yes Vote in I-594.
The Washington Alliance also took to Twitter and Facebook on Friday, as details had yet to emerge about the shooter. "While the facts of today’s shooting are still unclear, we do know that incidents like these are examples of the gun violence that’s all too frequent in our state. It is up to all of us to come together and work to reduce gun violence," the statement read.
The Washington Alliance’s communications director Geoff Potter told the Washington Free Beacon on Thursday night via email that recent polling shows Initiative 594 is "strongly positioned with victory." He referred to the initiative as a "common sense" gun law.
When asked why the group believed criminals would obey a gun law, Potter said, "There's clear evidence that background checks reduce crime and save lives."
"By passing Initiative 594, Washington state can make it harder for felons, domestic abusers, and the seriously mentally ill to obtain guns while respecting Washingtonians' Second Amendment rights," said Potter.
The National Rifle Association noted in a release that a majority of the state’s 39 sheriffs oppose Initiative 594.
"The sheriffs oppose I-594 because it will not make anyone safer, will strain scarce law enforcement resources, will criminalize the lawful behavior of millions of law-abiding gun owners in Washington and will be unenforceable," the NRA said. "Instead, I-594 would vastly expand the state’s handgun registry and force law-abiding gun owners to pay fees and get the government’s permission to sell or even loan a firearm to a friend or family member."
"I-594 is just another attempt to erode the Second Amendment," said Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich of Spokane County. Sheriff Alan Botzheim, of Pend Orielle County, said, "[I-594] is focused on honest hardworking citizens and making them criminals when they are not criminals."
As of Thursday morning, an additional four sheriffs joined in publicly opposing I-594, bringing the total number to 26 out of a total of 39 sheriffs in the state, according to Shave.
Other law enforcement groups such as the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs (WACOPS) and the Washington State Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association (WSLEFIA) also oppose Initiative 594. WSLEFIA endorsed Initiative 591.
WACOPS, which represents a majority of officers in the state, did not respond to a request for comment. However, the group previously expressed their opposition to the gun control measure.
"This measure is being billed as a public safety measure, but we as law enforcement officers, do not believe this will keep guns out of the hands of criminals or the mentally ill. They will continue to ignore the law and engage in black market transactions," WACOPS said.
A NRA video is being used in a campaign to defeat Initiative 594. Earlier this month, the state Republican Party also stated its opposition to I-594.
Other familiar faces in the gun debate have also appeared in Washington. Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords appeared last Wednesday in the state, and Newtown shooting victims are also expected to visit the state days before Election Day.