Washington State cancels Florida Reciprocity NRA/ILA ALERT

[festus]

ALERT:

WA Attorney General takes action against Florida Gun Owners



DATE: May 2, 2013
TO: USF & NRA Members and Friends
FROM: Marion P. Hammer
USF Executive Director
NRA Past President

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) who failed to fill out the NRA-PVF candidate questionnaire in his last election, has recently demonstrated an anti-gun and anti-veteran position, by revoking reciprocity with Florida for concealed weapons and firearms license holders.

The punitive action against gun-owners who have Florida licenses to carry concealed weapons or firearms was taken because Florida has honored members of the armed forces and veterans.

In 2012, Florida passed legislation to recognize the men and women of our armed services who have served our nation honorably.

Our nation trains 18 year old men and women in firearms proficiency then sends them off to war and asks them to give their lives, if necessary, in the cause of Freedom.

When they have served our nation honorably and returned home to private life, it is unconscionable to tell them our state will not allow them to qualify for a concealed weapons and firearms license so they may protect themselves and their family because they have not yet reached the age of 21.

Recognizing that our men and women in the military have been called into service in the fight for Freedom when they reach the age 18 - the age of majority, the Florida legislature lowered the minimum age requirement from 21 to 18 years of age for those men and women who have served our nation and have been honorably discharged from the service.

This age waiver ONLY applies to veterans. Every other citizen must be 21 years of age or older.

Because of this recognition of special circumstances involving our brave military men and women, Attorney General Ferguson has chosen to revoke reciprocity with Florida for concealed weapons and firearms license holders.

Florida has honored our veterans, and for that, all law-abiding Florida license holders have been punished by Attorney General Ferguson.

You can help by urging the Attorney General to reinstate reciprocity with Florida and once again recognize our licenses as valid in Washington State.

CALL: Please call Attorney General Ferguson at (360) 753-2702.

E-MAIL: Attorney General Ferguson does not have a publicly available e-mail address, you may send an e-mail to Assistant Attorney General Susan Pierini at: [email protected]

 

[jcreek]

I'll post the same response here as I did in the WA forum.

I'm all for supporting veterans, being one myself, but Florida's legislation doesn't make much sense to me. 90% of veterans under the age of 21 don't receive any kind of pistol training in the military. Unless required for you MOS (MP, Armorer, etc.) most service personnel don't pistol qualify until they reach staff grade, long after they're 21. Now if their DD214 lists pistol training I'd understand it.

In addition, I agree that it's unfortunate and unfair to all the other Floridians, but I don't see how the AG had any choice. He doesn't write the laws. It's illegal under WA state law for anyone under 21 to possess a loaded handgun in public unless engaged in sporting activities like hunting or target shooting. Until our legislature changes that law, how could they let a 19 year old FL resident carry in WA but not a 19 year old WA resident? You have to follow the laws of the state you're carrying in not the issuing state for the permit. Even with a valid Fl permit if they carried in WA they would e real the law. There's no exception in the WA law for underage possession of a firearm for CPL holders since WA doesn't issue them to anyone under 21.

 

[festus]

The Atty Gen could have just said all Wa. laws concerning age will be enforced to the letter of the law instead of mass punishment of all of us old farts with CC Permits and the ability to travel...hopefully this will be rectified shortly...

 

[jcreek]

Ya, I don't think it's fair at all. But I think it puts the state in a complex situation. By recognizing their permit they're saying If you have a FL permit you can carry here, but then as soon as an underage vet shows up he gets arrested for doing nothing other than carrying. Seems almost like entrapment. But I guess it's the carriers responsibility to know the laws of the state they're traveling to. I just see them facing problems like this in almost every state since in most, minimum age is 21.

 

[apvbguy]

Just add WA to the list of no go states, I think all 4 pacific coast states are no go now

 

[wolf_fire]

I'll post the same response here as I did in the WA forum.

I'm all for supporting veterans, being one myself, but Florida's legislation doesn't make much sense to me. 90% of veterans under the age of 21 don't receive any kind of pistol training in the military. Unless required for you MOS (MP, Armorer, etc.) most service personnel don't pistol qualify until they reach staff grade, long after they're 21. Now if their DD214 lists pistol training I'd understand it.

In addition, I agree that it's unfortunate and unfair to all the other Floridians, but I don't see how the AG had any choice. He doesn't write the laws. It's illegal under WA state law for anyone under 21 to possess a loaded handgun in public unless engaged in sporting activities like hunting or target shooting. Until our legislature changes that law, how could they let a 19 year old FL resident carry in WA but not a 19 year old WA resident? You have to follow the laws of the state you're carrying in not the issuing state for the permit. Even with a valid Fl permit if they carried in WA they would e real the law. There's no exception in the WA law for underage possession of a firearm for CPL holders since WA doesn't issue them to anyone under 21.

Reciprocity still means that you must follow the laws of that state you are in. WA could still keep reciprocity with FL, but anyone from FL who is under 21 would then not be able to carry in WA since WA's law says you must be 21. To outright cancel the reciprocity was not a good move IMO.

 

[UATKP]

Email sent. I believe the same as Wolf-fire has posted. Cancelling reciprocity with Florida is a mistake that needs to be corrected.
I think every state should lower the age limit.
I had pistol training with a 1911 in the Oklahoma National Guard, and then again in the US Army... and that was all before I reached the age of 18.

 

[eagleeyes]

wow that sucks smh i hope that don't pass

 

[Bttbbob]

Just one more reason for me to never visit Washington. They don't need my tourist money. I have friends that are guides in Colorado that are learning the hard way how bad this can get. One guide has lost 40% of his bookings for this year due to the gun control laws that passed.

 

[JayP206]

As a NRA Life Member and Republican Constitutionalist, I am going to say that I am really disappointed in the NRA/ILA knee-jerk, non researched conclusion of Bob Ferguson having arbitrarily "deciding" to dump Florida.

The fact is even though his predecessor was very pro 2A, he also would have been forced to do the same, as our laws DO NOT allow the AG to make those decisions. Go here to the reciprocity page and read the whole thing, with special attention to the first paragraph following the bullet points:

Link Removed . While I abhor those of his ilk, articles written in this manner makes us look no saner than the "Brady Bunch" in the eyes of the fence sitters in my opinion.

Here is the reciprocity law: RCW 9.41.073: Concealed pistol license ? Reciprocity.. No wiggle room supplied.

 

[jcreek]

As a NRA Life Member and Republican Constitutionalist, I am going to say that I am really disappointed in the NRA/ILA knee-jerk, non researched conclusion of Bob Ferguson having arbitrarily "deciding" to dump Florida.

The fact is even though his predecessor was very pro 2A, he also would have been forced to do the same, as our laws DO NOT allow the AG to make those decisions. Go here to the reciprocity page and read the whole thing, with special attention to the first paragraph following the bullet points:

Link Removed . While I abhor those of his ilk, articles written in this manner makes us look no saner than the "Brady Bunch" in the eyes of the fence sitters in my opinion.

Here is the reciprocity law: RCW 9.41.073: Concealed pistol license ? Reciprocity.. No wiggle room supplied.

Thank you. That was the exactly the point I was trying to make.