Last summer, I wrote an article about Seattle Mayor Greg Nickles plan to ban guns on city property, after a criminal shot two people. A reader of this website sent me an email with a status update on this proposed ban:
The Update
Firstly, the ban had not yet gone into effect, although not for lack of effort on the part of Mayor Nickles. In response to his gun ban efforts, the Washington State Attorney General issued an opinion making clear that such a gun ban would be against the law. Undeterred, Nickles held an open forum where citizens could voice their opinions on the proposed gun ban, although Nickles himself failed to show up. The vast majority of those in attendance opposed the ban. Unconcerned with either the law or the will of the people, Nickles has made clear his intention to issue an executive order banning guns on city property. He expects the city to be sued over this clearly unlawful executive order, and will spend taxpayer funds to defend the lawsuit.
My Thoughts
Firstly, the gun ban is unwise and ineffective. A person who is bent on committing murder will be more than willing to break a city law that tells them they can’t have a gun. This should come as no surprise, since someone who doesn’t fear the severe penalties for murder won’t be afraid of the relatively minor penalties for violating a gun ban. Instead, only the law abiding people will be disarmed, leaving them vulnerable to the still-armed criminals. Those who don’t understand this need only look at the city of Chicago, which has had a city-wide handgun ban since before I was born, yet sees a handgun related murder just about every day.
Secondly, it is rather unsettling to see an elected official such as Nickles openly state his intention to break the law. Elected officials should be shining examples of lawfulness, reinforcing the duty of every citizen to respect the rule of law. I hope that Seattle’s voters remember this during the next election.
Although Nickles seems unwilling to listen to either the opinions of his constituents or the State Attorney General, I would suggest contacting him to voice opposition to his gun ban plan.
My thanks to Willis for letting me know about these recent events.
Being the founder and president of Citizens for the 2nd Amendment group here in Seattle this is a constant fight with this guy. He seems to think he is above the Constitution and a lot of ant-gun people here also support his illegal attempt to ban guns here. What part of "This right shall not be infringed" doesn't he understand. No respect for the Constitution or Bill of Rights. Just paranoia and fear mongering like so many politicians these days. Time for a real change. Local, State and Federal in my opinion.