Peter Abbarno, candidate for the State House of Representatives in the 20th Legislative District, was recently endorsed by the National Rifle Association.
The 20th Legislative District, which includes Thurston, Lewis, Cowlitz, and Clark counties, had the highest percentage of opposition to the 2018 Initiative 1639 ballot measure to increase restrictions on law-abiding gun owners. With 68.23% opposed, the 20th Legislative District voters sent a clear message and had the highest opposition rate among all districts.
Protecting our Second Amendment rights should not be a partisan issue. In SW Washington, like most of rural Washington, gun ownership and hunting is part of the history and tradition of many families. Government should be enforcing current laws to punish criminals, not taking constitutional rights away from legal and responsible gun owners.
The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Our State constitutional provision in Article 1; Section 24, is unique in that the right to “bear arms” is construed as an “individual” rather than “collective” right. “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired.” Washingtonians have stronger protections, yet, the erosion of that right continues.
Enforcing current laws and preventing guns from being possessed by violent and repeat criminals should be priority and CAN be accomplished without infringing on the rights of law abiding and responsible gun owners. That is why I opposed Initiative 1639 in 2018. Good policy starts with existing laws being enforced by prosecutors and judges. Broad swath gun control legislation leaves criminals with guns, the innocent with no protection, and our law enforcement at a potentially lethal disadvantage.
Peter Abbarno, Candidate for the State House of Representatives in the 20th Legislative District
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