Database reveals true intent of law

Published 1:31 pm Tuesday, October 28, 2014

A recent letter pointed out some misinformation on Initiative 594. It is too bad that your newspaper chose to ignore other misinformation.

Domestic violence is being used as a major selling point of the initiative. Yet, firearms are a minor player in this area. Only 19 percent of domestic violence cases involve weapons, and other weapons such as knives are used more than firearms.

A big selling point is to “close the loophole” to firearm purchases. If this worked, we could stop sales of heroin and cocaine by requiring a background check before a purchase. The reality is, if someone wants something and has the money to pay for it, someone else is going to sell it to them.

The real motivation for this initiative can be seen by the way it is written. It doesn’t just require a background check. It also requires that the purchase be entered into the state’s database. The only possible motive for getting more guns into the database is to make confiscation that the supporters hope to pass easier. It also makes it impossible for someone who brought a gun from a dealer to avoid confiscation by claiming that they sold it.

The way this initiative is written, the intention is clear.

David B. Lewis

Snohomish