Can’t legislate common sense

There was a Feb. 2 letter to the editor from a man advocating licensing/training as a prerequisite for concealed weapons permit. I had decided against writing a rebuttal until reading two articles in Friday’s Local section.

In one, Diana Hefley writes, “Madsen was an experienced gun handler and well trained. He’d taken several gun classes and taught gun safety training.”

In the second, Scott North reports on the fleeing car thief and the crashing of four converging patrol cars. I would surmise that all involved were licensed and experienced drivers, particularly the police officers.

The Legislature is currently considering abolishing due process by requiring immediate police confiscation of all firearms whenever a person is accused, but not convicted, of spousal abuse. Current law allows the gun owner to surrender their firearms to a family member or friend for safekeeping pending judgment. All of our freedoms are being assaulted by progressive groups and federal, state and local elected officials, the former mayor of Seattle being a recent case in point, and a bill before Legislators in Olympia to ban assault style and semi-automatic firearms, another.

We have seen how Olympia has enacted seemingly reasonable laws requiring seatbelt use and to curtail cell phone use while driving by making them a secondary offense only to modify them later and make them a primary offense. It’s true that some people can’t multi-task, and it’s presumed that police, transit and emergency vehicle personnel aren’t so technically challenged because they’re exempted from a measure passed recently by our representatives in Olympia.

In some cases, well-meaning people are eroding our liberties and complacent citizens are going along. You can’t legislate civility or common sense.

Richard Needham

Everett

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