Imagine that you are a 20-year-old serviceman just back stateside from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. You purchase a 1965 Sears Ted Williams tube-fed .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle in another state on your way home to Washington state being assigned to Joint Base Lewis McChord.
On a nice weekend you go out in the national forest to plink at a few cans and a target. A game warden stops by and discovers you are 20 with a semi-automatic rifle. You are arrested and charged with a felony, which may destroy your military career of defending the country with large automatic weapons.
There is no provision for your background or the caliber of the gun. Don’t let Initiative 1639 take away your right as a parent to teach your sons or daughters proper firearm care and safety. Proper training already exists within Scouting programs, hunter safety programs and within generations of families that enjoy shooting as a hobby. There are still civilian marksmanship programs nationwide for all ages.
John C. Beam
Mill Creek
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