Washington State Voters Defeat The NRA In Two Gun Battles

On the extremely volatile issue of gun control in the USA, Washington State voters have shot back. Last November 5th, Washington voted by over 60% to pass I-594 closing the loophole in the existingt law that allowed people (including criminals and other dangerous people) to get around a background check by going to “private sellers” at gun shows, on the Internet, or elsewhere to purchase guns.  I-594 ensures that a background check is conducted for every gun, regardless.

Initiative 594 passed with over a 60% majority

Washington voters were also discerning enough to defeat the NRA endorsed I-591  which was nothing more than a cynical ploy designed to outsource gun control to a useless, dysfunctional US Congress. I-591 went down by 54% so this was a double-barreled shotgun blast to the NRA and their supporters. Nationally, I-594 was the only gun control measure on a statewide ballot. The state’s message, however, was heard loud and clear around the country by gun control advocates.

Why in any world does a responsible gun owner need one of these?

The message that voters can and will pass rational gun safety laws when legislators buckle to pressure from the NRA and fail to do so is certainly a very chilling lesson for the NRA as well as for elected officials. Nevadans for Background Checks have already delivered signatures in support of placing an initiative on the November 2016 ballot that would require background checks on all gun sales and transfers, including at gun shows and online.

In addition to Nevada, advocates cited Oregon, Arizona and Maine as some of the other states where they believe they could pass similar background check laws. The great equalizer in this debate is now money. Background check advocates not only have as much money for their campaigns as the NRA but in Washington State they actually exceeded the NRA. This was due to donations millions by Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Steve Ballmer, Michael Bloomberg and others.  It’s a whole new ballgame!

Every November I have this debate with myself about whether I need to winterize our 5’er prior to heading south in mid to late December. Each year, I try to convince myself that I don’t need to do it because it’s very unlikely that it will ever get cold enough here on the Island to freeze the water pipes and cause damage. For the 8th consecutive year I’ve lost my own argument, so again, on Tuesday, I dutifully went to our RV store, bought 2 jugs of pink antifreeze, then pumped it into the water lines.

It’s such a cheap, easy task I have no idea why I spend more time debating the issue with myself than just doing it automatically without even giving it a thought. The pink stuff costs less than $10 and with the 5’ers easy-access shutoff valves and hookups it takes less than 15 minutes to complete. I guess the only thing I really know for sure is that if I skipped this maintenance issue just one year then Mr. Murphy would jump out of his hiding spot and turn us into ice cubes.

From our Tuesday hike

Our water heater uses an Anode Rod which lasts two years before needing to be replaced. While at the RV store I picked up a new one for $11 as the old one was just about ready to snap in half in one place. At least it did the job it’s supposed to do and it too is a really inexpensive item to replace. So, these little jobs mark the official beginning of our annual countdown to departure. Next, I’ll check the battery, propane tanks, tires and make sure all the inside appliances and furnace work.

Thanks for visiting!