Gun supporters rally to preserve rights
Gun supporters gather in Moses Lake Saturday to protest stricter gun control laws.
MOSES LAKE - Gun supporters headed to the streets Saturday in Moses Lake to rally for gun rights and protest legislative gun control measures.
Robert Carter, who organized the rally, spoke to about 50 people at McCosh Park before protesters spread out to different locations. Many of the protesters were exercising their constitutional right to bear arms with pistols holstered on their hips.
Carter, of Moses Lake, noted there are fewer gun deaths in the U.S. than deaths caused by tobacco, alcohol and motor vehicle accidents.
Protesters gathered on the intersection of East Fifth Avenue and South Pioneer Way, near the Moses Lake Public Library, carrying signs and waving flags. Honk after honk could be heard from vehicles passing by, some rolling down windows to express support.
Bob Lyons, of Moses Lake, said proposed gun laws are unconstitutional and infringe on the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
"What part of don't infringe do they not understand," Lyons said.
Washington state House Bill 1588, expanding background checks for all gun sales squeaked out of the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 19 by one vote. The measure's companion bill, SB 5625, did not get a reading before the policy cutoff Friday.
If passed, the House bill would require any person privately selling a firearm to pay a $20 fee to have a gun dealer or law enforcement agency process a background check. Concealed pistol license holders would be exempt from a required background check.
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