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<br />rored the debate on the federal crime bill
<br />being worked out at the same time in
<br />Washington, D.C., with Republicans
<br />publicly attacking it as an example of
<br />social spending gone awry without neces-
<br />sary tough sentencing measures. The real
<br />action in Washington State, though, was
<br />happening at the committee level, where
<br />the gun lobby does its best work.
<br />Alan Gottlieb, whose organization
<br />often works with the NRA, describes a
<br />typical conversation with a wavering leg-
<br />islator. "We basically say, `We're not ask-
<br />ing you to take a lead position. If you feel
<br />like you have to vote against us, then
<br />we'll have to hold it against you. So while
<br />you feel the media's heat now, you're
<br />going to feel ours later. On the other
<br />hand, what we would ask you to do, and
<br />we'll work with you on it, is work in com-
<br />mittee, work quietly with your other col-
<br />leagues to get the bill killed so that you
<br />don't have to cast that vote at all.'
<br />"We give them a way to cop out," he says.
<br />That's why the assault weapons ban
<br />was dead on arrival. The House didn't
<br />even bother to take a vote, despite a letter
<br />from Lowry urging members to support
<br />the ban of 19 specific weapons, including
<br />the Uzi and the AK-47. A handful of lib-
<br />erals from Seattle sought a vote, but with
<br />the November elections looming, the
<br />leadership balked. "We had to pull chits
<br />just to get a hearing," says Kent Caputo.
<br />Though Senate leaders felt essentially
<br />the same way, they reluctantly went on
<br />record with a vote. Armed with polling
<br />data showing that two-thirds of the state's
<br />residents backed a prohibition on assault
<br />weapons, Senator Lorraine Wojahn forced
<br />a floor vote on the ban. It fell two votes
<br />short. "I was shocked at some of those who
<br />didn't vote for it," admits Wojahn.
<br />Not everyone was as surprised. "The
<br />polls show 60 to 65 percent support an
<br />assault weapons ban. That's true," says
<br />Senator Adam Smith, a Democrat who
<br />was then chairman of the judiciary com-
<br />mittee. "But the intensity of the opposi-
<br />tion is far greater than the intensity of the
<br />support."
<br />Wojahn was not the only Democrat to
<br />misjudge support for a ban. Citing internal
<br />polling, the state Democratic party
<br />encouraged legislative and congressional
<br />candidates to highlight their support for an
<br />assault weapons ban. Direct mail to voters
<br />also centered on support for the ban.
<br />That miscalculation proved costly.
<br />Within the party itself, there was a schism
<br />between conservatives and liberals not
<br />GUN CONTROL IN THE STATES
<br />(Selected laws, as of June 1994)
<br />
<br />~~
<br />Ala, . ` :::.. ~~
<br />Al2ska M
<br />~~[[ss,,
<br />
<br />Ari.. • H°
<br />
<br />Colo. H
<br />r~ ...,, ~ ~,:.
<br />,Conn::. !',~ r>?.~ aF~
<br />
<br />i~.C. ` ~kY~v~y~.
<br />Fla. • L
<br />
<br />yam: = ~a.~L~~t~y_"-
<br />Ga. t
<br />Ha:vaii •' H
<br />v y~, .-~ ..-
<br />III. ~ H'
<br />~.i!~.~
<br />Iowa • H
<br />~u .~,,
<br />Ky. • M'
<br />r:=~ - r.
<br />
<br />Maine • L
<br />
<br />Maws. •' H
<br />
<br />Minn. • H
<br />_~:~~;
<br />~~~~~ ::
<br />Mo. • M°
<br />Neb. M5
<br />N.H. L
<br />
<br />N.M. • M5
<br />N.C. •' HS
<br />Ohio 1 Hs
<br />yr +"~'~'R~ ^~b ~,.~
<br />
<br />Ore. • L
<br /> "~ rF ;ry
<br />R.I. • H
<br />S.D. • L
<br />Texas • HS
<br />Vt. • L'
<br />Wash. • L
<br />Wis. H~
<br />Nobs:
<br />1. California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York City and other towns in New York State, as well as several
<br />Ohio cities, have banned firearms descdbed as "assault weapons." Some Ohio cities also forbid the posses
<br />lion and sale of handguns with a certain magazine capacity. Illinois: Chicago and certain other cities have
<br />banned handguns and assault weapons. Maryland: several small, lowcaliber, inexpensive handguns and
<br />"assault pistols." Hawaii: assault pistols. Yrginia: Street Sweeper shotguns. District of Columbia: handguns,
<br />semi-automatic firearms with the ability to use a magaar~ holding more than 12 rounds. (In some cases,
<br />individuals are allowed to keep any banned tlrearn possessed prior to the effective date of the gun-ban law,
<br />with certain restrictions.)
<br />2. Preemption is via judicial ruling, not statute. In Massachusetts and North Carolina, local regulation may be
<br />instituted, but it must be ratified by legislative action.
<br />3. Except Gary and East Chicago and local laws enacted before January 1994.
<br />4. Concealedcarry laws vary significantly among the states. Ratings reflect the effect a state's particular
<br />laws have on the ability of citizens to carry firearms for selfdefense:
<br />•L: Least restrictive; "shall issue" permit system.
<br />•M: Moderatety restrictive; some discretion by issuing authority.
<br />•H: Highty restrictive; little or no carry permitted.
<br />5. States do not have a statutory provision aAowing a civilian to otrtain a license or permit to cant' concealed
<br />firearms.
<br />6. Except Philadelphia.
<br />7. Vermont law allows concealed carry without a permit.
<br />Source: National Rifle Association InstiGrte for legislstive Action
<br />only on assault weapons but on the entire
<br />firearms issue. More specifically, it was a
<br />split between Seattle-based activists and
<br />gun-supporting Democrats from the less
<br />urbanized areas of eastern and central
<br />Washington.
<br />The language of the state Democratic
<br />Party platform-"We support greater
<br />control of sale and possession of hand-
<br />guns and other firearms including a ban
<br />on automatic and assault weapons"-was
<br />a distinct handicap to candidates outside
<br />the Seattle region. "Anytime we have a
<br />disagreement on this issue, we are looked
<br />upon as Neanderthals or barbarians or
<br />nut cases," says Democrat Tom Camp-
<br />bell, who helped lead the floor fight
<br />against 2319. For his efforts, the party
<br />caucus dumped Campbell from the com-
<br />mittee with jurisdiction over firearms.
<br />Washington's intraparty split was one
<br />familiar to people on both sides of gun
<br />March 1995 GOVERNING 19
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