A small town police chief in Washington is making headlines for proposing a sanctuary city for gun rights after voters in the Evergreen State approved widespread gun control measures.
Washington voters passed Initiative 1639, which raised the legal age to buy a semi-automatic rifle to 21, imposed a safe-storage provision and universal background checks.
“It goes against the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and Section 24 of the Washington State Constitution which says 'the right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself or the state shall not be impaired,'” says Republic Police Chief Loren Culp.
“It requires a citizen to pay a fee to the government and get their permission to exercise a constitutional right,” he says. “It also makes criminals out of otherwise law abiding citizens. If someone breaks into your home and steals a gun and commits a crime with it, a homeowner can be charged with up to a felony.”
Chief Culp has proposed an ordinance for his rural town near the Canadian border which essentially says he will not enforce any law that violates the state and federal constitutions. He says what works in Seattle or Tacoma, doesn't make sense in his area.
“We have three or four road deputies for one of the largest counties in the state and it's not unusual to have a response time of 20-30 minutes,” he says. “It's not only the wildlife, the four-legged predators we have to worry about around here, it's the two-legged predators that are the biggest problem.”
The National Rife Association and others are suing to block the measure from going into effect.