XPost: alt.politics.usa.constitution, alt.politics.guns, alt.california   
   XPost: sac.general   
   From: gp@dont-email.me   
      
   The Washington State Supreme Court unanimously overturned an   
   earlier decision that removed I-1639 from the November ballot.   
      
   The original decision was prompted by a case brought by the   
   Second Amendment Foundation. The National Rifle Association   
   filed a second lawsuit in Thurston County on the same day. The   
   lawsuits argued that signature gatherers broke state initiative   
   rules and that should invalidate the entire effort.   
      
   “This isn’t the first time the gun lobby has tried to stop   
   Washington voters from enacting safer gun laws,” said Alliance   
   for Gun Responsibility CEO Renee Hopkins. “When the people of   
   this state have tried to put responsible laws into place, the   
   National Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation   
   have always stood in the way. It’s disappointing when they do   
   so, but the Alliance has prevailed each time the gun lobbyists   
   and their allies irresponsibly attempt to take power away from   
   Washingtonians. The decision today is just another example of   
   Washingtonians defeating the gun lobby’s callous disregard for   
   our lives and our futures.”   
      
   I-1639 received more than the 260,000 signatures to be placed on   
   the November ballot. The initiative aims to establish new   
   firearm regulations in Washington state, including a safe   
   storage rule similar to Seattle’s recently passed law. It also   
   raises the age to purchase semi-automatic assault weapons to 21   
   (from the current age of 18). And it will create enhanced   
   background checks for those weapons.   
      
   “Today, the Washington State Supreme Court abrogated its duty to   
   protect the state constitution and state election laws by   
   allowing Initiative 1639 back on the November ballot,” said Alan   
   Gottlieb, founder and Executive Vice President, Second Amendment   
   Foundation, in a news release on Friday. “The court never   
   addressed the merits of the complaints against I-1639, instead   
   choosing to ignore the law.”   
      
   It’s not the first legal action that I-1639 has faced. Opponents   
   have argued that the print on the initiative was far too small   
   for signers to know what the issue is about. They also argue   
   that the language of the initiative was improperly posted on the   
   signature gathering forms.   
      
   “The petitions were not printed in accordance with state law   
   because they did not have a full and correct version of the   
   measure printed on the back,” Gottlieb said.   
      
   http://mynorthwest.com/1090658/court-overturns-i-1639-decision-   
   allows-gun-measure-ballot/   
       
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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