An attendee at a gun-rights rally open carries a gun next to a bumper sticker that reads “I’m a Gun Owner & I Vote,” Friday, Jan. 18, 2019, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. (AP File Photo/Ted S. Warren)
(OLYMPIA, Wash.) — House Bill 1195 would ban the open-carrying of firearms in public parks and hospitals.
It’s sponsored by Rep. Tana Senn (D-Mercer Island) who says the idea is to prevent the armed intimidation of others.
Stephen Paolini of the Anti-Defamation League testified this has become commonplace amongst the alt-right. “Hate groups like the Proud Boys have showed up in public parks to rally and spread their extreme agendas, often with firearms and a show of intimidation,” he told the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee.
But ranking member Rep. Jim Walsh (R-Aberdeen) pushed back. “In my community people do want to open-carry, particularly in public parks,” Walsh said, adding that target practice is commonplace.
The bill has only had its first hearing, so it is too early to tell if it has enough support for passage.
