Washington State Announces New Shooting Regulations
Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 4:10 am
Washington State Announces New Shooting Regulations
[AP]—As part of the effort to streamline Washington State firearms legislation and ensure compatibility with Federal Homeland Security provisions, municipal, county, and state lawmakers and law enforcement agencies have adopted stringent new firearms shooting rules statewide.
Previously, shooting was allowed in National Forest, county, BLM, and privately-owned land, within commonsense guidelines. Under new rules, the discharge of a firearm is prohibited in any outdoor area and any above-ground indoor area, effectively relegating public shooting to the basement.
Reasonable proponents of the new regulations claim the revenue lost in firearm and ammunition sales will be more than offset by increased outdoor recreation fees, which are scheduled to triple as of June, 2012.
“I just think this is the best way to prevent terrorism in Washington,” said Nancy P. Plumraker of Monroe, WA. “We don’t need to be ducking bullets from a bunch of AK-wielding weirdoes in the woods.”
Lackadaisical enforcement of previously-existing regulations and the proliferation of informal shooting areas may have played a part in convincing officials to adopt the most stringent regulations proposed by the state’s Firearms and Ammo Regulation Team (F.A.R.T.).
“First, you got to realize many state residents aren’t excited to find end-of-the-road turnouts and gravel quarries full of shot-up televisions and fragments of clay pigeons. Most city folk want to drive to the end of the road, find Bambi next to a waterfall and butterflies dipping in and out of a rainbow,” noted John D. Pickledocker of Bellevue, a prominent shotshell hull collector. “It’s tragic that we’ll be losing the beauty of a trashed outdoor range statewide, but so it goes.”
Other opponents of the new regulations were less understanding. “This is an outrage! How am I supposed to stay in business?” shouted Lee R. Grunter, owner of Crasscade Range and Lounge in a telephone interview. “What—am I supposed to convert my range to spitballs only? Never thought I’d see the day when Washington became more restrictive than California!”
Options do remain for range owners and developers with deep pockets, however. WalMort, for example, recently announced plans to install a 1.5-mile long underground long-rifle range beneath its planned Arlington location.
“Let’s just say this isn’t the end of shooting in Washington,” said WalMort representative Montee R. Grabby in an interview via Skype.
“Seriously, though, the message here is clear if you’re willing to simply disregard everything except the first letter of every paragraph.”
[AP]—As part of the effort to streamline Washington State firearms legislation and ensure compatibility with Federal Homeland Security provisions, municipal, county, and state lawmakers and law enforcement agencies have adopted stringent new firearms shooting rules statewide.
Previously, shooting was allowed in National Forest, county, BLM, and privately-owned land, within commonsense guidelines. Under new rules, the discharge of a firearm is prohibited in any outdoor area and any above-ground indoor area, effectively relegating public shooting to the basement.
Reasonable proponents of the new regulations claim the revenue lost in firearm and ammunition sales will be more than offset by increased outdoor recreation fees, which are scheduled to triple as of June, 2012.
“I just think this is the best way to prevent terrorism in Washington,” said Nancy P. Plumraker of Monroe, WA. “We don’t need to be ducking bullets from a bunch of AK-wielding weirdoes in the woods.”
Lackadaisical enforcement of previously-existing regulations and the proliferation of informal shooting areas may have played a part in convincing officials to adopt the most stringent regulations proposed by the state’s Firearms and Ammo Regulation Team (F.A.R.T.).
“First, you got to realize many state residents aren’t excited to find end-of-the-road turnouts and gravel quarries full of shot-up televisions and fragments of clay pigeons. Most city folk want to drive to the end of the road, find Bambi next to a waterfall and butterflies dipping in and out of a rainbow,” noted John D. Pickledocker of Bellevue, a prominent shotshell hull collector. “It’s tragic that we’ll be losing the beauty of a trashed outdoor range statewide, but so it goes.”
Other opponents of the new regulations were less understanding. “This is an outrage! How am I supposed to stay in business?” shouted Lee R. Grunter, owner of Crasscade Range and Lounge in a telephone interview. “What—am I supposed to convert my range to spitballs only? Never thought I’d see the day when Washington became more restrictive than California!”
Options do remain for range owners and developers with deep pockets, however. WalMort, for example, recently announced plans to install a 1.5-mile long underground long-rifle range beneath its planned Arlington location.
“Let’s just say this isn’t the end of shooting in Washington,” said WalMort representative Montee R. Grabby in an interview via Skype.
“Seriously, though, the message here is clear if you’re willing to simply disregard everything except the first letter of every paragraph.”
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