The following article is found in the latest NSSF newsletter. "Bullet Points." I thought it might be of interest to those in Pa who deal with the same problems. Just FYI.

Note that Alan Gottlieb took the initiative to call to task the police chief who spoke in favor of the "assault weapons ban," while in full uniform. Police organizaitons typically have regulations about taking political aciton while in uniform. Obviously, this "chief" knows little about the firearms she was discussing, and Gottlieb's tactic should "keep her honest" in the future.

Of greater concern should be the California legislation that bans mail order sales of ammunition, and imposes a lot of administrative requirements to purchase ammunition. If they can do it there (and not have a revolt), they can do it here.

Article follows:
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More than 300 Washington gun owners descended on the John A. Cherberg Building in Olympia Tuesday morning for a hearing on SB 6396, the so-called “assault weapons” ban legislation sponsored by Senate Judiciary Chairman Adam Kline.
Opponents of the bill vastly outnumbered its supporters, and for many in the audience who had traveled several hours to reach the capitol, it was disappointing that Kline allowed only 30 minutes for the hearing, and only a handful of speakers – evenly divided between pro and con – were allowed to speak. The crowd spilled out into the hallway, and at least a couple of auxiliary hearing rooms were jammed.
What may become a focus of the hearing because of its subliminal theatrics was the appearance by Bellevue Police Chief Linda Pillo in support of the Kline bill. Several in the audience, including National Rifle Association lobbyist Brian Judy, were astonished when Pillo claimed to be “here today representing myself and my personal opinions,” yet she was in full uniform, complete with duty belt and sidearm.



That appearance in uniform so disturbed Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Bellevue-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and a longtime Bellevue resident that he fired off a letter to Bellevue City Manager Steve Sarkozy chastising Pillo.
“If Chief Pillo was there to testify strictly on her own behalf, essentially as a private citizen,” Gottlieb observed, “it seems rather odd that she would appear in full uniform, complete with her duty belt and sidearm. Chief Pillo was there to give the visual impression that she was, indeed, speaking as a representative of the law enforcement community.

Although I’m the Bellevue Police Chief, I’m here today representing myself and my personal opinions regarding my law enforcement background.”--Bellevue Police Chief Linda Pillo

“What would have happened had a Bellevue police officer appeared in opposition to the legislation, in full uniform, refuting the statements of the chief,” he inquired. “May I hazard a guess that the officer might face some discipline for appearing in uniform?”
Gottlieb called for Chief Pillo to face “the same disciplinary procedures as any of her officers who pulled this kind of political stunt.”
Pillo’s testimony was equally astonishing, and easily refutable.
She claimed, for example, that “Since 1990, more American lives have been lost through gun violence than in all the combats fought during the 20th Century.”
Pillo also asserted that “Assault weapons can also be easily converted to fully automatic machine guns.”
And she stated that Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton “shot to death and officer Britt Sweeney was injured by a killer using an assault weapon.”

What would have happened had a Bellevue police officer appeared in opposition to the legislation, in full uniform, refuting the statements of the chief? May I hazard a guess that the officer might face some discipline for appearing in uniform?-Alan Gottlieb, CCRKBA chairman

The first claim does not stack up to simple mathematics, the second assertion would encounter stiff arguments from assorted gunsmiths and the third statement would run into a rebuttal from Kel Tec, the manufacturer of the sporting rifle allegedly used in Brenton’s slaying, which I discussed earlier here.
Several open carry activists turned out for the event, and they were as well-behaved as they were visibly well-armed. Surprise of surprises; Washington State Patrol troopers who serve as security guards during the legislative session appeared relaxed and not the least bit uncomfortable with those folks.
Jim Williams, a member of the Washington Arms Collectors’ Board of Directors, observed that a lot of people spent a lot of time and money to travel to Olympia for what amounted to a “30-minute show.” It appears the bill may not make it out of committee.
Judging from the strong turnout in opposition, perhaps it never should have been there in the first place.