Post navigation

Prev: (07/16/14) | Next: (07/16/14)

Shooting target left outside Capitol Hill office of League of Women Voters

The used shooting target left at the 18th and Madison office (Photo: LWVS-KC)

The used shooting target left at the 18th and Madison office (Photo: LWVS-KC)

In an apparent attempt at intimidation, an anonymous person or group left a paper target riddled with bullet holes outside the League of Women Voters of Seattle-King County office over the July 4th weekend following the nonprofit’s endorsement of gun control legislation.

Last week the LWVS-KC posted a Facebook picture of the shooting target left outside their 18th and Madison office. Recently, the local chapter of the national nonpartisan group had taken a position in support of Initiative 594, a measure that would require universal background checks for all gun purchases in the state.

Ellen Barton, president of the LWVS-KC, said in at statement that the group has a long history of facing intimidation tactics and would not back down from their position.

“This apparent attempt to intimidate us will not dissuade us from our work. The League of Women Voters will continue to be a forum for dialogue, research and education on gun laws and gun violence, and we look forward to reasonable, robust dialogue in the months ahead,” Barton said.

(Photo: LWVS-KC)

(Photo: LWVS-KC)

The paper target did not include a written message or specifically name the LWVS-KC, but the organization seemed confident the target was left for them. The office building is home to a handful of other nonprofits, including Powerful Voices (a girls advocacy group) and the Deaf Blind Service Center.

The LWVS-KC has long been engaged in anti-gun violence issues and has argued that I-594 would help keep guns out of the hands of felons and those convicted of domestic abuse. The measure will head to the ballot this November.

Subscribe and support CHS Contributors -- $1/$5/$10 per month

14 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Todd
Todd
9 years ago

This seems like a perfect argument in favor of gun control, which is probably not what the person(s) who left it intended.

jc
jc
9 years ago
Reply to  Todd

Yea, shotgun politics won’t carry over very well with voters.

Chris
Chris
9 years ago

If you’re gonna leave a threat, at least leave one that doesn’t show you to be a terrible shot.

Michee
Michee
9 years ago

This not very persuasive… In my opinion

Reality Bites
Reality Bites
9 years ago

The guilty party might as well have left a note saying “I am embarrassed about my small penis.” That’s what I feel all these guns nuts are covering up for.

thedivegrass
9 years ago

What problems do I see with I-594?
-It is unfunded mandate diverting law enforcement administration resources
-Makes the personal (private) sale or transfer of a firearm illegal without a FFL transfer (prohibitively expensive, requires a NICS check and registration with DoL)
-Potentially interpreted to make loaning a firearm a crime, even to a family member or friend
-Mandatory 30 day waiting period on all second hand gun transfers (up from a 10-day state wait)
-Extends waiting period on all gun sales, even for CPL holders
-Creates a mandatory, de facto handgun database linking other DoL info to your guns, like car registration
-Bans youth hunting without adult supervision
-Unenforceable and dangerous for LEO, supporting the black market for guns
-Lack of consideration for local industry (manufacturers, ranges and stores)

What do I value I-591?
-Protects against gun confiscation without due process
-Keeps privacy rights for gun owners, especially handgun owners
-Doesn’t prevent background checks, defaulting to the federal standard
-Protects property rights of gun owners

I think the only way we’ll see reasonable gun laws is when the sponsors of the initiatives aren’t seeking a interest vote, instead of effective reduction of gun violence. The middle ground will require people who know about guns, which the control side seems to lack.

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
9 years ago
Reply to  thedivegrass

You know, it really doesn’t matter if I-594 and I-591 are both great or they both suck. The story here is the flaccid attempt to intimidate by leaving the gun target at the door. That is uncool either way– and it won’t intimidate either.

Also– for what it’s worth— I’d be very surprised if the viagra-challenged nimrod who left this target is supportive of I-591, either.

crazedgunnutnot
crazedgunnutnot
9 years ago
Reply to  Jim98122x

Given the awful grouping…the tiny holes…I doubt this was anything more than a kid with a pellet gun. Or faked by someone in this organization looking for free publicity.

Put up a reward with the big money you have for anyone providing information. If not, I truly believe this organization is involved in faking this…

calhoun
9 years ago

I’ll just point out that your NRA-type opinion is a distinctly minority one around here, thank god. I-594 will pass, and easily.

Anything we can do to make it more difficult to buy a gun is a good thing.

John
John
9 years ago
Reply to  calhoun

You realize this is a statewide initiative not a municipal one, take a 45 min drive in any direction out of Seattle and see who becomes the minority…

crazedgunnutnot
crazedgunnutnot
9 years ago
Reply to  calhoun

Not on the eastside of Lake Washington. Or the eastside of this state. Thankfully.

594 will go down statewide and 591 will pass easily. :)

Steve
Steve
9 years ago

Everything you posted as a con about I-594 sounds awesome. (Except for the second to the last one, which sounds like an inference vs fact.)

Sean
Sean
9 years ago

Looks more like someone shot a paper target with an airsoft gun than an actual firearm. And they shoot poorly as well, I’d be embarassed if my targets looked like that. You’re supposed to put all your rounds into the black, not the far reaches of the paper target in a random pattern like a shotgun.

trackback

[…] holes were left outside within a block of each other this month on Capitol Hill. The first was reported by staff at the League of Women Voters  at 18th and Madison, in what a spokesperson said was likely an attempt at intimidation for the groups’s recent […]