Tag Archives: King County

WA State wants to punish gun owners who have firearms stolen

When Seattle was safe…

I grew up in Washington State and moved to a red state over a decade ago.

The most populas county (King, where I grew up) was a decent and safe place growing up. As teens we would go downtown to the Seattle Center and run around by ourselves (go on the rides, monorail, etc.) with no incidents.

Fast forward after decades of democrat control and Washington state (and their most populas counties) are no longer safe.

Last September, a 2023 FBI crime data report showed that for the last five consecutive years when comparing Washington state to the national average, murders are 408% higher, vehicle thefts higher by 144%, and burglaries, robberies, and aggravated assaults are all higher since 2019.

Governor Jay Inslee (first elected in 2013, out of office as of this month) enacted some of the strictest gun control laws during his tenure in Washington state.

But for democrat gun grabbers, it is never enough. Now the demorats in the state legisltature are proposing even stricter gun storage laws and if your firearm is stolen because you didnt store it according to their mandate, one could face very stiff penalties.

From MyNorthwest:

“A new bill aimed at curbing rising gun thefts throughout the state has been drawn up for lawmakers to mull and debate in the Washington Legislature.

House Bill 1152 proposes specific requirements for storing a legally owned firearm for gun owners (they would have to store their firearms in a hard case or lock the trigger in a soft case) and significant penalties if the gun is stolen. The owner of a gun that becomes stolen could face a $1,000 fine, and if the thief who stole the firearm is someone who legally cannot own a gun and commits a violent crime with said gun, the gun owner could be charged with a separate felony.

“For example, in your vehicle, if you have to have the pistol, it has to be stored and unloaded in a container that’s opaque, locked, hard-sided and fixed to the vehicle. It has to be concealed and your vehicle has to be locked. If it’s a rifle or a shotgun, it needs to be stored in a soft-sided case and have a trigger lock,” Andrew Lanier, producer of “The Gee and Ursula Show,” said on the show. “Now, if that gun is stolen, you can be liable for a fine of up to $1,000 if it is not secured. If someone steals that gun, it is a misdemeanor.

“If someone who’s not allowed to own a gun, say, a felon or a minor, steals it and gets possession, it is a gross misdemeanor,” Lanier continued in his explanation of the proposed bill. “If someone not allowed to have a gun gets your gun and commits a crime with it, say, for example, someone holds up to 7-Eleven, now it becomes a felony if your stolen gun that was unsecured was used in a crime that hurts someone else. And I need to point out a Class C felony is up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. I don’t think you would get that much, but it would also mean that you’re a felon and no longer allowed to own a gun.”

Read the whole article here.

Democrats have been doing their best to implement “backdoor” laws that limit gun ownership. They will do everything they can to punish legal gun owners in hopes of eliminating the Second Amendment.

Loved ‘ya growing up, Washington. Sad to say I will never move back to that once beautiful state.

I will stay put in my red state of Oklahoma. Our residents and politicians would never tolerate such an infringement upon our Second Amendment right. Which is just how I like it. Course the only drawback to living in Oklahoma is dealing with this:

DCG

Insanity: Washington State was the only state to shift “bluer” in 2024

I grew up in Washington State and thankfully was able to flee to a red state over a decade ago.

During my voting years in the Seattle area, absolutely none of my candidates ever won.  The area has been blue for decades. Seattle has had a democrat mayor since 1969 and Washington’s last republican governor was elected in 1981. And during the past presidential election, Washington State got “slightly” bluer.

To understand this phenomenon, get inside the mind of a liberal: A business-owner who was recently robbed and doesn’t want the perps to go to jail. Seriously.

From MyNorthwest:

“Just before 2:30 a.m. last Wednesday, Desirae Aylesworth woke up to the sound of her Ring camera system notifying her of a breach in her café. Her Seattle café was being robbed, becoming the latest victim of Seattle’s crime crisis.

Aylesworth is the co-owner of Wild Mountain Cafe in the Crown Hill neighborhood of Seattle. When she reviewed the surveillance feeds from her restaurant, she saw two young men jumping the back fence of her business, and then breaking in. She immediately called 911.

I spent the following 10 to 15 minutes on the phone trying to get police there in time to catch them, and in the process, just was watching in real time two burglars going through my restaurant and not completely trashing the place, but definitely looking for something specific,” Aylesworth explained to “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH. “And you know, it was very obvious they were after money and didn’t care too much about product or electronics or anything else, which is, you know, saving grace in the whole matter.

The two thieves stole about $5,000 in cash, which was earmarked for staff tips. And unfortunately, the two suspects escaped before police arrived.

It’s unclear the thieves’ ages, but judging from surveillance footage, they appear to be young. Despite the crime, though, Aylesworth doesn’t want them going to jail. They appear young enough to be course-corrected with intervention. She thinks community service would be more appropriate.

As is too often the case, the suspects are still on the loose.

Read the whole story here.

The business owner felt very violated and helpless. Stealing $5,000 in King County is a first-degree theft Class B felony crime. Jail time should be the punishment for these perps. Believing that community service will deter them is a product of the liberal mindset.

The Seattle Police Department is severely understaffed as they are at their lowest staffing level since 1958. Last year’s crime data showed that Seattle had a drop in overall crime yet a rise in homicides and auto thefts.

Despite spending over nearly $1 billion the past decade to “fix” homelessness, Seattle’s homeless population continues to rise. And their fentanyl crisis continues, when Washington State reported a 41% rise in drug overdose fatalities (between September 2022 and September 2023) — the highest increase in the United States.

But you keep voting blue, liberals of Washington. Y’all keep voting for this so embrace the suck. So glad I left you for a red territory.

DCG

Crime and punishment in King County, Washington

Between the Defund the Police movement, Soros-backed candidates, and  “racial justice” platforms of many democrats, it’s not very safe to live in blue cities/counties/states these days.

But it’s definitely a positive for the criminals. Take this guy for example:

Screenshot of man attempting to abduct a barista through a drive-in window.

In January of this year Matthew Darnell tried to zip-tie and kidnap a bikini-clad barista at a drive-up window at an Aburn coffee shop.  The barista was able to fight off the attacker and he was later arrested and charged on a kidnapping charge.

Flash forward seven months later and Darnell is already out of jail. From the NY Post:

“A Washington state man who tried to zip-tie and kidnap a bikini-clad barista at a drive-up window in a shocking caught-on-video attack is now back behind the wheel — to the dismay of victims’ rights advocates.

Matthew Darnell, 39, was busted after trying to yank the victim through the window at Beankini Espresso in Auburn on Jan. 16, but was freed Saturday after prosecutors cut a plea deal that called for a mere 50-day sentence.

Darnell lives just two blocks from the coffee shop.

“It raises the question of why should people bother to report [assaults],” Mary Ellen Stone, CEO of the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, told the outlet.

“We see that all the time,” she continued. “There are a variety of reasons why that happens, but the message it sends to victims is what happens to you wasn’t important. The other thing it does is that it says people that are behaving in this way, not that big a deal. You’re not going to be held accountable.

Read the whole story here.

King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion

King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion (who was sworn in 1/9/23 and is the first woman and person of color to hold the job) sure made it sound like public safety was a priority saying, I am committed to protecting public safety and increasing community health.”

She also stated on her priorities page, “Supporting victims and survivors of crime is a critical responsibility. The racial and ethnic diversity of King County has changed, and victim advocates face new and complex challenges in providing effective and culturally sensitive services.”

Manion’s promises were endorsed by all sorts of democrats, labor unions, and the REAL Justice WA PAC. REAL Justice has helped elect (with Soros money) the likes of George Gascon (LA), Kim Gardner (St. Louis), Kim Foxx (Cook County), and Chesa Boudin (SF, recalled last year).

King County voters had a choice last year between Manion and Jim Ferrell. Ferrell was a republican and switched to the democrat party in 2012 so I guess the voters didn’t have much to choose from. At least Ferrell did have the support of many police associations as he claimed one of his priorities was this: “Let me be clear: I will hold offenders accountable. We need justice for the victims of crime.”

But I guess King County voters got the prosecutor they deserve: The first woman, mother and person of color to hold that position who will “craft innovative solutions to fight and reduce crime through broad coalitions, and create positive change.”

Positive change for perps but not so much for baristas.

DCG