Washington Election Observer Free To Carry His Gun Even Though Others Felt Unsafe
A Washington elections office will remain a firearms-friendly zone even though a certified election observer tasked by the county Republican party with overseeing people counting votes, unnerved people when he showed up packing a .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol.
Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey, also a Republican, said he would discuss the issue with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office but they determined that there’s nothing that can be done.
“The state has preempted the area of regulating firearms,” Chris Horn, the county’s chief civil deputy prosecutor said.
The Columbian reports:
In the future, if observers show up with sidearms, a staff member will ask them to voluntarily put their firearm in a newly purchased gun safe.
If the observers don’t want to park their guns in the safe, “they will still be welcome to carry out their responsibility,” Kimsey wrote in an email.
The county currently prohibits employees from carrying firearms at work, but elected officials and the public are allowed to bring weapons into some county buildings. State and federal law bans the public from carrying weapons at the courthouse, juvenile justice facilities and the community health campus. The elections office is in a separate building not covered by those bans.
“Either the law has to be changed or the political parties have to re-evaluate the issues, since they pick the observers,” Horn said. “As far as the county is concerned, we can’t regulate or prohibit or even prevent people from exercising their legal rights.”
Halle, who all agreed wasn’t “brandishing” his firearm that day, said storing his gun in a safe would defeat the purpose of wearing a firearm.
“I can’t predict, no matter where I am — if I’m in an election office, the grocery store, a mall — I can’t predict what’s going to happen there,” Halle said. “I don’t know everyone else there and I’m not sure what they are capable of doing. I don’t know what will happen when I walk out the door. It’s like putting on my seatbelt or helmet.”
Lee Jensen, who was serving as an election observer, said having a partisan person “standing behind you, holding a gun” could easily be disruptive or intimidating.
“I would like to see a gun-free zone,”Jensen said.
“And for people who do carry guns to understand there are people who don’t feel the same way about guns everywhere,” he said.
“I don’t mind having an open dialogue about open carry,” Halle said. “It’s a chance for people to learn and understand what their rights are and aren’t and the reasons for us that choose to carry, why we do so.”
Or he could get a job where he doesn’t work closely with people who are trying to exercise their right to vote.
Copyright 2014 Liberaland
89 responses to Washington Election Observer Free To Carry His Gun Even Though Others Felt Unsafe
« Previous 1 2Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Suzanne McFly September 20th, 2014 at 16:24
You can’t wear a partisan tee shirt but you can bring a gun? Makes a whole lotta sense.
Bob Cronos September 20th, 2014 at 17:59
““I would like to see a gun-free zone,”Jensen said.” — Ah yes, those places where only the bad guys have guns… Every mass shooting in recent history has taken place in a “gun free zone”…
edmeyer_able September 20th, 2014 at 18:12
The Az shooting where G Gifford was shot was not a gun free zone, if fact some idiot was about to shoot an innocent.
So you got any other “facts” to spew?
Suzanne McFly September 21st, 2014 at 10:53
Facts? Now your just being silly ed lol
NW10 September 20th, 2014 at 18:24
The Las Vegas shooting involving two teabaggers that killed cops and a “good guy with a gun” at a Walmart was in an open carry zone.
granpa.usthai September 20th, 2014 at 18:57
or – F L O R I D A !
(not that a bad guy with a gun has actually ever shot anyone there – except for every day of the year). Chalk up another one that’s calling you out for your NRA stupidity chant, Bob.
Bob Cronos September 20th, 2014 at 17:59
““I would like to see a gun-free zone,”Jensen said.” — Ah yes, those places where only the bad guys have guns… Every mass shooting in recent history has taken place in a “gun free zone”…
edmeyer_able September 20th, 2014 at 18:12
The Az shooting where G Gifford was shot was not a gun free zone, if fact some idiot was about to shoot an innocent.
So you got any other “facts” to spew?
Suzanne McFly September 21st, 2014 at 10:53
Facts? Now your just being silly ed lol
(((NW10,PATRIOT! ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ))) September 20th, 2014 at 18:24
The Las Vegas shooting involving two teabaggers that killed cops and a “good guy with a gun” at a Walmart was in an open carry zone.
granpa.usthai September 20th, 2014 at 18:57
or – F L O R I D A !
(not that a bad guy with a gun has actually ever shot anyone there – except for every day of the year). Chalk up another one that’s calling you out for your NRA stupidity chant, Bob.
granpa.usthai September 20th, 2014 at 18:58
can’t wait to hear Republicans and the NRA ballyhooing the 2nd half of the 2nd amendment when the US Citizens returning from Syria and Iraq to vote are wearing their colors and toting an AK-47 locked and loaded. Nothing says ‘freedom’ like Freedom For All!
granpa.usthai September 20th, 2014 at 18:58
can’t wait to hear Republicans and the NRA ballyhooing the 2nd half of the 2nd amendment when the US Citizens returning from Syria and Iraq to vote are wearing their colors and toting an AK-47 locked and loaded. Nothing says ‘freedom’ like Freedom For All!
DD September 21st, 2014 at 03:46
Great. Now my state is among the incredibly stupid too. Here I thought I was safe from paranoid people who carry fire arms because you never know when a cantaloupe will jump out brandishing a stem at you in the grocery store!! Or in this case some old woman getting feisty while voting. Guns and voting, naw, no intimidation there. I can almost guarantee this issue will be next. Closing gun purchase loopholes is on the ballot this time around. I can clearly see what lax law will be next. No fire arms while folks are voting!!!
DD September 21st, 2014 at 03:46
Great. Now my state is among the incredibly stupid too. Here I thought I was safe from paranoid people who carry fire arms because you never know when a cantaloupe will jump out brandishing a stem at you in the grocery store!! Or in this case some old woman getting feisty while voting. Guns and voting, naw, no intimidation there. I can almost guarantee this issue will be next. Closing gun purchase loopholes is on the ballot this time around. I can clearly see what lax law will be next. No fire arms while folks are voting!!!
raincheck September 21st, 2014 at 10:13
” I don’t know what will happen when I walk out the door. It’s like putting on my seatbelt or helmet.”
Because if your going to the grocery store you just know your in for a wild ride!!
raincheck September 21st, 2014 at 10:13
” I don’t know what will happen when I walk out the door. It’s like putting on my seatbelt or helmet.”
Because if your going to the grocery store you just know your in for a wild ride!!
annaaurora October 6th, 2014 at 07:57
This was exactly my fear with this OC and voting. It does nothing but intimidate people who don’t carry. Voting is already a joke in the US. If one person is un-comfortable by an OC person who is too goddamn lazy to get their CC license or who doesn’t want to pay which so many whine about then let’s put a moratorium on voting until we get this figured out. I pay school and I have no KIDS!!!!!!!! This pisses me right off.
annaaurora October 6th, 2014 at 07:57
This was exactly my fear with this OC and voting. It does nothing but intimidate people who don’t carry. Voting is already a joke in the US. If one person is un-comfortable by an OC person who is too goddamn lazy to get their CC license or who doesn’t want to pay which so many whine about then let’s put a moratorium on voting until we get this figured out. I pay school and I have no KIDS!!!!!!!! This pisses me right off.