SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Gov. Jay Inslee and state attorney general Bob Ferguson are urging gun dealers in Washington to abide by the terms of a gun control initiative that was easily passed by voters last November.
Inslee and Ferguson sent a letter Thursday to 262 gun dealers who operate in counties where sheriffs have indicated they will not enforce the so-called Initiative 1639, which passed with 60 percent of the vote.
The letter reads in part “Despite what some of these sheriffs would have people believe, no one has the ability to pick and choose which laws to follow”.
The letter also noted that, as a condition of their federal licenses, gun dealers are required to comply with state and federal law. Unless a court rules otherwise, laws and initiatives are presumed to be constitutional. No court has struck down any provision of the initiative.
The letter warns dealers of the possibility of license revocation or state or federal criminal charges if they break the law.