Grays Harbor commissioners hold off action on I-1639

Grays Harbor County Commissioners didn’t take action on a resolution against the enforcement of Initiative 1639, the statewide gun control measure passed last year by voters, but did comment on it Tuesday.

The vote was delayed due to the absence of District 1 Commissioner Wes Cormier.

Both District 3 Commissioner Vickie Raines and commission president Randy Ross indicated they were in favor of the resolution.

“I had multiple conversations with the sheriff and we worked together on the resolution and the letter,” said Raines, referring to the letter released Friday by Sheriff Rick Scott saying he’d advised deputies to document, but not actively enforce, possible violations of the initiative.

Raines and Ross both called the initiative poorly drafted, and Ross talked about how enforcing the provisions of it before lawsuits regarding its Constitutionality under the Second Amendment would be difficult for law enforcement.

Kristine Lowder of Hoquiam commented on the resolution at the end of the regular commission meeting, calling the initiative “a bad idea on steroids.” She said nearly 58 percent of Grays Harbor voters rejected I-1639 “for good reason. It only infringes on the gun rights of law-abiding gun owners.”