Register felony firearms criminals, sort of like sex offenders?

[Robb]

Washington State has decided to go that way:

OLYMPIA – Anyone convicted of a felony involving a gun could be required to register with state law enforcement agencies for four years under a bill signed Wednesday by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

(snip)

Under the firearms registry law, a person convicted of a felony involving a firearm or a person found not guilty by reason of insanity on a felony firearms charge, can be ordered by the sentencing judge to register with the sheriff in the county where he or she lives.

In some ways it is similar to the state’s sex offender registry, which has been in effect since the 1990s. Within two days of release from custody, the convicted felon must supply information about name, address, physical description and details of the conviction. The sheriff can require a photograph and fingerprints to be taken. For the next four years, the felon must re-register every year if he or she remains at the same address, or within two days of moving to a new location. Failure to register can bring a gross misdemeanor charge.

In other ways, the felony firearms registry is different from the sex offender list. Registration requirements end after four years, when the name is removed from the list, which is not available to the public. It’s available only to law enforcement officers. Supporters say it is designed to let law enforcement officers know if they’ve stopped someone previously convicted of a firearms offense and to map where those felons live.

Read More: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/may/09/inslee-signs-felony-firearms-registry-bill/

[NYC_SKP]

1. Yes, absolutely. In fact, all violent offenders, not just felony firearms. (nt)

[Decoy of Fenris]

2. As an RKBA-type, this is registration I could agree to.

Moreover, I think that this would allow law enforcement to actually start doing what gun-control bills fail to; reduce overall crime through direct action. Perhaps repetition of firearm crime could lead to permanent dissolution of the right to bear arms.

See, this is the type of legislation we need to effectively combat firearm crime while not infringing on the RKBA for otherwise law-abiding folks. I think that if we were to shift the focus from the gun itself to the crime, we will have far more luck in our endeavors to lower the crime rate and restrict firearms from "The bad guys", so to speak.


Robb, mind cross-posting this to the RKBA? Or would you mind if I did? It's a topic worthy of consideration across the spectrum, I think.

[freshwest]

3. Wow, this is a good bill that came out of Olympia. Thanks for the news.

It should be passed in other states.

[Robb]

4. I sometimes wonder if anyone checks the pinned action thread any more.

I try to bring the big ones into the forum itself.