U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Veteran U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) fell back on her party’s favorite blame-the-guns argument during a debate Sunday in Spokane with energetic Republican challenger Tiffany Smiley, declaring “We need to ban assault weapons, we need to make sure that we have really good background checks.”
The hour-long debate illustrated the vast difference between the 30-year mom-in-tennis-shoes turned career politician and a challenger with a fresh perspective.
Smiley, a political newcomer from eastern Washington, fired back, “Yes, we have a crime issue. We need to ensure that we protect our Second Amendment rights for law-abiding citizens, and that we keep weapons out of the hands of criminals.
“Again, crime is out of control,” Smiley continued, according to a transcription in the Spokane Spokesman-Review, “Senator Murray, you are to blame. … Thirty years in the Senate, and this is where we are. And it’s not just guns, Senator Murray, there’s families who are worried about people on the streets swinging bats. Students at University of Washington, they have to wait for someone to stop swinging a machete around before they can come out of their class. A woman was violently assaulted just walking to lunch in downtown Seattle. And she looked around and she said, “What do I do?” And someone said, ‘Don’t call the cops, because nothing will happen.’”
Importantly, Republican Smiley revealed she has the endorsement of the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs and the Fraternal Order of Police.
According to Fox News, Murray “was put on the defensive during her debate.” Smiley, on the other hand, appeared to be on the offensive, asserting Murray “went on the Senate floor and she called for funds to be diverted from our police force.”
As reported earlier by Ammoland, Murray has a long record of supporting gun control, including Joe Biden’s “Safer Communities Act” passed earlier this year. She supports a ban on so-called “assault weapons,” calling modern semi-auto rifles “weapons of war” when she recently joined anti-gunner Shannon Watts, in a video.
Murray was at the top of the list of 62 endorsements announced earlier this year by the Seattle-based Alliance for Gun Responsibility Victory Fund. The Alliance is a billionaire-backed gun prohibition group which has also endorsed five Congressional Democrats in Washington: Reps. Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Kim Schrier and Marilyn Strickland.
During her response to the question, “Would you support further steps at the federal level such as reinstating an assault weapons ban, restricting magazine capacity or ghost guns?” Murray invoked the term “gun violence” five times over the course of about 45 to 60 seconds. It sounded like rehearsed, and oft-repeated, talking points.
She asserted, “We need to do everything we can to address the issue of gun violence. One thing I am working on is that we have never done any research on the issue of gun violence and what causes that. Why? Because the NRA, who supports my opponent, says we could not do any research on that.”
Smiley’s reaction included this: “Senator Murray, she has good talking points for Washington, D.C. I’ll go fight for Washington state, for our kids and for your families.”
According to differing polls, Smiley is within a single-digit reach of knocking Murray out after three decades in office. The veteran senator has traditionally been soft-balled by the establishment media, especially in Seattle, but this year’s race is a real contest, as Smiley has been fearless in her challenge. Much of the time, Murray sounds like she is actually running against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) rather than Smiley, and Murray has also done as other Democrats in Washington are doing by running on abortion rights and staying away from the economy, crime, energy, inflation and other issues important to Evergreen State voters.
In recent weeks, many in the firearms community have wondered where Smiley would come down on gun rights. After Sunday’s debate, the difference between her and Murray is much clearer. Smiley seeks to protect the Second Amendment, while Murray wants to restrict it.
Murray and Smiley are scheduled to appear at a Townhall gathering this coming Sunday, Oct. 30 in Seattle, broadcast live from the KIRO-TV studios beginning at 5 p.m.
Thousands of Washington voters will not be able to watch the event, however, as this is the opening weekend of the elk hunting season in eastern Washington management units. However, Washington votes by mail only, and on a recent trek to the eastside, this correspondent observed dozens of campaign signs for Smiley while not a single Murray sign was anywhere to be seen.
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About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
would be nice to see a slide back to reason , armed citizens taking out the trash
gun violence is a straw man argument. we have a criminal violence problem in America with the democrats supporting defund the police, no cash bail, and plea bargaining from progressive d.a.’s.
we DO NOT have a gun violence problem in America. a firearm is an inanimate object that requires human interaction to function, whether for good or evil.
we have a problem with leftists/progressives/demoncrats willingly restricting and attempting to restrict our basic freedoms. no free society would stand for this and the ballot box is the first step. after that comes other less civil measures.
I like her name SMILEY. And not hard on the eyes. I hope she smiles every time she goes on the offense,Like she did there at the end. LOL
Washington votes by mail only? Explains a lot doesn’t it.
Not gun violence, we don’t call DUI DWI ‘vehicle violence’.
Firearms, vehicles, CNC milling machine, college diploma or bare hands are tools. What the individual uses them for makes the difference.
I hope she sends that useless woman packing her cardboard box after the election.
PROJECT MOCKINGBIRD has been functioning for many years. Mockingbird — IS when the DEEP STATE — TELLS — the MSM what they MUST SAY or include in their news articles, both in paper form, computer form and video form.
This Is why MURRAY needs to go, she has done nothing for the state of WASHINGTON for 30 years, except be a mouthpiece for the DEMOCRATIC PARTY, anyone would be better for the state, I just hope the people of WASHINGTON pull their heads out and realize SHE IS a BIG PROBLEM
Right now Smiley is our only hope in starting the trend to send us back to where we were 45 years ago. You have to start somewhere and for me she is the best thing going on in WA State, at this time. I was hoping and praying for Chief Culp, but Insley has too much money from Soros and China and he is the lynch pin at this time.
It may be off topic, but has anyone else noticed that Republican women tend to be smoking hot and Dims are Joy Bahar clones? Just sayin.
Patty Murray has typified the Progressive New Left in politics. People know what they are getting. They are getting a tie-died version of Cultural Marxism blended with all manner of environmental and social justice magical thinking. If Washington, the place of my birth sides with this kind of thinking they deserve what they get. Is it any wonder Patty responds with long debunked theories on crime and criminals. This ideology is dying but its practitioners refuse to move-on-dot-org from their false premises and spurious conclusions. Guns cause crime. Criminal are victims. Scorn those who work. Subsidize those who live in… Read more »