In the race to become Washington State’s next governor, Democrat Attorney General Bob Ferguson declared during his first debate with Republican former Sheriff Dave Reichert that, “I believe in responsible limitations on the Second Amendment.”
The moment was captured by Seattle’s KING, which broadcast the hour-long debate.
Reichert, who served two terms as sheriff of King County—the state’s most populous jurisdiction which encompasses Seattle—countered that he prefers to “focus on gun crime.” That is, he would prefer to lock up criminals who misuse firearms than penalize law-abiding citizens, and his record speaks for itself.
When he was sheriff, he brought together representatives from the gun prohibition control movement and gun rights community.
“We came up with the King County Firearms Coalition, which was very successful in reducing gun crime and gang violence,” Reichert recalled.
Ferguson, on the other hand, insisted “I’m someone who supports the Second Amendment.” Among Evergreen State gun rights activists, the feeling is his statement had all the credibility of Vice President Kamala Harris’ disclosure that she is “a gun owner” in her face-off with former President Donald Trump.
Ferguson declared, “There are limitations on all of our constitutional rights.” He fell back on the well-worn argument that he “can’t yell fire” in a crowded theater as a defense of his argument.
Ferguson proudly boasted his support for the state’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” and “large-capacity magazines.” And, in an accusatory tone, said Reichert doesn’t support either restriction.
Only a few minutes into the debate, Ferguson exhibited what Reichert finally described as an “obsession with Trump,” by repeatedly trying to create the impression the former congressman was somehow a Trump disciple. Reichert countered that he is not supporting Trump while noting that he does support some of Trump’s programs such as lower taxes, which did not derail the anti-gun attorney general’s fixation.
Perhaps as a testament to his alleged “fixation,” according to Wikipedia, Ferguson “sued the Trump administration 97 times, leading 36 of the cases, realizing victory 22 times, and losing once.” Left unanswered was a question which has been bothering the state’s conservatives for several years: Who paid for those lawsuits? Evergreen State voters did not elect Ferguson to pursue nearly a hundred legal actions against the former president, they contend.
When Reichert stated, “I think it’s clear that I’m the only public safety candidate in this race”—as reported by the Vancouver Columbian, Ferguson’s sanctimony was on full display.
“I’m going to take no lectures from you about public safety when you are voting for and supporting a convicted felon for president, who by the way, is also a convicted sexual abuser,” Ferguson responded condescendingly. “In that race for president, I support a prosecutor. You support a convicted felon. So, you have no standing to say you are somehow the only public safety candidate.”
However, on Ferguson’s watch—during which he pushed what activists have described as an “extremist” gun control agenda—homicides in Washington more than doubled. Ferguson assumed office in 2013, a year which—according to the FBI Uniform Crime Report—saw the state report 155 murders, including 86 involving firearms.
Jump ahead to 2022, the year for which the most recent FBI data is available, and Washington logged 385 murders, including more than 200 involving firearms. However, the most recent crime report from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs says there were 399 murders in 2022 and 376 homicides in 2023.
Whatever else those figures suggest, it is a clear indication the gun control policies backed by Ferguson aren’t working, and in the opinion of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, gun control in Washington has been a dismal failure.
In a statement to the media earlier this year, CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb observed, “Perhaps Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who has championed these restrictive gun laws, might also offer an explanation as to why the number of murders statewide has gone up more than 100 percent since 2014. He’s the top law enforcement official in the state, and he’s running for governor, so he needs to explain to the voters how this has happened on his watch.”
Ferguson and Reichert will square off for another debate well in advance of the Nov. 5 election, since Washington’s vote-by-mail ballots go out in October.
About Dave Workman
Trump was NEVER convicted for sexual assault, it is a civil lawsuit.
I’m still always shocked at how far left Washington State went. Back in the 80’s.. it was pretty common in my state of oregon to see bumper stickers that said “don’t californicate oregon”. I suspect if I lived in WA at the same time, I would have seen the same sorts of bumper stickers…
Nobody want Californian’s in their state. And now you see why, they should have aborted more of their children.
If Fergusons liberals are harboring a culture of belligerence and conflict, then gun control won’t benefit anybody anyway.
This guy looks like the guy that would sell you out In a heartbeat to advance his commie agenda and you stupid people of Washington keep voting idiots in cause you believe the BS they spew out as gospel. Are you that gullible the guy has been in politics for years and has wasted your money on junk lawsuits against the other sides policies that actually work. It’s not their job to change the constitution it’s job to uphold it period.
The legal term “felony” has diverse jurisprudential value. What’s a felony in one state, in another might not even be a crime.
This is obviously the case when it comes to 2A law. Accusing Trump of being a felon is obviously politically motivated.
Why wasn’t it brought up that Ferguson is pals with Soros? And what about the riots in Seattle that have been going on nightly since 2020? BLM and antifa setting cars, dumpsters on fire Throwing bottles of paint at the police department building. Throwing baggies of paint at police officers. You can’t get paint off of clothes. Throwing frozen bottles of water at the police. No one is arrested or charged. The far leftist politicians say it’s a bunch of kids having a summer of peace and love. Huh? What kind of BS is that? Is this because it’s the… Read more »
there is another signficant issue with Fergie that riles many of us here. A few years back a woman over in the Tri-Cities area, Baronelle Stutzman I believe is her name, ran a florist shop. Well loved by all in the area.. two males were amongst her clients, they had “unusual” sexual preferences. This did not bother her at all, she had graciously served them for many years, and they all considered that tey were friends. Then the two decided they needed to have a “ceremony” and pretend two males can be “married”. They, being loyal long time customers, approached… Read more »
Organized crime / Us Senate & Congress Both of these branches of government have committed criminal acts against the American people and those of other nations. They call it democracy while using underlying alphabet agencies to advance their reach, removing the rights and freedoms of those that disagree with them. Both not only control the rule of law they choose when to break that rule of law while we the taxpayers are squeezed even harder everyday. With over 150 armed agencies that we know about, Americans are being extorted by those in Washington. Both Houses are responsible for heinous acts against those that oppose their rule. In the last 20 years… Read more »
RE: “…Ferguson declared, “There are limitations on all of our constitutional rights…” , well yes, you can yell ‘”FIRE!” in a crowded theater”. You have a voice, and all of the vocabulary you might need at your disposal right now. Sideshow Bob, you’re confusing “consequences” with “prior restraint”. The government isn’t conditionally approving you to generally use your voice, after background checks and some civil servant deciding whether or not you are a minimal risk to use the word “fire” at inappropriate times, or that some words are limited to only law enforcement and government agent usage, or that you… Read more »