Vancouver resident Frank Decker put his “Keep Calm and Open Carry Jim” shirt on Thursday and joined hundreds of other gun-rights activists at the state Capitol in Olympia to protest what he believes to be the erosion of his Second Amendment rights.
The protest was fueled by opponents of Initiative 594, which voters passed in November. The measure expanded background checks on gun sales. But the “Jim” Decker’s shirt was referring to was state Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, and Decker’s own personal protest to a comment Moeller made earlier this year.
Moeller, who as speaker pro tempore of the House often has presiding duties, said in July that he would not conduct the business of the state “as long as ‘open carry’ nuts (are) in the gallery.”
Decker took Moeller’s statement as a challenge and has created a Facebook page titled “Moeller’s Open Carry Challenge” to recruit people to openly carry a firearm in the gallery of the House every day during the 2015 legislative session.
Decker used the rally at the Capitol on Thursday to alert more people to his cause; he plans to kick off the challenge next week.
Rick Halle, also a gun-rights activist from Vancouver, traveled to Olympia to protest I-594 and to touch base with lawmakers to ensure his voice is part of the dialogue when it comes to any future gun-related legislation.
“A republic protects the rights of a minority, as well,” Halle said. “I don’t necessarily think the majority of people understood what 594 did, and if they did I think it would have changed the outcome of the vote.”
The measure passed with about 59 percent of the statewide vote.
Several of the protesters carried signs reading “Prosecute criminals not harass us” and “I will not comply.”
State Rep. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, said she was compelled to speak at the rally because she believes the initiative should be overturned and wants more people to get involved and know their rights.
She used her time, she said, to urge people to pay attention to their rights and the changes made not only at the state level but also the local level.
“We were there today because the initiative that has become a law (is) unconstitutional,” she said.
Wilson said she will be signing her name on several gun-rights bills she supports.
Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, also spoke. She told the crowd it’s important to be patient, since it would require a two-thirds vote to alter the initiative for the next two years.
The crowd seemed particularly engaged when she told her “fellow patriots” it was time to get the “government off our backs, off our guns, off our property and out of our health care,” she said.
Although the protest focused on the new background-check law, some lawmakers who spoke broadened the message.
“This is a culture war, folks,” said Rep. Brian Blake, D-Aberdeen. “They don’t like what we do, and they want to control what we do.”
Moeller previously told The Columbian having someone open carry from the gallery is the equivalent of someone shouting at him.
He doesn’t take an issue with lawmakers who carry a concealed weapon on the floor or firearms in the statehouse, but having someone with a firearm in the gallery, he said, is an act of intimidation.
Moeller said it’s ridiculous it’s allowed.
House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan, D-Covington, said the issue of guns in the public gallery — which doesn’t have protective glass separating it from lawmakers on the floor — has been something his caucus has been talking about.
“There are a number of members who are very uncomfortable and feel we should address the issue,” he said.
He noted that people aren’t allowed to bring signs into the Capitol, even though free speech is a First Amendment right.
“It points to the fact that we want to be consistent with our rules,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
