Tag: washington

Dem Wash. Gov. Signs Bill Requiring Permit For Buying Gun

Washington Democrat Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday signed gun control legislation that requires those who want to purchase firearms in the state to pay for a new permit.

The permit system, set to take effect on May 1, 2027, will require those interested in purchasing guns to apply for a five-year permit through the Washington State Patrol. Applicants must pay a fee and have completed a certified firearms safety training program within the past five years, with limited exceptions.

“Gun violence in Washington state breaks apart too many families and kills too many children,” Ferguson said, the Washington State Standard reported. “We must put common sense reforms into place that save lives.”

The legislation goes beyond the state’s existing background checks, which also require proof of completion of a firearm safety course. The state also has a 10-day waiting period after a gun dealer requests a background check before a gun is turned over to the purchaser.

State authorities must approve a new permit as long as the applicant hasn’t been barred from having guns, including having an outstanding arrest warrant or being subject to a no-contact order. The state must issue the permit within 30 days, or 60 days if the applicant doesn’t have a state ID card. If an applicant feels the state wrongly denied them a permit, they can appeal in court.

“Bob Ferguson and Washington Democrats are creating roadblocks for law-abiding Washingtonians to be able to purchase firearms to defend themselves and their loved ones,” said John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, in a statement to Newsmax. “This new law also creates a clearly unconstitutional registry that can and will be abused to target lawful gun owners. Criminals in Washington State win again, while vulnerable citizens will be left defenseless.”

Keep reading

Washington State Dems vote against informing parents about sexual assault of a child by a school employee

In a move that has sparked fierce backlash from Republican lawmakers and parental rights organizations, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed House Bill 1296 into law on Tuesday, effectively dismantling key provisions of Initiative 2081—a voter-backed parental rights initiative supported by over 454,000 Washingtonians.

HB 1296, sponsored and passed by the Democratic majority in the Legislature, revises the parental rights measure that was enacted with bipartisan support just one year ago. The original initiative outlined 15 rights for parents of public school students, including the right to be notified of academic, medical, safety, and law enforcement matters involving their children, and the right to access educational and medical records.

Critics say the new legislation guts the core of Initiative 2081. Among the most controversial changes:

  • Schools can delay parents from receiving information about their students and entirely removes access for parents receiving medical and mental health records. 
  • The bill removes the requirement to notify parents when their child receives medical services from government employees in schools. 
  • It allows government employees up to two days to notify parents that their child was the victim of a crime or sexual assault in school. 
  • The bill creates significant legal and bureaucratic hurdles for parents seeking to hold schools accountable when rights under I-2081 are violated.
  • The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is granted expanded authority to penalize school districts that fail to comply with its directives.

The bill passed along party lines, with every Republican legislator voting against it. Rep. Travis Couture (R-Allyn), a vocal opponent of HB 1296, denounced the measure as a “slap in the face to democracy” and criticized Democrats for overturning a measure they had previously supported. “We have seen a stunning amount of sexual misconduct and sexual assaults by educators in our schools just in the last year,” Couture said. He proposed an amendment that would have required immediate parental notification if a student was sexually abused by a school employee—an amendment Democrats voted down.

Let’s Go Washington, the citizen-led group that spearheaded the original initiative, issued a sharp rebuke following the bill’s signing. Founder Brian Heywood said in a statement to The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, “This is a direct assault on parents and a damnation of Governor Ferguson’s claim to be a moderate for Washingtonians.” Heywood emphasized the group’s commitment to repealing the new law, stating, “We will do everything in our power to reverse this gutting of the Parental Rights Bill.”

The legislation has also drawn national attention. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called the changes “utterly insane,” while former President Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social, claiming, “Washington State Democrats voted not to inform parents if a child is sexually abused by a school employee.” Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk also shared the news, amplifying conservative criticism.

Keep reading

Catholic Church To Excommunicate Priests for Following New US State Law

The Catholic Church has issued a warning to its clergy in Washington state: Any priest who complies with a new law requiring the reporting of child abuse confessions to authorities will be excommunicated.

The new law, which will take effect on July 27, eliminates the long-standing confidentiality of the confessional, forcing Catholic leaders and lawmakers into a highly charged standoff over religious liberty and child protection.

However, the Archdiocese of Seattle and several bishops argue that the law not only contravenes church doctrine but crosses constitutional lines, while supporters maintain it is a crucial step to protect minors from abuse.

Newsweek contacted the Archdiocese of Seattle and Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and the three Democratic state senators who sponsored the bill for comment via email and online inquiry forms.

The issue spotlights the enduring tension between religious freedom and the state’s duty to protect children from abuse. By compelling clergy to breach the confessional seal, Washington joins a small group of states stripping traditional confidentiality protections.

The law has triggered a national conversation about the boundaries of church and state, setting a precedent that could have implications for religious practices and privileged communications nationwide. The outcome may influence how other states approach mandated reporting requirements for clergy, especially as constitutional and civil rights groups enter the debate.

Keep reading

New law requires clergy in Washington to report child abuse

Religious leaders in Washington will be required to report child abuse or neglect, even when it is disclosed in confession, under a new law signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson on Friday.

“Protecting our kids, first, is the most important thing. This bill protects Washingtonians from abuse and harm,” Ferguson said, noting Washington is one of five states in which clergy are not currently mandated reporters.

It took Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, three years to get the bill to the governor’s desk. Making sure disclosures during confidential conversations between a penitent and religious leader were not exempt was critical, she said.

“You never put somebody’s conscience above the protection of a child,” she said.

Senate Bill 5375 passed by margins of 64-31 in the House and 28-20 in the Senate. It takes effect July 27. 

It adds clergy members to the state’s list of individuals legally required to report suspected child abuse to law enforcement or the Department of Children, Youth and Families.

Clergy would join school personnel, nurses, social service counselors, psychologists, and many others with a duty to report when they have “reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect.”

A “member of the clergy” is defined in the legislation to cover any regularly licensed, accredited, or ordained minister, priest, rabbi, imam, elder, or similarly positioned religious or spiritual leader.

While disclosures in confession or other religious rites where the clergy member is bound to confidentiality are not exempt, religious leaders will retain their privilege to not be compelled to testify in related court cases or criminal proceedings.

More than half the states make clergy mandatory reporters and most exempt what is heard in a confessional. Washington will join several states, including New Hampshire and West Virginia where such conversations are not exempt.

“It says the church is not above the law, especially when it comes to protecting children,” said Mary Dispenza, a founding member of the Catholic Accountability Project and member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “We know children will be safer as a result of passing this law.”

Removing the confessional privilege proved the most divisive provision in legislative debates. 

Keep reading

Washington state Democrats pass bill effectively legalizing infanticide

Washington state Democratic legislators have sent to Governor Bob Ferguson a bill that, if enacted, will make it more difficult for law enforcement to investigate infanticide and sex trafficking. 

Deceptively titled “an act relating to dignity in pregnancy loss,” substitute Senate Bill 5093 (SSB 5093) “repeals the crime of concealing a birth and guts the authority of coroners to investigate suspicious infant deaths unless there’s an obvious, provable crime attached,” according to conservative talk show host Jason Rantz.  

“Democrats are disguising it as a measure about ‘dignity in pregnancy loss,’” noted Rantz. “It’s not. It amounts to a state-sanctioned shield for traffickers, abusers, and anyone else looking to cover up a dead infant.”

“Unless a baby is clearly murdered with intent and there’s a smoking gun, no one’s allowed to ask questions. That’s not compassion. That’s enabling murder,” said Rantz.

Republican State Representative Brian Burnett, a former sheriff, had urged his colleagues during a floor discussion to amend the bill to hold traffickers accountable, according to a report by The Center Square.  

Burnett shared the harrowing story of his own adopted daughter’s experience with human trafficking.  

“She was impregnated many times at a very young age,” recounted Burnett, “from miscarriage to forced abortion to delivering some of those premature babies not knowing what happened to them and even later bringing back a different baby and telling her, ‘You will care for it now until we say different.’”

Unmoved, speaker pro tempore, Rep. Chris Stearns, a Democrat, shut Burnett down, accusing him of impugning the arguments of others. 

“These are often very young girls who end up pregnant because they are being used as sex objects and the pimps and traffickers abuse them and often beat them up because they got pregnant and cause a miscarriage,” Rep. Jim Walsh, a Republican, told The Center Square. 

“Sometimes a baby is born and neglected and dies; I mean it’s horrible stuff,” said Walsh. “The reason the law should stay on the books is it gives prosecutors and cops a tool for investigating these situations where a baby is born and dies and make sure there is no criminality involved.”

Keep reading

Washington State’s racist policies and infanticide dreams

Washington State is a geographically blessed place. It’s got two gorgeous mountain ranges that invite outdoor activities, a rare and beautiful rainforest, a gorgeous coastline with a great harbor around Seattle, and a climate and soil that are perfect for all kinds of agriculture. It’s also gone completely insane, for it’s now engaged in the highly unconstitutional act of giving financial benefits based openly on race and is on the verge of making infanticide legal.

Washington has been a Democrat redoubt for a long time. Its last Republican governor left office in January 1985, the State House of Representatives hasn’t had a Republican majority in the 21st century, while the State Senate last managed a fragile Republican majority in the 2017-2018 session. As with most Democrat-controlled states, on an acre-by-acre basis, it’s mostly a red state, but the demographic heft (and, perhaps, election fraud) in the coastal, urban regions is enough to control the state’s politics.

And as we’ve learned, when you have a Democrat-majority state government, you get laws that are unconstitutional, illegal, and immoral.

In the unconstitutional and illegal category, Washington has just passed a law that provides forgivable loans (i.e., no-strings cash) of up to $120,000 for first-time homebuyers.

Oh, wait, I misspoke. The law doesn’t apply to all first-time homebuyers; it applies only to blacks and, perhaps, can be stretched to accommodate other racial minorities.

Keep reading

Woke White Teacher Filmed Beating Asian Student Wearing MAGA Cap Fired from Washington State University

On a chilly February night in 2025, Jay Sani, an Indian-American student at Washington State University, stepped out of a bar wearing his red MAGA hat. The 28-year-old engineering student didn’t expect the night to take a violent turn, but it did.

According to reports, as Jay walked, two figures approached him.  Patrick Mahoney, a university instructor and vocal proponent of Palestinian causes, and Gerald Hoff, a graduate student and teaching assistant.

It is unclear what sparked the confrontation, but words were exchanged and, as seen on security footage, Mahoney lunged at Jay, ripping the hat from his head. Hoff joined in, and Jay was shoved to the ground as fists flew.

The security footage shows the two men throwing Sani to the ground, and while he lay bleeding, kicking him while he was defenseless.

Sani reported the incident to police and, when questioned, Mahoney and Hoff admitted to the attack, though they attempted to blame Sani for the attack, claiming the student “provoked” them.

Turning Point USA Frontlines reporter Jonathan Choe shared body cam video of the two attackers admitting to the incident.

Keep reading

WA superintendent threatens to cut funds for district that vows to tell parents about students’ gender identity

Washington’s Superintendent of Public Instruction is threatening to withhold funds from a school district that is refusing to hide students’ gender identities from parents.

Washington’s Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction, Chris Reykdal, is claiming that the La Center School District’s decision to inform parents of how a student identifies in school discriminates against students and families regarding gender inclusivity and rights of queer and transgender students.

La Center Schools Superintendent Peter Rosenkranz told KATU he believes that the state’s policies leave parents out of the equation by requiring school staff to ask students their preferred pronouns rather than their parents.

Last month, Reykdal claimed in an interview, “It is quite simply inaccurate to say biologically that there are only boys and only girls,” in response to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order that there are only two genders.

Keep reading

State Democrats Want Most Anyone to Vote in Washington – Even If They’ve Never Lived There

WA State Democrats (aka “The Anyone From Anywhere Can Vote Party”) sponsored bill SSB 5017: AN ACT Relating to adopting national standards for uniformed and overseas civilian voting, including conforming amendments to existing statute – Creates very troubling new state rules pertaining to the Uniform Military and Overseas Voter Act (UMOVA) and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).

As currently written, the bill would allow people born outside the U.S. who have NEVER EVEN SET FOOT OR LIVED in WA State (aka “Permanent Overseas Voters”) to vote in local elections – e.g., County Council, Commissioners, City Council, Mayors, School Boards, levies, being able to raise taxes on the locals, etc.

Yes, according to the bill, as long as these “voters”:

• Are over 18 and a United States citizen

• Have a “family member” who is (or was) eligible to vote in Washington and

• Have not registered to vote in another state

They are allowed to vote in our LOCAL ELECTIONS. What could go wrong?

This is a ridiculous and terrible policy, as this new class of “voters” could easily have no vested interest in the state or community they are now allowed to vote in.

Additionally, with no real, valid way to prove the actual I.D. of the voter, another easy avenue for voter fraud is opened up with SSB 5017.

Keep reading

WA state city council appoints trans OnlyFans content creator with cannibalism fetish to fill vacant seat

A transgender OnlyFans adult content creator, who has a cannibalism fetish, was unanimously appointed to fill a vacant seat on the Lynnwood City Council in Washington state.Jessica Ann Roberts, 32, born Neil Vincent Roberts, has posted on social media about having an uncontrollable desire to impregnate women and eat them.

On Monday, the Democratic-run council selected Roberts over Army combat veteran and Amazon program manager, Robert Leutwyler, to fill the vacancy. The Lynnwood Times was the first to report about Roberts’ history as a sex worker.

Roberts had an OnlyFans account under the username @jaroberts1501, which included 12 videos and 63 photographs of sexually explicit content. According to the account bio, Roberts is described as “a bisexual transwoman with itty bitty titties and a big girl cock.

Keep reading