Bill Prohibiting Guns At County Fairs Passes Senate

A bill seeking to ban firearms in several public places where they aren't already prohibited has passed through the Washington State Senate.

Senate Bill 5098 (SB-5098) would restrict the possession of guns at all state or local public buildings, parks and playgrounds, and county fairs and fairgrounds.

13th District Sen. Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake) says the legislation used specific language which isn't entirely applicable to its proposals to gain traction in the Senate.

"I thought we'd pretty much restricted weapons in almost every place, but they (Democratic supporters) found a few more places. They used the term that they wanted to 'protect children', so any facilities where children might be present is what the bill pertains to."

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Warnick says the bill's language is overreaching and too broad, and she believes its impetus was an isolated incident at last year's Grant County Fair in Moses Lake involving a teenage gang member who shot and injured two other teens.

"He (shooter) was only fifteen years old and didn't have the right to have that pistol in the first place. And this bill says you must put signs up to warn the public that this is an area where they can't carry guns. Well, I don't think he would have paid any attention to a sign at the entrance of the fair."

Warnick says if SB-5098 is eventually signed into law it would place a tremendous burden on county fairs in the state by requiring them to implement expensive detection measures and would also limit their ability to host certain events involving the use of firearms.

The Moses Lake Republican was a member of the Grant County Fair's Board of Directors for many years and adds that she supports county fairs using metal detection equipment to screen their patrons, but isn't certain it's the right decision for Grant County's annual function or facility. Warnick says it should be up to individual fair operators to determine if they want to prohibit guns on their grounds and not the state.

SB-5098 has 10 co-sponsors, all of whom are Democrats, and was introduced by 46th District Sen. Javier Valdez (D-Olympia), who was born in Moses Lake.

The bill passed the Senate on a vote of 28-21 on Wednesday and now heads to the House for further consideration.