As if having to fight a slew of restrictive gun control bills wasn’t enough, Washington State gun rights activists are now faced with another challenge, which some consider an outrage, as the state Department of Commerce is soliciting proposals from individuals or groups to support an early June event called “Together We End Gun Violence (TWEGV).”
Up to $100,000 is available for this project, according to the solicitation, which is called a “Request for Qualifications and Quotes” (RFQQ).
A discussion on the Facebook page for a legislative watchdog group had garnered more than a hundred responses, and why not? In its announcement, the Commerce Department is candid:
“This is State funding. Payments will be made on a reimbursement basis for deliverables accepted and/or allowable time and expenses.”
According to a Commerce Department announcement, “The Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention (OFSVP) is soliciting bids to provide event planning, coordination, logistics, and reporting for the 2025 Together We End Gun Violence event. This event is slated for early June 2025.”
Evergreen State gun owners are openly questioning the expenditure of public funds for an event which is a not-so-thinly-disguised gun control project.
Also, according to the Commerce Department’s RFQQ, “The TWEGV Planning Committee includes members from COMMERCE, the King County Regional Gun Violence Prevention Office, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, and others.” The Alliance for Gun Responsibility is the wealthiest and most active gun prohibition lobbying group in the Pacific Northwest. Based in Seattle, they are supported by wealthy elitists living primarily in and around the Seattle area.
It raises an interesting question. What would the reaction be from gun prohibition lobbying groups if a state agency were offering funding to support as conference involving gun rights advocacy? The National Rifle Association has held conventions in Seattle (1985, 1997) in the past, and at least two Gun Rights Policy Conferences have been held in the Seattle area over the past 40 years.
The 26-page Commerce Department document can be found online here.
The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA/ILA) initially publicized this effort on Valentine’s Day. It immediately ignited a firestorm, with angry Washingtonians taking out their frustrations on Democrat Gov. Bob Ferguson, the state Republican Party for being “the most worthless and spineless chumps this state has ever seen,” a group of liberal gun owners, and majority Democrats in the Legislature who “always take our money and use it to hurt us.”
The upcoming program is tentatively scheduled June 4 or 5 at the Lumen Field Event Center in Seattle.
According to the Commerce Department document, “The 2025 TWEGV event will bring together community members, practitioners, experts and systems partners committed to reducing gun violence in Washington. The expected registration will be up to 350 attendees. Speakers will come from across the country as well as within the state.”
There does not appear to be any participation by Second Amendment groups despite the fact that there are numerous NRA-certified firearms instructors in the state, and Washington is home to both the Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, along with the Washington Arms Collectors and Washington State Rifle & Pistol Association. Activists contend that when it comes to genuine gun safety and accident prevention, these organizations are the experts.
SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb was actually a driving force in the creation of a pilot program aimed at suicide prevention which had the involvement of lawmakers and specialists from the University of Washington’s Forefront program.
Ammoland reached out to the Commerce Department for information, but did not receive an immediate response. We also reached out to prominent Republican Rep. Jim Walsh, who also did not immediately reply, but he is undoubtedly aware of the controversy.
According to a schedule posted in the agency’s solicitation, responses from potential participants are due March 6, and they will be evaluated through March 13. The agency will then “conduct virtual presentations with finalists, if required, on the 13th and 14th. Notifications will be sent via email to unsuccessful respondents. Contract negotiation s will occur between March 24 and 28, the latter being the earliest date a contract may be signed.
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