Bellevue pro-gun rights group threatens lawsuit against WSP over background checks hold

BELLEVUE, Wash. — A Bellevue pro-gun rights group threatens a lawsuit against the Washington State Patrol (WSP) because of a hold on background checks for gun sales.

According to a Tuesday press release from the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), the group may take legal action against WSP because of “some type of network infiltration” at the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), which includes WSP’s enterprise data repository, impacting the system used to do background checks for gun purchases. The network infiltration shut the system down for at least 10 days and counting.

WSP said background checks from Nov. 1 onward are on hold.

“This is simply unacceptable, and we will not tolerate it,” Alan Gottlieb, SAF founder and executive vice president, said. “Washington State citizens have had their rights under the federal and state constitutions suspended, and we will take legal action if this isn’t solved immediately.”

“Where is attorney general, and soon-to-be governor, Bob Ferguson on this,” Gottlieb said. “It is his job to protect the rights of all Evergreen State citizens, and that includes gun owners and people who may want to purchase a firearm, whose rights are protected by Article I, Section 24 of the state Constitution, and the Second Amendment.

“State law apparently does not allow WSP to work around this sort of problem, which means that needs to change immediately,” he said. “As the saying goes, ‘A right delayed is a right denied,’ and the state has denied untold numbers of citizens their right to obtain firearms for almost two weeks. This amounts to a mass deprivation of civil rights under the color of law.

“The clock is ticking,” Gottlieb said. “When the system is restored, we expect the WSP to work day and night to expedite background checks already on hold. In the meantime, we are consulting with our attorneys to determine the proper course of action.”

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