Anti-Gun WA Ballot Initiative Receives Boost From Billionaires

posted on September 21, 2016
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The war-chest in support of Washington’s I-1491 has swelled to over $3.5 million, according to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission. The 21-page ballot initiative would allow family members and law enforcement to request courts temporarily revoke an individual’s Second Amendment rights for up to one year without due process.

You can tell a lot about a ballot initiative based on who’s bankrolling it, and I-1491 is no different—out of the $3,499,263 raised so far, only $130,137 has come in the form of “small contributions.” The vast majority has come from large cash or in-kind donations from billionaire philanthropists and anti-gun groups, including venture capitalist Nicholas Hanauer ($650,000), Microsoft co-founders Steve Ballmer ($500,000) and Paul Allen ($250,000), and philanthropist Ann Wyckoff ($100,000). Gabby Giffords’ so-called “Americans for Responsible Solutions” group added another quarter-million, while Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown contributed over $584,000. 

If this list looks familiar, it’s because many habitually fund anti-freedom ballot initiatives, hoping to bypass Congress and mislead voters into approving ill-advised measures aligning with their gun-hating ideology. Washington state voters, let these anti-gunners know your freedom can’t be bought by voting NO on I-1491.

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