BELLEVUE, WA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today expressed gratitude for the important support of a key law enforcement organization for Initiative 591, backed by a coalition of gun rights supporters, of which CCRKBA is a member.

The Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs (WACOPS) announced it will back I-591 and oppose Initiative 594. With more than 4,500 members in police agencies across Washington State, WACOPS is the state’s oldest and most influential law enforcement organization representing rank-and-file police officers and sheriff’s deputies.

“This is a major decision by WACOPS,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “We’ve known I-591 had considerable support among line officers, and this makes it official. We also knew that street cops and deputies do not support the 18-page gun control measure being pushed by wealthy out-of-state and Seattle-area elitists.

“Support from WACOPS also proves that I-591 is not a scheme to eliminate background checks,” he continued. “Our measure only requires that such checks be done in accordance with a uniform national standard that is not confusing or contradictory to existing state and federal law, without creating a universal handgun registry.

“Most importantly,” Gottlieb said, “by opposing I-594, WACOPS members recognize that the gun control measure is not only excessive, it poses a burden on local agencies whose budgets are already stretched thin. Police and Sheriff’s departments don’t need to be handed an unfunded mandate crafted by gun prohibitionists with millions of dollars that could be better spent supporting education, training and responsible public safety programs.”

WACOPS is the second statewide law enforcement organization to support I-591. The Washington State Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association also endorsed the measure, and voted to oppose I-594.

“The gun prohibition lobby pushing I-594 falsely claims to have the facts on their side,” Gottlieb noted. “They not only don’t have the facts on their side, they don’t have the cops on their side, either.”