Over 50,000 sign Kennewick man’s petition to impeach Inslee, Ferguson over weapons ban

A Tri-Citian who wants to protect his right to bear arms has quickly amassed more than 53,000 signatures on a petition to impeach Washington’s Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

Austin Thornhill of Kennewick started the change.org petition Thursday afternoon.

By 5 p.m. Saturday, the petition had topped 53,000 — and was growing every second.

The petition’s latest goal was for 75,000 signatures. The number kept changing throughout the day as the signatures kept passing the goal.

Thornhill takes issue with Thursday’s announcement by the top state officials to ban the sale of high-capacity gun magazines and assault weapons.

The two Democrats announced plans for legislation that would limit magazine capacities to 10 rounds and that would ban the sale of assault weapons, defined as semi-automatic weapons that have at least one military-style feature, the Associated Press reported.

People who already own high-capacity magazines and assault weapons would be allowed to keep them.

The proposal is intended to combat mass shootings in the state.

Change.org petition

Thornhill calls on the people of Washinton state to impeach Inslee and Ferguson “for not upholding the Oath of Office and protecting our state and federal constitution.”

“Our Second Amendment has been under constant attack from these two elected officials and now they want to tell us what kind of weapons we can or can’t have and how many rounds we can hold in a magazine!” he wrote in the petition. “Enough is enough it’s time for action before it’s (too) late.”

He asks his fellow Washingtonians to “take a stand against our Government and give it back to the people of our great state.”

Friday, after more than exceeding his goal for signatures in a 24-hour period, Thornhill returned to the website to thank those who supported the movement.

“I honestly didn’t know it would gain so much attention,” he wrote. “Again it’s not just about our gun rights, it’s about those two not listening to us the people that put them in office. Glad to see it’s gaining lots of traction.”

Gary Wheaton, one of the early signers of the petition, commented: “They are destroying Washington State and taxing us to poverty. No longer do they represent Washington’s residents BUT are representing their own agenda.”

Another commenter, Nicolas Laduke, said, “The Constitution and the American way of life can not be legislated away!”

Some people chose to use curse words when talking about Inslee and Ferguson in the petition’s comment section.

Stephen-Alexander Dunn said the governor and attorney general have lost touch with their constituents.

“I believe it to be not only our right, but also our duty to remove those that do not protect or serve those that they represent,” Dunn wrote in a comment.

Proposed legislation

Both measures announced Thursday by Inslee and Ferguson contain exceptions for law enforcement, military personnel and recreational shooting ranges, the Associated Press reported.

The weapons and high-capacity magazines have often been used in mass shootings around the U.S., including two in Washington in the last four years.

“This is the time to take action on common sense measures that will save lives. We should be making it harder for those who want to inflict mass violence and destruction upon innocent people,” said Inslee.

“By limiting magazine capacity and banning assault weapons, we can work toward a day where no one in Washington state loses a friend or family members to senseless gun violence.”

Ferguson has requested bills to ban the sale of assault weapons the last four legislative sessions. This is the first time Inslee has joined him in requesting such a measure.

“It took just 32 seconds for an individual armed with a 100-round double-drum magazine and an AR-15-style weapon to shoot 36 people before he was killed by law enforcement,” Ferguson said. “That same rifle and magazine are perfectly legal to purchase in Washington state. That makes no sense.”

The attorney general is also seeking legislation that would require background checks for ammunition sales and prohibit violent offenders or others barred from owning guns from buying or possessing ammo, according to AP.

Several states have similar restrictions.

This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 12:14 PM.