Regarding the letter of March 23 criticizing The Bellingham Herald for its coverage on the U.S. Supreme Court case involving Washington, D.C., gun laws: the writer shows that he is unfamiliar with this state’s government.
Washington does indeed have a militia; it’s called the Washington State Guard and is headquartered at Camp Murray in Tacoma. The Washington State Guard is distinct from the National Guard, it is a military force that is solely under the control of the governor and cannot be compelled to serve outside of the state. Most, if not all, states have a militia and many of them are formally named the state militia.
As a military force the Washington State Guard must comply with regulations concerning when and where they can carry their weapons, which are under lock and key.
As for the comment that criminals don’t obey gun laws, well they don’t obey the laws against bank robbery either, yet we still have laws making robbing a bank illegal.
John Gray
Bellingham
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