Billionaires and millionaires are giving hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of Washington state’s Initiative 594 — a gun control initiative expanding background checks.
The initiative will go before voters in November.
According to KING 5, Initiative 594 would “require background checks for all gun sales and transfers in Washington state.” This expansion would end private gun sales, requiring all sales to be treated like retail sales and all buyers to go through the same checks Elliot Rodger (Santa Barbara gunman), Ivan Lopez (2014 Fort Hood gunman), Paul Ciancia (LAX gunman), Aaron Alexis (DC Navy Yard gunman), and Nidal Hasan (2009 Fort Hood Gunman), went through to purchase their guns.
The exception would be made for “gifts within a family and antiques.”
To date, billionaires and millionaires have given $3.4 million in support of the gun control initiative. These supporters include Steve and Connie Ballmer ($580,000), Nick and Lenore Hanauer ($490,000), and Bill and Melinda Gates ($50,000), among others.
Voters will also have the opportunity to vote for Initiative 591 in November, a counter initiative that “would prevent Washington State from adopting background check laws that go beyond the national standard.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.