The Zielinski family packed up and moved to North Idaho last June, less than two months after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed the assault weapons ban into law.
“I really got to see how bad things were starting to get,” Zielinski said. “We finally reached a crescendo.”
Zielinski opened his own gun store just a five-minute drive across the border from Washington. He spoke to Fox News Digital while sitting in front of a wall of semi-automatic rifles that are now illegal to make, purchase or sell in his former home state.
He can’t sell the banned guns themselves to Washington residents because they require extra processes like a background check and would need to be transferred to a licensed dealer in Washington. But when it comes to replacement parts or magazines, Zielinski says he doesn’t “card anybody for anything unless there’s a serial number on it.”
“We follow all federal laws. We follow all Idaho state laws,” he said. “But it is legal in Idaho to buy certain things as an adult that maybe you can’t buy in Washington.”
Similarly, Idaho plates are a common sight outside marijuana dispensaries on the Washington side of the border. No one is stopping Idahoans from buying pre-rolls or gummies that are banned in their home state, Zielinski said.
“At the end of the day, it’s on the consumer to make sure they’re not breaking the laws of their home state,” he said.
— Hannah Ray Lambert in Blue State Customers Flock to Idaho Gun Store to Find ‘A Little Bit of Freedom,’ Owner Says
2 Responses
Me thinks Mr. Zielinski needs be careful of what he says for the atf most likely monitors TTAG and others.
Good for him getting out of Washington and good luck to him.
“Others” being this site, which isn’t TTAG, yes?
Alphabet agencies already monitor everything, anyhow (and expect more intrusion with the rollout of AI everywhere). The only way for Liberty to survive is for citizens to exercise it, not keep their heads down to avoid eye contact with Big Brother and remain forcibly in the shadows.