HANSVILLE — On March 24, residents of Hansville gathered at Norwegian Point Park in a small, but impassioned show of solidarity for demonstrations across the country calling for stricter gun control measures.
Twelve people, all residents of the rural community at the northernmost tip of the Kitsap Peninsula, made their voices heard to those passing through the turn where Hansville Road NE becomes NE Twin Spits Road. While some were holding up signs, all of the attendees appeared to carry with them the desire to see real change.
“I’m here to oppose gun laws that don’t make any sense and endanger all of us,” said Todd Ramsey from the crowd.
Kelley Daniels, a fourth grade teacher at David Wolfle Elementary School, said she wants to keep all guns out of schools.
“I would not like to have guns coming into my school, not in any form or fashion,” Daniels said. “I have kids that are truly scared, I have kids that look out the window and say, ‘that person doesn’t have a badge.’ They’re afraid and I’m afraid for them.”
There was also an opinion from the other side of the fence, literally. Antonio Fett was standing outside the wooden fence surrounding the park, talking with demonstrators as well. Fett was in attendance to make a case for the counter-argument to calls for stricter gun control.
“We have a lack of enforcement for existing federal laws,” Fett said explaining that he has firsthand experience with criminal firearms purchases having worked in a gun store for four years. “They send in someone who can lawfully obtain the gun, they buy the gun for them and they go out to the car and give it to them.”
According to Fett, of the 40 so-called “straw purchases” he identified during his time as a gun salesman, only one was ever prosecuted. “If we aren’t enforcing the existing federal laws, what are new laws going to do?” Fett asked.
The organizer of the event, Darroll Gover, even went as far as to make a flag for the event which read, “I’m with the kids — Poop on the NRA.” Gover said he didn’t much care if he or the group received any attention for their small demonstration.
“If nothing comes of it, that’s fine. I got to do what I had to do. I didn’t do this for publicity, I did it from my heart and for the kids.”
“It’s time for people to do something,” Gover said. “We’ve got to convince people that we don’t need these military-type guns.”
— Nick Twietmeyer is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. He can be reached at ntwietmeyer@soundpublishing.com.
Darroll Gover’s homemade sign is prominently displayed in the back of his car at Norwegian Point Park in Hansville. Nick Twietmeyer | Kitsap News Group
