SECOND OPINIONS

[Editor's note: the following are excerpts from news stories around the country about firearm initiatives that will be on the ballot in Washington in November.]

WhileWashington state voters won't weigh in on two competing gun-related ballot measures for months, money is already pouring into the campaigns in advance of the November electionhellip;

hellip;Initiative 594, which is proposing universal background checks for gun sales and transfers, has a significant fundraising advantage over its rival. Initiative 591 would prevent Washington state from adopting background check laws that go beyond the national standard,hellip;

hellip;Bill and Melinda Gates have given $50,000 to I-594, and venture capitalist Nick Hanauer, and his wife Lenore, have given a combined $490,000, and Hanauer has pledged an additional $530,000.

~Associated Press

Topping the list of donors to the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility is Paul Allen, former co-founder of Microsoft, who gave the campaign $500,000 this month. He's joined by former Microsoft CEO and new Los Angeles Clippers' owner Steve Ballmer, who has contributed $250,000 and wife Connie Ballmer who has given $325,000. Bill and Melinda Gates gave $25,000 eachhellip;

hellip;Protect Our Gun Rights has received slightly more than $500,000 from Washington Arms Collectors, which bills itself as the state's largest firearms and gun safety organization, and sponsors the state's largest gun shows throughout the year. It has also received $280,000 in cash and another $141,000 worth of in-kind contributions from the Citizens Committee for the Right To Keep and Bear Arms, a Bellevue-based Second Amendment advocacy group. It received another $100,000 from the Gun Owners Action League, which lobbies the Legislature and Congress and endorses progun candidates.

~Spokesman-Review, Spokane

Fundraising for a gun-control campaign in Washington state is outpacing opponents by a ratio of 4-to- 1, fueled by contributions from former Microsoft Corp. executives Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer and Jon Shirley.

They and other supporters have given about $3.4 million to the effort to impose criminal background checks on those who buy firearms online or at gun shows. A competing gun-rights initiative has garnered about $1.1 million to require buyer background checks only when the seller is a firearms dealer, the current federal standard.

~Bloomberg Businessweek

Two rival ballot initiatives are pitting one side of the political spectrum against the other, in an irreconcilable clash of views. With gun debate heavyweights and big-name backers like Bill Gates entering the fray, the outcome of this standoff could have national implicationshellip;

hellip;The initiative face-off has led to a fierce statewide debate. Proponents of 591 warn that their opponents will unleash "a barrage of money and operatives from out-of-state to attack our rights and make us all less free."

That's a claim dismissed by backers of 594, the universal background check initiative. "It's some pretty crazy, tinfoil hat, conspiracy theory stuff," one of their e-mails readshellip;

hellip;The early poll showed the universal background check initiative with a lead at 72 percent, compared with Initiative 591's 55 percent support.

However, a July update on the poll indicated a clearer leader. Initiative 591 dipped below the majority needed to win, with 46 percent, while 594 remained relatively steady in its levels of support at 70 percent.

~Washington Post