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WASHINGTON STATE Wire

Policy

A round-up of recent local gun safety efforts

Marjie High   July 23, 2018  

Along with temperatures, issues related to gun safety have been heating up in Washington State this summer.  After SB 6620 failed to move on in the legislature last session, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility submitted signatures for  I-1639 which will likely be certified for the November ballot. Earlier this month, Seattle City Council passed legislation requiring safe gun storage and strengthened penalties for failing to report lost or stolen firearms.

While Seattle’s safe storage ordinance is under challenge from the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and the National Rifle Association (NRA) based on state law preemption, here is a round-up of other Washington municipalities that have made gun safety moves of their own:

  • City of Everett – In addition to a program to encourage safe storage by providing free guns locks, Everett passed a reporting ordinance similar to Seattle’s on July 12th.  Unlike Seattle’s law, however, Everett’s provides a modest civil penalty of only $250 for failing to report a lost or stolen firearm.
  • City of Mukilteo – on July 16, 2018 the city passed a gun safety resolution that emphasizes city support for several state-wide gun safety proposals including universal background checks, required gun safety training, banning assault rifles, banning “bump stocks,” raising the minimum age to purchase assault rifles to 21, and increased funding for mental health.
  • City of Edmonds – Edmonds City Council president Mike Nelson introduced the city’s own safe firearms storage ordinance on July 17th. Edmond’s proposal would also make violation of the safe storage requirement a civil infraction punishable by a fine – $500 for unsafe storage and $1000 if the unsafely stored firearm is accessed by a child, or other at-risk person. The council is scheduled to vote on the ordinance at a full council meeting on July 24th at 7:00 pm.

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