By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Seattle, like many major cities, has seen a troubling rise in gun violence over recent years. This increase includes not only criminal or gang-related incidents but also isolated acts of violence such as mass shootings in public spaces, schools, and churches.
In response to the mounting gun violence in the area, many communities-based organizations are working tirelessly to urge policymakers to make comprehensive and significant changes to help curb the access to firearms, where firearms should be permitted, and to hold firearm dealers accountable for the role they play in access to firearms.
One such measure, SB 5444, has prioritized protecting children by restricting firearms in K-12 schools and early learning centers in Washington state. The bill, which recently passed out of the Washington State Senate, also aims to extend these safety measures to other public spaces like libraries, zoos, aquariums, and transit facilities.
“While securing the passage of this lifesaving bill in the Senate marks a significant milestone, our work is far from complete,” says Dylan O’Connor, the Government Affairs Director for Alliance For Gun Responsibility (AGR). “SB 5444 must still pass through the House, presenting a challenge, particularly in a short legislative session with determined opposition by gun lobbyists, we must remain steadfast in our advocacy efforts to ensure that this crucial legislation clears the remaining hurdles.”
Although there has been some progress in prevention, gun violence remains prevalent in our society, and one has to wonder are such actions and policies being done in vain.
“I do see light at the end of this tunnel,” says O’Connor. “There is not one policy that can solve this issue, it is not something that one conversation can solve, we have a tremendous ease of access to firearms problem in this country, tremendous, and that relates to kids, that’s prohibited persons, that’s domestic violence felons, that’s people who speak to suicides, its just too easy to get firearms.”
“So, we have to think about a comprehensive public health path forward,” O’Connor continues. “The same way we address disease, right. We didn’t solve smallpox by passing one bill, you incentivized the entire public health program, and we did that by building a giant legal landscape necessary to carry those programs.”
Recently during Kansas City’s Super Bowl celebration, lone wolves set off panic by firing into a crowd. This year talking about places like Kansas City and interpersonal gun violence, AGR believes policies really need to identify and start looking at where the spickets are, where firearms are pouring into communities, they call this the supply side.
“Every firearm owned illegally started its journey as a legal firearm every single one,” explains O’Connor. “They are getting stolen, they are getting lost, sold into black markets. So, where are the places where we can get to the control valve and turn them off? One of those places is making sure that firearms are generally prohibited in certain places. Giving security personnel and the public an idea of what kind of behavior around a firearm is and is not incentivizes.”
“The great thing about passing a law like this is are some people going to comply with it, no, but there is a stronger disincentive to leave your gun at home. So, in combination with that we have to look at each agenda as not just individual policy but how they work together,” adds O’Connor.
In addition to SB5444, advocates are also pushing for the passage of SB2118, a dealer responsibility bill, which requires firearm dealership to up their ante on security on their premises, making sure they lock their firearms away after hours. Believe it or not this is not required.
According to advocates, SB2118 makes sure that firearm dealerships have video and audio recordings in case there are straw purchases happening. Straw purchases which are called “lie and try” is where somebody says, “I can’t buy a gun will you go and buy one for me”, SB 2118 is designed to mitigate that.
“We have to make sure it is harder to break in and steal firearms, fill up a duffle bags, and sell them in the community,” says O’Connor.” That’s one of the pieces. There is also a lost and stolen bill, bill 1903, which incentivizes safe storage. It says that you are required upon discovery that your firearm is missing whether it is lost or stolen that you tell law enforcement, and they can launch an investigation and see if they can recover that firearm and that’s within a 24-hour period.”
According to AGR, putting these three policies together, which target the supply side of the gun industry, will hopefully slow down and limit the access to firearms that are obtained illegally in the state.
“We are still in the early stages of developing policy that we are going to use to solve this problem,” says O’Connor. “I am convinced that we can make a real impact on this problem if we keep doing what we are doing.”