Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

It’s really not possible to overstate the importance of this victory in Washington State. Voters in the Evergreen State overwhelmingly passed Initiative 594 to expand background checks to all gun sales, including online and at gun shows. With a decisive 60 percent of voters supporting I-594, it turns out that it’s a lot harder for the corporate gun lobby to bully voters than it is to bully politicians.

AB 1014 (Skinner) advances the Brady Campaign’s core mission of reducing firearm injury and death by keeping firearms out of dangerous hands. The law establishes a process for law enforcement or immediate family members to obtain a Gun Violence Restraining Order from a court in order to temporarily limit an individual’s access to firearms when there are warning signs or indications that the person is at risk for violence.

On December 15th, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Dr. Vivek Murthy as the nation’s next Surgeon General. The confirmation vote had been delayed because the National Rifle Association (NRA) has opposed Dr. Murthy’s appointment and said they would “score” the vote, meaning the vote will be considered in “future candidate ratings and endorsements by the NRA Political Victory Fund.”