Washington State Urged To Tackle Illegal Guns To Protect Police And Communities

Jan 15, 2010

Washington, DC – Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and Ralph Fascitelli, Board President of Washington Ceasefire, released the following statement to Washington State's elected officials as they respond to the outbreak of police killings in 2009:

"No plan to protect our families and police officers can be complete without tackling the problem of dangerous people easily obtaining firearms.  Six Washington law enforcement officers were murdered in November and December 2009, all of them with firearms.  In fact, over 55% of all Washington homicides are committed with guns.  

"We respectfully disagree with the comments of Chelan County Sheriff Mike Harum, as reported in the Wenatchee World this week.  Strengthening Washington's gun laws can save lives if they are strictly enforced to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.  

"A recent survey of police departments across the country by the Police Executive Research Forum showed an increase in the criminal use of assault weapons in 2008 in 37% of the communities, while 35% reported an increase in the criminal use of semiautomatics with high-capacity ammunition magazines.  What's more, when the Federal Assault Weapons Ban was in effect between 1994-2004, the portion of assault weapons traced to crime dropped by 66%.  Research also shows that states that take meaningful action to keep guns away from dangerous people have substantially lower overall rates of homicide and suicide.  Regrettably, Washington still lacks a strong gun violence prevention safety net to help keep guns away from felons, fugitives and wife-beaters who assault our communities and the police who serve them.  

"As part of a comprehensive response to this violence, Washington's elected officials should:

• "Pass SB 6396, the Aaron Sullivan Public Safety and Police Protection Act, which would restrict civilian access to military-style assault weapons;

• "Require that all gun sales in Washington be subject to Brady criminal background checks, including all gun sales at gun shows;

• "Limit bulk sales of handguns in Washington to choke off sources of weapons for illegal gun traffickers, who sell illegal guns on the street to cop killers and other criminals.

"There is no magic solution to gun violence, but the Brady Law alone has saved countless lives by blocking over 1.8 million prohibited gun sales since 1994.  Washington State can do much more to protect families and law enforcement by making it harder for dangerous people to get guns."

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Resources:

· Washington State's firearm homicide figures, per the Centers for Disease Control:  http://webapp.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/mortrate10_sy.html

· The comments of Chelan County Sheriff Mike Harum:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010773217_apwaofficersshotpanel.html

· Brady Law background check information for 2008:  http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/html/bcft/2008/bcft08st.pdf

· Police Executive Research Forum:  http://www.policeforum.org

· Report on effectiveness of Federal Assault Weapons Ban: http://www.bradycampaign.org/studies/view/82/

· Effect of strong gun laws on homicide and suicide:  http://www.bradycampaign.org/studies/view/97/; http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=17530

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The Brady Campaign is the nation's largest citizens' lobby to prevent gun violence. We represent the voice of the overwhelming majority of Americans who are tired of living with the constant tragedy of gun violence and are in favor of strong laws and policies that will save lives. We are the light that exposes politicians who are putting the American people at risk, empowering the American people to hold them accountable for decisions and actions that undermine public safety.

We are driven by the focused vision of a nation where all Americans are safe at home, at work, at school, and in our communities.

Dan Gross is the President of the Brady Campaign and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. A photo and more information about Dan Gross is available here.

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