Today, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed three gun safety bills into law — HB 1705, legislation prohibiting ghost guns; HB 1630, legislation prohibiting firearms in public gatherings including school board meetings, voting centers, and other offices related to the electoral process; and SB 5078, legislation to prohibit high capacity magazines. Following their leadership and advocacy in support of this package of legislation, volunteers with the Washington chapter of Moms Demand Action and gun violence survivors attended the signing ceremony, and were present as he signed these transformational bills into law. Volunteers and survivors who were at the signing are available for interviews.
At the signing Governor Inslee said, “We know the scourge of gun violence is upon our state… I am proud of our state to be a state who is willing to take the lead to stand up against the NRA [and] to stand up for common sense gun safety legislation. Today we are saying we are proud of communities who are fighting against gun violence and we are proud that our state will take further action against gun violence. We are not willing to accept gun violence as a normal part of life in the state of Washington.”
Attorney General Bob Ferguson also said: “[These] organizations have been front and center, and all those individuals who make up those grassroots organizations. The Alliance for Gun Responsibility, Grandmothers Against Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action, Washington Ceasefire and many others.”
This session Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers testified and advocated in hearings and drove over 2,200 emails to legislators this session in support of gun safety measures. .
The bill signing comes just days after Governor Inslee also signed HB 1941, legislation prohibiting active shooter drills in schools that mimic real shootings, which had bipartisan support. The bill is the first-of-its-kind in the country. This comes as data regarding gun violence on school grounds has seen a steep increase within the last decade.
In an average year in Washington, 810 people die by guns and 820 people are wounded. In the last decade, the gun homicide rate increased 87%. Gun violence costs Washington $5 billion each year, of which $169 million is paid by taxpayers. More information on gun violence in Washington is available here. To ask questions or request an interview with a volunteer from Washington Moms Demand Action who was at the signing, please don’t hesitate to reach out.