As gun violence continues to devastate Washington communities, lawmakers at all levels of government need to prioritize gun violence prevention. Though Washington has strong gun safety laws, there is more work that must be done to protect Washingtonians from gun violence. This week, lawmakers have another chance to take up the challenge with three critical hearings this week. Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers will be testifying at each hearing. Since the start of session volunteers with Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action have sent nearly 1,600 emails to lawmakers in support of gun safety measures.
Tomorrow, lawmakers in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee will hear HB 1759, legislation to require schools to share secure firearm storage information with parents and guardians and the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee will hear SB 5078, legislation to prohibit high capacity magazines. Then on Friday, the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee will hear HB 1941, legislation to prohibit traumatizing active shooter drills in schools.
Gun safety legislation to watch this session:
- HB 1759, legislation to require schools to share secure storage information with parents and guardians. Moms Demand Action volunteers have been advocating for schools to share information about secure storage for years at school boards across the country – this would be the first bill of its kind to require schools statewide to promote secure storage. The bill will be heard tomorrow.
- HB 1630, legislation that would prohibit firearms at public meetings, including those run by a school board, as well as at voting centers and other offices related to the electoral process. The legislature’s action on this critical issue, which follows grassroots advocacy from Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers, will help provide local governments with the tools to prohibit firearms in sensitive places like voting centers — a critical step to keeping the threat of armed intimidation out of Washington’s democratic process. The bill passed the Washington State House yesterday and now awaits a Senate hearing.
- HB 1705, legislation to prohibit ghost guns. Ghost guns are the fastest-growing gun safety problem our nation has seen in years. Currently, anyone, anywhere can easily obtain an untraceable firearm with no background check, no serial number, and no questions asked in Washington. The bill passed the House and is awaiting a Senate hearing.
- SB 5078, legislation to prohibit high capacity magazines. The bill will be heard tomorrow.
- HB 1941, legislation to prohibit traumatizing active shooter drills in schools. Research shows that active shooter drills are associated with increases in depression, stress and anxiety, and physiological health problems overall, including children from as young as five years old up to high schoolers, their parents, and teachers. The bill will be heard on Friday.
Statistics about gun violence in Washington are available here, and more information about secure storage devices is available here. Everytown’s interactive gun law platform — which shows the direct correlation between the strength of a state’s gun laws and its rate of gun deaths — is available here. If you have questions, or to request an interview with a volunteer from Washington Moms Demand Action please don’t hesitate to reach out.