deanf
Member
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/insight/story/5649610p-5069668c.html
Close loopholes in our gun laws
MIKE LOWRY AND ALBERT G. ROSELLINI
Published: April 9th, 2006 01:00 AM
Every year in Washington state, nearly 600 citizens die from gun violence and many more are injured. These figures include homicides, accidental shootings and suicides.
The recent tragic rave-party shootings in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle brought home the fact that we live in a violent society, made worse by the prevalence of easy access to firearms.
Gun violence is everybody’s problem. It is not confined to inner cities or only tied to drug trafficking. Gun violence occurs in the suburbs, in our malls, in our schools and in the historic neighborhoods of our largest city. It affects all races, all ages and all incomes.
The violent event on Capitol Hill bore a striking resemblance to the Columbine tragedy in Littleton, Colo., nearly seven years ago. The victims in the Capitol Hill shootings included two schoolgirls 14 and 15. As in the tragedy in Columbine, the perpetrator was a loner without a serious record, whose arsenal included assault weapons and other high-powered firearms.
Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske noted that the primary purpose for these weapons “is for hunting people, not animals.”
As with the violence that swept through the quiet suburb of Littleton, the tragedy that took place just blocks from a church and one of Seattle’s most popular parks demonstrates that gun violence can affect anyone, anywhere at any time.
The Capitol Hill shooting and other recent incidents of gun violence in our community leave no doubt that Washington state’s gun laws are inadequate and full of loopholes. These shootings expose just how easy it is for the wrong people to gain access to firearms in our state and make horror in our communities.
For far too long state and federal leaders have tolerated weak gun safety laws that put our communities at risk. In 2004, Congress allowed the federal assault weapons ban to lapse. Now anyone in Washington can gain access to deadly, high-capacity weapons. Thirty-round magazines, like the ones found in Kyle Huff’s possession, are now available because this important gun safety law was allowed to expire.
Today, anyone can walk into one of the 60 gun shows held annually in Washington and walk out with a handgun or assault rifle without a background check at the point of sale, without any recording keeping and without any waiting period.
One gun-show promoter recently noted that to purchase a gun at a gun show, “the only paperwork you need is cash.”
Washington is the only West Coast state that hasn’t closed this loophole, making our state a vulnerable target for those seeking easy access to firearms.
Our state’s former U.S. attorney Kate Pflaumer eerily noted last December that “Osama bin Laden could walk into a gun show in Washington state and purchase a semi-automatic easily changeable into a fully-automatic assault rifle no questions asked, no records run.”
We can strengthen gun safety laws in Washington and at the same time protect the rights of law-abiding citizens to own firearms. We can limit the availability of highly lethal assault rifles while protecting the interests of sportsmen and hunters. It is long past time we moved beyond the rhetoric and away from entrenched and extreme positions that have held back sensible gun safety measures in Washington.
As former governors of Washington, we urge you to let your elected leaders hear your voice and calls for tougher gun safety measures. Together we can make our schools, neighborhoods, malls and other public places safe for our children and free from gun violence.
Albert G. Rosellini was governor from 1957 to 1965. Mike Lowry was governor from 1993 to 1997. Both are Democrats.
