Victory for Gun Safety: Following Advocacy from Washington Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Volunteers, Washington Legislative Session Ends With Several Major Gun Safety Bills on Governor’s Desk

The Washington chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement after the Washington legislature ended the legislative session with several major bills on Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s desk. The bills include 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; SB 5078, legislation to prohibit high capacity magazines; and HB 1941, legislation prohibiting active shooter drills in schools that mimic real shootings, which had bipartisan support.

During the session, Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action volunteers and supporters have sent over 2,200 emails to legislators this session in support of gun safety. Volunteers also testified and advocated in hearings in support of these bills. 

“Advocates and lawmakers started the session with a fierce commitment to end gun violence in our state, and never looked back,” said Rebecca Elbaum, a volunteer with the Washington chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Passing four major gun safety bills this session is a huge win for our state and the gun violence prevention movement. There’s still work ahead of us next session, but these bills continue to show why Washington state is a leader in the gun safety movement.”

Last session, Governor Inslee signed bills to increase police accountability and to prohibit open carry of firearms on the Capitol grounds and at permitted protests. Since then, fatal police shootings have been at their lowest in five years across the state – despite being at record numbers throughout the country. 

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. To ask questions or request an interview with a volunteer from Washington Moms Demand Action, please don’t hesitate to reach out.