Metropolitan King County Council Chairman Joe McDermott is proposing the new regulation. He also is proposing that gun owners in unincorporated King County be required to lock up their firearms or secure them with safety devices.
King County could require stores that sell guns to post signs at the door and cash register warning that owning a firearm increases the risk of suicide, homicide and other deaths.
Metropolitan King County Council Chairman Joe McDermott is proposing the new regulation, which would be enacted and enforced by the King County Board of Health.
The measure is the latest in a series advanced by local politicians and activists who say gun violence is a public-health crisis and should be dealt with as such.
Washington State Initiative 1639, which is likely to appear on the November ballot[1], would require gun-purchase applications to include a similar warning about the risk of death.Most Read Local Stories
Unlimited Digital Access. $1 for 4 weeks.[2]“Over 35,000 Americans die by firearms each year, and we need to take all the steps we possibly can to protect those who live in King County,” McDermott said, comparing gun deaths to highway fatalities.
“Decades ago, people looked at the number of deaths in auto accidents and declared a public-health crisis,” he added. “Steps were taken, from air bags to seat belts to public-relations campaigns encouraging people to wear their seat belts.”
The council member also is proposing that gun owners in unincorporated King County be required to lock up their firearms or secure them with safety devices.
That legislation will be considered by the County Council.
Seattle passed a similar measure earlier this month[3], attracting a lawsuit
