Gun sellers in King County could soon be required to warn customers about the dangers of firearms. DmyTo/getty
Just a few days after the National Rifle Association and other gun advocates sued the City of Seattle[1] over a law requiring safe storage of firearms, King County lawmakers say the county should follow the city’s lead with its own storage law.
The county could also go further, requiring gun sellers to post prominent signs warning that “the presence of a firearm in the home significantly increases the risk of suicide, homicide, death during domestic violence disputes and unintentional deaths to children, household members and others.”
The signs would have to be at least 8.5 by 11 inches, written in 30-point type, and posted “conspicuously, in a manner that it is easily read.” Failure to comply would result first in a warning, then in a fine of $100 for every day the sign is not displayed. The proposals are part of a package of legislation county council members Joe McDermott and Jeanne Kohl-Welles unveiled Tuesday. In an interview, McDermott compared warning signs at gun stores to warnings on cigarettes. "We have a public health crisis on our hands," McDermott said of gun violence. “This is employing a successful public health strategy in this public health crisis." McDermott said 136 licensed firearm dealers operate in King County. Nationwide, about 36,000 people died as a result of firearms in 2015, about 714 of them in Washington and 146 in King County, according to McDermott's legislation, which cites Centers for Disease Control and state Department of Health data. King County-area firearm deaths cost nearly $200 million “in medical costs and lost productivity,” according to