Under the Edmonds ordinance, gun owners face fines of as much as $10,000 for not keeping guns locked up safely.
The National Rifle Association and the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation are leading a lawsuit against the city of Edmonds over its new gun-safety law. The groups filed a similar lawsuit against Seattle[1] last month.
Under the Edmonds ordinance, passed by the city council last month, gun owners can face fines of as much as $10,000 for not keeping guns locked up safely. The lawsuits against Edmonds and Seattle contend both cities’ “safe storage” requirements violate state law[2], which prevents cities from regulating guns.
“It is clear to us that a handful of cities are trying desperately to erode Washington’s long-standing preemption law,” Alan Gottlieb, Second Amendment Foundation founder and executive vice president, said in a statement released Tuesday.
Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling and Edmonds Police Chief Al Compaan are also named as defendants in the lawsuit. Seattle’s mayor and police chief are named as defendants in the Seattle suit.Most Read Local Stories
Sale! Save over 90% on digital access![3]Earling could not be reached at his office outside of business hours.
In the Second Amendment Foundation news release, Gottlieb said Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson should have sued over the city laws but is “more interested his political agenda.”
References
- ^ filed a similar lawsuit against Seattle (www.seattletimes.com)
- ^ state law (app.leg.wa.gov)
- ^ Sale! Save over 90% on digital access! (www.seattletimes.com)
