King County Council to consider gun turn-in and buy-back programs
(The Center Square) – Several King County councilmembers are looking to convert any precinct office or storefront operated by the King County Sheriff’s office into a place where any person can surrender unwanted firearms and ammunition.
As many mass shooting have prompted concern in the U.S., including the events in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York, more elected officials look to reduce the rate. According to the county, “the number of overall shooting victims in King County was up 70% and the number of shooting fatalities was up 54% over the 4-year average from 2017 through 2020.”
“Our communities in King County, like communities around the country, have experienced a painful spike in gun violence since the start of the pandemic,” Renée Hopkins, CEO for the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, said in a statement. “Offering residents a safe, consistent option for returning unwanted firearms and ammunition is an important part of that public health approach.”
Gun buyback programs have been implemented in King County’s past. In 2013, a gun buyback program that was a collaboration between King County and the City of Seattle saw 716 firearms being surrendered to law enforcement.
“Just as King County’s previous firearm buyback program led to over 700 firearms voluntarily leaving the streets, a firearm and ammunition return program will give residents a safe, secure, and reliable option to remove these items from their home, and move us forward in our work to prevent all forms of gun violence,” Councilmember Joe McDermott said.
The county also used efforts to reduce the amount of firearms within the county by requiring the destruction of forfeited firearms, encouraging safe storage of weapons and enforcing the Extreme Risk Protection Orders.
The latter prevents persons at high risk of harming themselves or others from accessing firearms by allowing family members, roommates and police to obtain a court order when there is demonstrated evidence that the person poses a significant danger.
King County is funding strategies to fight gun violence as well. In the county’s 2021-2022 biennial budget, $600,000 has been reserved to the Department of Public Health for assistance and the support of community partners to pursue a regional gun violence strategy.
The legislation is also requesting King County Executive Dow Constantine to assess the feasibility of a permanent program to allow any person to peaceably surrender any unwanted firearm or ammunition to any King County Sheriff’s Office location.
King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall said in a statement that there are already ways for residents to surrender their firearms, but professed a willingness to work with the county to decrease the number of shooting victims.
“We have policies in place for taking in unwanted firearms, but I look forward to working with the King County Council to consider expanding this into a program that will promote community safety throughout King County,” Cole-Tindall said.
The measure is being proposed by King County Councilmembers Rod Dembowski, Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Joe McDermott, and Girmay Zahilay. The proposal will get a public hearing in early July.
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