Seattle City Councilmember wants city to have more power in regulating firearms
Dec 18, 2012, 7:10 AM | Updated: 9:18 am
Days after the deadly shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell is joining others around the nation calling for tighter gun control. (AP Photo/file)
(AP Photo/file)
Days after the deadly shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, a Seattle city councilman is joining others around the nation calling for tighter gun control.
City Councilmember Bruce Harrell says he is exploring the option of filing a statewide initiative meant to give cities more power in regulating firearms.
“I could go around and show you the lists of names of people that have been senselessly murdered in our city through gunfire,” says Harrell. “We’ve had enough wakeup calls. It’s unfortunate we had this most recent one in Connecticut.”
Harrell says bigger cities have unique gun safety challenges and should be allowed to pass laws that fit their needs. Harrell says state law currently stands in the way of that.
In a news release, Harrell cites RCW 9.41.290, as stating, “Local laws and ordinances that are inconsistent with, more restrictive than, or exceed the requirements of state law shall not be enacted and are preempted and repealed, regardless of the nature of the code, charter, or home rule status of such city, town, county, or municipality.”
Harrell would like to see cities be able to enact their own laws regarding gun safety requirements. He suggests city residents be required to take part in mandatory gun safety training, use gun trigger locks, and use gun safes.
Harrell is confident the initiative could get enough signatures to make it on the ballot.
The Seattle City Council also made changes to it’s annual legislative agenda in regards to gun safety, The Seattle Times reports. The council would like to see the 2013 Legislature ban assault weapons, large-capacity ammo magazines, as well as a enact a number of other gun-safety measures.
