Seattle police chief ‘not going to tolerate’ gun violence

Seattle has a problem. And the first step to solving it is admitting it has a problem.

“We’re not going to tolerate it, that’s it,” said Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole. “We’re addressing it head on.”

O’Toole, along with Mayor Ed Murray and other Seattle leaders met Thursday morning at the First AME Church to discuss gun violence in the city. O’Toole noted that between June 9 and July 6, police responded to 22 reports of shots fired in the east and south precincts.

“The results continue to show that there are a small number of people associated with the high percentage of shots fired in this community,” O’Toole said. “While some of these are gang related, others are personal conflicts that have escalated into gun violence.”

“In one case recently, two young men were shot one day and two days later, they were the shooters,” she said.

Those two young men were quickly identified and arrested, a good thing O’Toole said. But that incident isn’t an anomaly.

While the number of shots fired has increased, year over year, the number of homicides has dropped, according to O’Toole. At this time last year, 10 people were killed by gunfire; this year that number is five.

“Just last week, suspects used a high-powered rifle and a handgun in a shooting in an area where children were playing,” O’Toole said. “Incredibly irresponsible.”

“SPD and ATF ballistic technicians have linked a single handgun to 10 different shootings,” the chief said. “It just goes to show that one gun and one shooter can be responsible for a lot of activity.”

Related: Police tie Luger to 10 Seattle shootings

Mayor Murray called for adding cameras to high crime areas around the city. He also noted a city program aimed at providing summer jobs for youth in the city.

Officers are increasing their presence and are targeting people with arrest warrants.

Meanwhile a City Council member is proposing a tax on guns.

Council President Tim Burgess argues that the taxpayer burden of approximately $12 million toward the $17 million spent on medical costs from 253 cases of gun injuries treated at Harboview in 2014 is too steep.

He has proposed two pieces of legislation. One, a new regulation that will require gun owners to report stolen or missing firearms. And another would place a $25 tax on all guns sold within the city, along with a 5 cent tax on each bullet sold. Proceeds from the tax will help fund Harboview Medical Center’s program for gun violence.

The proposed tax has some gun shop owners worried, such as Sergey Solyanik of Precise Shooter on Aurora Avenue. Solyanik has maintained that his shop will go out of business. He promises to sue the city over it.

Phil Watson with Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms also addressed the City Council, pointing out the city’s own study indicates that a considerable number of people admitted to Harborview Medical Center with gun wounds have criminal histories and return to the hospital for crime related activities. Criminals are the real problem, he argued.

But there are two sides to the gun tax issue.

“The tax on the sale of guns will support much-needed research into the causes and prevention of gun violence,” Judy McBroom of Grandmothers Against Gun Violence told the City Council. “And the requirement to report lost or stolen guns will help keep those weapons out of the hands of criminals,” she said.

McBroom wasn’t alone. Among the pro-gun tax crowd was Cheryl Stumbo, who was injured during the 2006 shooting at the Jewish Federation in Seattle.

“I survived thanks to the wonderful team at Harborview Medical Center, but my care alone required 20 surgeries, months of recovery, years in fact, and millions of dollars in medical costs,” Stumbo said. “The proposal to apply a small tax to sellers of firearms and ammunition is a direct and reasonable response to these kinds of costs to our city.”