SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Dori: Spate of shootings proves gun taxes are toothless

May 8, 2017, 5:29 AM

gun taxes, guns, SPD, gun tax...

Bias crimes investigators are searching for a man who pulled a gun on two people Wednesday evening on Rainier Avenue. It turns out it was a BB gun. (Seattle Police Department)

(Seattle Police Department)

Yet another shooting here in Seattle.

On May 4, Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole issued a statement about five shooting incidents over a 24-hour period that left one person dead and four others injured. Those shootings included a sorority girl going back to her house just north of the UW campus, a 16-year-old girl killed in a car at Borracchini’s bakery and an elderly couple delivering newspapers who got caught in the crossfire as completely innocent bystanders.

Since O’Toole’s statement, a man pulled a gun on two people on Rainier Avenue, a 27-year-old was shot outside a nightclub in Belltown, the gang unit is looking into a man who was shot in the leg in First Hill and a 46-year-old was hit in the arm and leg. Another man was shot in the head and killed early Sunday in White Center.

The violence around Seattle is pretty incredible.

In fact, we’re on a record pace this year in terms of gunshot wounds and murders. This is ironic. Wasn’t it just a couple years ago when Mayor Ed Murray and the Seattle City Council started putting up their Gun Free Zone signs in local businesses and imposing the firearms and ammunition tax that they said would help reduce gun violence?

Apparently, the criminals can get beyond the city lines and buy guns. All they’ve done is made it tougher for law-abiding people who want to defend themselves against this growing problem.

We are seeing a mayor who is consumed with accusing the Faith & Freedom Network of conspiracies and the City council pushing a city income tax to “Trump proof” Seattle.

Hey, Ed Murray, how about you start focusing on the gangs in Seattle – at least as much as you do on the Trump administration, which you as a city politician have nothing to do with. You have everything to do with protecting your citizens in this city, and the gang problem. Time to start acknowledging that as you allow more and more drugs into the city.

I grew up in Seattle. When I see the hypodermic needles everywhere and the homeless tarps and tents; the gang problems and record number of shootings, I don’t think Mayor Murray is doing a great job. Even with the child rape charges out of the equation, he is a disaster.

In my opinion, Murray has created the most dangerous Seattle that we’ve ever had, and he keeps telling us that he can continue to work on all the great things he’s been doing.

With this spate of shootings, it’s quite obvious the desperate straits our city is in right now.

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Dori: Spate of shootings proves gun taxes are toothless