A GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
AGENDA FOR SEATTLE
IMPROVED IMPLEMENTATION OF PROTECTION ORDERS:
Despite strong state law allowing removal of firearms from individuals who are subject to many types of
protection orders, many protection orders requiring surrender are either not served or fail to result in those
firearms being surrendered. Since 2015, the City of Seattle has been a key player in multi-jurisdictional
efforts to improve this situation. As a result, in 2017, Seattle is on track to recover many times more firearms
than were recovered in all of 2016 [1]. The Seattle City Council approved hundreds of thousands of dollars for
new positions in 2017. This year, leaders in Seattle city government are requesting numerous new positions
for firearm surrender enforcement for 2018 and beyond. Candidates and elected officials should proactively
support these investments to ensure they are fully funded in the final 2018 City Budget. They should also
actively support process improvements in pattern forms, technology resources, and efforts to strengthen
coordination between agencies to effect appropriate surrender of firearms.

REPORTING OF LOST AND STOLEN FIREARMS:
Between 2012 and 2015, an estimated 33,164 firearms were stolen from individual gun owners in Washington
State. This figure represents 99% of all firearms stolen in Washington State during that time [2]. Yet neither
Washington State or federal law require individual firearms owners to report when a firearm is lost or
stolen. In 2015, Seattle became the first city to pass an ordinance requiring individual owners to report
lost and stolen firearms, closing a gap in law that contributes to the availability of crime guns and makes
it harder to return recovered firearms to their owners. Seattle should improve implementation of this
ordinance by establishing clear procedures at the Seattle Police Department for receiving, recording, and
acting upon public reports, and making public data available about the number of such reports each year.
Additionally, policymakers should identify ways to improve awareness of, and compliance with, this city law.

PUBLIC HEALTH AND RESEARCH INVESTMENTS:
Gun violence is a public health challenge, but too often, public health solutions are not considered in
reducing gun violence. The absence of research into the gun violence by the federal Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) also undermines efforts to reduce gun violence. In 2012, Seattle became the first city in the
nation to dedicate specific funding for gun violence research, and expanded its commitment by passing
a firearm and ammunition tax in 2015. The research undertaken at Seattle’s Harborview Injury Prevention
Research Center (HIPRC) has shown that individuals admitted for gunshot wounds are vastly more likely
to be rehospitalized, rearrested, or killed [3]. Seattle should continue to expand the resources dedicated
towards this cutting-edge research, and plan to implement recommendations made by the Harborview
Helping Individuals with Firearm Injuries (HIFI) study expected to be available in 2018.
[1] Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, “Success! New Firearm Surrender Laws are Working”, May 8, 2017
[2] Center for American Progress (2017, August), Stolen Guns in America: A State by State Analysis, by Chelsea Parsons and Eugenio Weigend Vargas.
[3] Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health, “Washington Study Finds Gunshot Victims at High Risk for Future Hospitalization, Crime”, February 25, 2015

 ENGAGEMENT OF UNIQUELY IMPACTED COMMUNITIES:
Whether in the form of crime, domestic violence, or suicide, gun violence disproportionately impacts the
poor, communities of color, and immigrants. Far too often, solutions to reduce gun violence overlook the
unique needs of these communities. Seattle should continue to identify means to engage these uniquely
impacted communities through public education, judicial diversion programs, and other efforts to break
the cycle of violence and incarceration. Initial steps available include adoption of gun violence prevention
tools by entities already engaging these communities, such as local boards of health, or partnering with the
Alliance for Gun Responsibility Foundation’s Education to Action program.

FIGHTING LEAD CONTAMINATION:
Toxic levels of lead exposure in the workplace remains a serious threat due to outdated federal standards.
Commercial gun ranges in Washington State are a significant component of this challenge, with 90% of
ranges inspected between 2004 and 2013 having at least one lead violation [4]. Spurred by Seattle-King
County Public Health, the Washington Department of Labor and Industries is currently drafting a new,
evidence-based rule for lead protection in the workplace that aims to improve health and safety for
workers, consumers, families, and communities. Seattle should continue its participation in the development
of this rule, and support the strongest possible rule based on the current state of scientific knowledge about
lead poisoning. Seattle should also evaluate what steps it can take in their jurisdiction to improve lead
safety before a new rules takes effect.

FIREARM TRACE DATA:
Law enforcement agencies routinely analyze, or “trace”, unique aspects of firearms or ammunition to
solve crimes. These data are not only critical to investigations, but they provide important insights into
the sources and types of firearms used in gun crimes. Through the voter-approved Best Starts for Kids levy,
the City of Seattle will produce a report analyzing years of firearm trace data for public release in 2018.
This commitment reaffirms Seattle’s place as a national leader on innovative approaches to reducing gun
violence. The City should commit to reviewing the report’s findings upon release, and promoting awareness
of the findings so that communities most impacted by gun violence can gain valuable insight into how crime
guns are entering the community.

[4] The Seattle Times, “Loaded With Lead”, October 17, 2014