Sandra Ramirez’s son Joseph was hanging out with friends last February at the home of a boy whose parents owned a gun. One of the children found the gun in an unlocked safe, Ramirez told the a Washington state legislative committee. The gun went off, killing Joseph Martinez, 13, the Washington State Standard reports. “This tragedy could have been prevented if the firearm was properly locked up,” said Ramirez. “I don’t just see the shooter as responsible for this happening. I see the gun owners, the adults, as who should be held accountable.” Ramirez was testifying in support of a proposal to require gun owners to lock up their weapons in their cars and homes. The severity of the punishment for violating the proposed law rises based on the consequences, from a civil infraction to a felony if unsafe storage leads to an injury. The secure storage measure is part of a package of legislation Democratic lawmakers are looking to pass this year. The bills would require a permit to purchase guns, restrict bulk purchases of ammunition and firearms, impose an excise tax on firearm and ammunition sales, add new requirements for weapons dealers and further limit the public places where people can carry firearms.
Committees have passed some of the bills already, and more may be approved on Friday. House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, cited the secure storage bill as a gun reform measure her caucus is interested in prioritizing. The National Rifle Association, gun shop owners and competitive shooters argued the legislation would infringe on the rights of lawful gun owners. They said lawmakers should instead implement tougher criminal punishments. Democrats have banned untraceable ghost guns that don’t have serial numbers as well as the sale of semi-automatic rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines, among other gun laws. Washington’s current gun laws have an A-minus rating from the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, ranking ninth in the U.S. In 2022, the gun death rate in Washington increased 11% from the previous year, for a total of 1,022 deaths About two-thirds of those were suicides. Guns were also one of the leading causes of death among Washington children that year, claiming 32 lives, on par with car crashes and higher than drownings.
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