John,
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Over 80 of our endorsed gun safety champions won their elections and are ready to continue ensuring that Washington remains a national leader on gun safety measures.
These wins are bittersweet given the national election results, and some of us feel uncertain about what lies ahead. However, I know that with our gun safety champions, like Governor-Elect Bob Ferguson and Attorney General-Elect Nick Brown, we will continue to be staunch advocates for lifesaving, common-sense gun safety laws here in Washington state. Backed by the strongest gun violence prevention majority in the history of our state’s legislature, I am hopeful about the work ahead.
Nationwide change takes time, but local progress continues to help spur our national state-based movement. Much like the right for folks to simply marry who they want to marry, or the civil rights movement, we are making major strides in gun safety efforts at the state level. The road to a future free from the epidemic of gun violence will continue to run through the states.
We have accomplished so much; while the nation’s suicide rates by firearms increased, Washington State’s rate decreased. That’s over a hundred deaths that commonsense gun laws have prevented in Washington State, since ERPO went into effect. That’s not all we have been able to accomplish:
-
We have implemented a 10-day waiting period and mandated safety training for the purchase of all firearms;
- Worked to expand Washington’s voluntary waiver program, which eliminates barriers for some of the most vulnerable Washingtonians;
-
Continued expansion and refinement of statutes governing protection orders, including Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs);
- Mandated that schools share information regarding the safe storage of firearms and ammunition; and so much more.
The Alliance is proud to lead the nation in passing lifesaving policies that reduce gun violence, and we are grateful for your generous support, which has made our movement stronger.
We are also proud to be supporting three other states in building out their state-based infrastructures and strategies. Oregon, Michigan, and Maine ran their first political programs this year with some great successes in OR and ME. Maine is also working to put ERPO on the ballot and a signature gathering campaign has already garnered ⅔ of the signatures needed to qualify for the ballot-and they are working now to finish the job!
None of this work would be possible without your support and contribution. Thank you for helping us make a difference. We look forward to continuing the fight to reduce gun violence with you by our side!
With gratitude,
