To: The Washington State House, The Washington State Senate, and Governor Jay Inslee
Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Children
I support establishing a publicly funded gun safety awareness and education program in the State of Washington and requiring gun owners to pass a safety exam and carry liability insurance on their guns. This program should be similar to that of automobile ownership and will reduce gun theft as well as child and teen shootings and suicides.
Why is this important?
Darrel had just started High School when his girlfriend broke-up with him. At home, and alone with his anguish, he used a shotgun to take his own life. He was 14. Each year, hundreds of children and teens die in Washington as a result of access to guns and other gun safety issues. They are not just victims of their own impulses; they are also victims of negligence by otherwise intellegent gun owners. Teaching proper safety precautions and requiring satey exams and insurance for gun owners will greatly reduce the incidence of tragedies like Darrel's.