Cops Fight Gun Initiative Measure Would Drive ‘A Wedge Between Police And The Community’
Opponents of the Nov. 4 ballot initiative on gun control have scored a political bull’s-eye - a majority of Washington’s cops are on their side.
Individuals and organizations representing some 8,000 law enforcement officers have signed on to the campaign to defeat Initiative 676, which would require handgun owners to get a safety license and a trigger-locking device.
The police endorsement of the opposition campaign, led by the National Rifle Association, is showing up on television ads, billboards and brochures.
It’s not that police don’t support the safe use of handguns - the 6,000-member Washington State Council of Police Officers endorsed a safe-storage bill that failed to pass the Legislature this year - but they believe the initiative is severely flawed.
“It’s unenforceable, especially in the home. There’s no way law enforcement officers are going to go into the home to see if anybody has a trigger lock. It’s not going to happen,” said Mike Patrick, the council’s executive director.
“It’s hard to unite cops on issues like this,” he said. “I guess we’re tired of legislation being passed that’s mass overkill.”
Initiative 676’s sponsors cite endorsements from several law enforcement leaders, including Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper, Spokane Sheriff John Goldman and Bellingham Police Chief Don Pierce. But it’s a weak counterpunch when faced with opposition from thousands of law enforcers, including at least 28 of the state’s 39 sheriffs.
The measure’s sponsors instead prefer to focus on their broad base of support, which includes the 7,000-member Washington State Medical Association, the 65,000-member Washington Education Association and the Washington Association of Churches, all united in an effort to prevent accidental deaths and injuries involving handguns.
“They want to point to cops. I want to point to doctors,” said Mike Seely, spokesman for the “Safety first!” campaign pushing the initiative. “I would say doctors are as much on the front lines as police officers. They both have to deal with children who are accidentally shot. It’s as much of a public health problem as anything.”
Police objections to Initiative 676 are numerous:
Unlike current law, there’s no provision authorizing someone whose life is in danger, such as a stalking victim, to get an emergency permit to buy a handgun.
Conflicting language may suggest that everyone in the home must get a safety license, even if only one person uses the gun.
Local police departments don’t have the resources or personnel to handle testing and license applications from the estimated 1 million handgun owners in Washington. There’s a concern it could take officers off the street.
There’s no deadline for issuing a safety license to applicants. Under current law, police have to issue a permit to a qualified applicant within 30 days.
“It drives a wedge between police and the community,” said Jim Fotis, executive director of the Virginia-based Law Enforcement Alliance of America, which has about 1,000 members in Washington state. “If you don’t have a (handgun safety) license and a cop comes to your house for another reason, you have committed a crime. Cops don’t want to be put in that position.”