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Lawmakers on what can be done to prevent another deadly Seattle shooting


Police and medics rush to 4th and Pine in Downtown Seattle after multiple people were shot. (KOMO Photo)
Police and medics rush to 4th and Pine in Downtown Seattle after multiple people were shot. (KOMO Photo)
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State lawmakers and the governor are being asked the tough question in the wake of two days of violence in downtown Seattle: “What are you doing to make sure that doesn’t happen again?”

Gov. Inslee said, “Look, I think there are multiple things that we need to do to reduce gun violence in the state of Washington, not just one thing. We know we have to have a vigorous law enforcement response, which I’m confident we will in this particular case."

“We know we have to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them," he added. "We know we need better behavioral health treatment for people who have mental health issues. We know there’s some common sense gun legislation that is appropriate, some of which the legislature is concerning this year.”

“I think it’s just tragedy,” said Rep. Morgan Irwin, R-Enumclaw 31st District. Irwin is also a Seattle police officer. He says his views are his own and he doesn’t represent the department.

“That corner (3rd & Pine) has a history of problems,” said Irwin. “It’s well known. But to see two people get into an argument, pull out guns and get into a gun battle in the middle of a crowd, you just don’t usually see that.”

“So, right now we’ve got a lot of gun laws on the books. Both of these men had a total of I think eight felony convictions between the two of them... 64 arrests," he added. "Both of them have been arrested and convicted of felonies in 2019. That’s the information that’s been shared on line so far. We put a lot of laws on the books. One of these guys got arrested and convicted in 2019 for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon."

Irwin went on to say....

“It’s frustrating to pass laws in Olympia and see officers and prosecutors follow through on their side of the job and then to have someone immediately release them into society. That’s a five-year sentence range and he wasn’t even in for six months. What can we do with that here in Olympia? Well, we’ve passed the laws. We’ve given the locals those tools. If they choose not to use them it’s our job to hold them accountable publicly and say, ‘Hey, you’ve got the tools. Use them. Keep your society and your community safe.”

Sen. Steve O’Ban, R-West Pierce County, 28th District gave his two cents.

“I think in part it’s a lack of will to increase beds in the DOC (prisons), so we have places for these individuals where they should go rather than being on the street," he said.

“Gun violence is so scary,” said Rep. Tana Senn, D-Mercer island, 41st Dist. She just passed a bill allowing the state patrol to destroy confiscated weapons.

“Well, the great news is that last year we took a lot of steps from banning bump stocks to firming up some rules around domestic violence as to who can have a gun.”

And yet the Seattle shooting still happened.

“I think, look, we are always going to have issues in the state of Washington," Inslee said. "There’s always something we can get better at. But important thing is that people around the country understand Washington state and Seattle are tremendous places to live.”

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