Controlling gun violence

In the aftermath of the shootings at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle's offices on July 28, the debate over gun violence has been rekindled, just as it was following the shooting spree on Capitol Hill March 25. Are tighter firearms controls needed? Or not? And what about self-defense? > Below, two views on gun control and gun rights

This summer, the Puget Sound region has been traumatized by tragic shootings that have taken innocent lives and shaken our sense of safety and security.

Two Seattle neighborhoods were met with mass shooters armed with high-powered guns that indiscriminately ended lives. A mother and her daughter were shot to death on a hiking trail in Snohomish County. A Puyallup police officer was wounded while out on patrol one early Saturday morning in June.

These shootings are only the tip of the iceberg of the gun-violence problem that plagues our state and takes the lives of hundreds of men, women and children every year. The base of this iceberg is concealed by a well-funded gun lobby and elected leaders who deny and dismiss the scope of the problem in our communities.

It's no surprise that most Washington voters are unaware of gaping loopholes in our laws that allow criminals, the mentally ill and terrorists easy access to guns. It is also no surprise that most Washington voters support common-sense measures to keep guns out of the wrong hands.

Today in Washington state, guns are being bought and sold with no background checks and no questions asked at gun shows. At the 60 gun shows a year across our state, purchasing an assault weapon is easier than renting a movie at your local video store.

To rent "Top Gun," you need a driver's license on file; to buy the top gun at a gun show, all you need is cash. No "point of sale" background checks and no questions asked. These shows provide a regularly scheduled, publicized event where criminals, minors and mentally unstable individuals have an opportunity to purchase weapons all within the bounds of current Washington state law.

Recent polling conducted by Washington CeaseFire shows there is overwhelming statewide approval for limiting access to guns by closing the gun-show loophole and requiring background checks when guns are sold. That same poll of more than 400 voters also showed a vast majority of Washingtonians would vote for legislators who support sensible gun-safety measures.

Each of these tragedies leaves us confronting a troubling divide that exists between the political leadership and the will of the people in Washington state. These senseless events are stark reminders that every one of us, whether at work, at school or at play, is vulnerable to the threat of gun violence because of lax gun laws in Washington state.

We know that the political will often slowly trails behind the public's when it comes to major public-health crises.

Drunken driving and secondhand smoke were recognized as major health threats by the public long before legislative leaders took action to reduce their impacts on our kids and families. We look back today and find it hard to imagine a time when you could smoke next to a child on a six-hour flight to New York City or rack up a half-dozen DUIs before having your license revoked.

Our elected leaders were slow to respond to the calls for tougher enforcement on, and better prevention of, these major public-health problems, but eventually they did. Today, we have safer roads and public places because of these actions.

The people of Washington state support common-sense gun-safety legislation. They want communities, schools and workplaces free of senseless gun violence and they believe, just like with drunken driving and secondhand smoke, we can reduce gun violence and succeed in making Washington a safer place to live.

We can't afford another summer of violence. It's time for the political leadership of Washington state to approach gun violence as a public-health crisis and step up prevention and enforcement efforts to save lives.

Jon Scholes is vice president of Washington CeaseFire (www.washingtonceasefire.org), a statewide organization working to reduce gun violence.