Today, Congressman Adam Smith of the 9th Congressional District announced his endorsement of Initiative 1491. The Congressman released the following statement:

I am proud to announce my endorsement of Initiative 1491, which will help save lives and make our neighborhoods safer. Extreme Risk Protection Orders give concerned family members and law enforcement officers a tool to prevent a private moment of crisis from becoming a public tragedy, or another awful gun violence statistic. No one should be afraid of gun violence in their own home, at school, at work, or in their place of worship.

Washington state continues to lead the nation in voter-driven efforts to address the crisis of gun violence in our country. In Congress, as a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and as lifelong Washingtonian, I have always championed common-sense responsible gun laws that protect our children and communities. In 2014, I was proud to support I-594, which created universal background checks in Washington state and passed with overwhelming voter support. No single piece of legislation can prevent every tragedy, but supporting I-1491 and Extreme Risk Protection Orders are the best step we can take right now to reduce gun violence in our state.

The Alliance for Gun Responsibility is in the process of collecting 340,000 signatures to ensure that Extreme Risk Protection Orders are on the ballot this November. Find out more about how you can get involved at www.GunResponsibility.org