The Alliance for Gun Responsibility issued the following statement about today’s State Supreme Court ruling in favor of the City of Seattle’s tax on firearm and ammunition:

“We are elated the State Supreme Court upheld previous rulings in support of Seattle’s gun and ammunition tax, with an 8-1 decision. It has always been clear the tax, that went into effect in January 2016, was a proper and lawful exercise of the City’s power to invest in public programs.

Gun violence is a public health and safety issue that needs to be studied accordingly. In King County alone, we lose $183 million in medical costs and lost productivity each year. Having more information about the gun violence epidemic in our city will help leaders effectively create and implement data-driven policies and programs that will help reduce death and injury by firearm. The gun lobby has fought to stop basic gun safety research at the federal level for decades, but today’s ruling affirms Seattle’s decision to take on this public health crisis.

In 2013, Seattle became the first city in the nation to conduct basic research on gun safety. The ruling today to uphold the tax means we can continue our legacy of leadership on this key issue. We now have designated funding for gun violence prevention research and programs for years to come.

The gun lobby has tried – and failed – at every step of the process to use the courts to block this commonsense policy that will fund these critical investments. Today’s ruling is a clear message that their campaign to deny the public factual information about gun violence is not welcome in Washington State.”