“COVID-19 has laid bare the structural inequities and risk factors that negatively impact the health and safety of too many of our communities. It has also created new obstacles, including significant budget shortfalls that will require that our elected officials make difficult decisions.

But as we look to the future, we must not forfeit the significant progress we have made on gun violence prevention. Ensuring existing gun laws are effectively implemented and sustaining funding for community-based violence intervention and prevention efforts are as urgent as ever.

We cannot afford to press pause on making our communities safe from gun violence. And we cannot afford to elect leaders at any level who think they are above the law.

More than ever, we need elected officials who understand the challenges ahead and who will prioritize building a safer and more just future for all Washingtonians. Lives depend on it.”

Read the full piece by Renée Hopkins in Crosscut.