Joel Connelly of the Seattle PI writes on the powerful words spoken in support of Initiative 1491 at our annual luncheon:

The Alliance for Gun Responsibility took on the National Rifle Association and shot down the NRA’s aura of invincibility in 2014 when it passed Initiative 594.  Backed by a $10 million campaign, the measure requires criminal background checks for those purchasing firearms at gun shows and online.

The group is back in 2016. With action in the legislature blocked by the gun lobby, it has launched a ballot campaign for Initiative 1491, to legalize so-called “extreme risk protection orders.”

The measure would allow police, family or household members to obtain court orders temporarily preventing firearms access by persons exhibiting mental illness, violence or other behavior indicating they may harm themselves or others.

. . .

“It is a lot easier for the gun lobby to bully the members of Congress than the voters and citizens of Washington: Washington is a leading voice for gun responsibility in the United States,” said retired U.S. Navy Capt. (and NASA shuttle astronaut) Mark Kelly, Gifford’s husband.

Giffords and Kelly are gun owners and sports enthusiasts. After the assassination attempt as Giffords held a town hall at a Tucson mall, the couple formed a group called Americans for Responsible Solutions. Kelly is its chief voice, since Giffords’ ability to speak was circumscribed by the horrible injuries she suffered.

. . .

The luncheon heard from Marilyn Balcerak, who was repeatedly rebuffed as she sought to get authorities to act on the autism spectrum disorder of her son. “In the eyes of society he was considered an adult and had to navigate his own treatment on his own,” she said.

“I couldn’t keep him from getting a gun,” she added, “I was told, ‘He has the legal right to buy a gun.'”

James Balcerak murdered his sister and then shot himself to death in Auburn last year. “James bought his gun legally at Fred Meyer,” said his mother. “He should never have been able to buy a gun.”

Read the rest of Connelly’s piece here.