As Washington continues to experience record levels of gun violence, the Alliance is calling on lawmakers to continue leading the nation on adopting innovative gun safety policy

SEATTLE, WA – Today, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility released its 2023 legislative agenda, which reflects the urgent need for Washington lawmakers to continue taking bold action to address the gun violence epidemic. Leading the agenda is a proposal to prohibit the sale of semi-automatic assault rifles.

The release comes one week before the 10th anniversary of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. The Alliance was born out of the Sandy Hook tragedy and has been working ever since to address the public health crisis. In the last decade, Washington has made meaningful progress, passing over 40 community safety bills through the legislature as well as three statewide ballot measures and investing substantial funding in research and community violence prevention efforts. 

But it is clear that more must be done. Washington saw record-breaking levels of gun violence in 2020 and 2021 and that spike in violence has continued throughout 2022. In the face of this persistent violence, bold action and meaningful investments in gun violence prevention from the Washington State Legislature are urgently needed. 

“The Alliance was founded in the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook,” said Renée Hopkins, CEO of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility. “Nearly ten years later, we have made meaningful progress. We have proven to lawmakers and advocates in Washington and nationwide that change is possible. We have closed deadly loopholes, strengthened our protection orders, created suicide prevention safeguards, and invested in community violence intervention. We have saved lives. And we are not done yet.

We are returning to Olympia with our boldest agenda to date. We are calling on our lawmakers to require a permit to purchase firearms, establish a pathway to justice for victims of gun violence, and invest substantial funding in the Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention. And this year, we are counting on our elected leaders to prohibit the sale of semi-automatic assault rifles. The Sandy Hook shooter was armed with an assault rifle. As were the perpetrators of each of the deadliest shootings since then, including Las Vegas, Orlando, Parkland, and Uvalde. Enough. It is long past time for legislation to keep these weapons of war out of our communities.”

The 2023 legislative agenda includes a range of proposals to build on and strengthen existing gun responsibility and community safety policies. Highlights include:

• Prohibiting the sale of assault weapons 
• Requiring a permit to purchase firearms 
• Establishing a pathway to justice for victims of gun violence. 

The full 2023 Gun Responsibility Agenda is available here. 

A fact sheet with current data about the gun violence epidemic in Washington is available here. 

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