Polls in Four Key Districts Shows Overwhelming Support, Including Among Gun Owners, for Enhanced Assault Weapon Background Checks, Part of the School and Community Safety Bill

Alliance for Gun Responsibility and MomsRising Call for Immediate Vote on Substitute Senate Bill 6620

Seattle, WA – Today, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility and MomsRising called for immediate votes in the state Senate and House. This call follows the release of polling data demonstrating overwhelming support for Enhanced Assault Weapon Background Checks, a key component of the School and Community Safety Bill (SSB6620). The Legislature must act quickly – the bill awaits a floor vote in the Senate just four days before the 2018 Legislative session ends.

The results show at least 77 percent of voters in each of the 5^th, 30^th, 44^th, and 47^th Legislative Districts support raising the minimum age of purchase and requiring a state background check for semi-automatic rifle purchases. In the 30^th and 47^th districts, 81 percent and 82 percent of voters support the proposal. Additionally, in each of the districts, a supermajority of gun owners supports the proposal.

Enhanced Assault Weapons Background Checks is also a voting issue in these districts. In the four districts polled, voters were between 64 percent and 70 percent more likely to vote for a candidate who supported raising the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21. Click the following links to view the survey results for the 5^th, 30^th, 44^th, and 47^th Legislative Districts.

“The time has come for the Washington State Senate and House to vote on, and pass, SSB 6620, the School and Community Safety bill,” said Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive director and CEO of MomsRising. “Thousands of MomsRising members in our state, and countless Washingtonians, have reached out to their elected officials to make it clear to them that the Legislature cannot fail to take decisive action, this session, on this bill.  Washington State has the chance to be among the first in the nation to pass commonsense legislation to protect schools, communities and kids in the wake of the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. With only three full days left in the 2018 legislative session, it’s time to get this widely-supported, bipartisan policy done for the children and families of Washington State.”

“The people of Washington State are raising their voices in support of SSB 6620. Now, it’s time for the Legislature to act,” said Renée Hopkins, CEO of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility. “Gun responsibility is a voting issue for Washingtonians.  Washingtonians in every district, from Seattle to Spokane, will take note of who chooses to act to protect our schools and families. Our legislators must listen to their communities.  Pass SSB 6620, and pass it on to the Governor.”

Since the 2018 legislative session began, there have been hundreds of thousands of emails and calls to legislators urging them to act on school and community safety, including Enhanced Assault Weapon Background Checks. Last week, the Senate Ways and Means Committee voted SSB 6620 out on Thursday, March 1^st, following testimony from survivors, students, educators, prosecutors, doctors, gun owners, and veterans.

About the Surveys
The 2018 findings closely track results from a December 2016 poll conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner (GQR) of 800 likely 2018 voters across the state. In that survey, 67 percent of voters supported the Enhanced Assault Weapon Background Checks policy, figures comparable to the margins of passage for Initiatives 594 and 1491. The policy was also supported by the majority of gun owners (58 percent) and by a large portion of Republican voters (41 percent). The 2018 data includes interviews with 1,200 voters across the four legislative districts.

About the Alliance for Gun Responsibility

The Alliance for Gun Responsibility works to end the gun violence crisis in our community and to promote a culture of gun ownership that balances rights with responsibilities. Through collaboration with experts, civic leaders, and citizens, we work to find evidenced-based solutions to the crisis of gun violence in our community. We create innovative policy, advocate for changes in laws, and promote community education to reduce gun violence. Learn more at www.gunresponsibility.org and follow us at @WAGunResponsib.

About MomsRising

MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.

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