(Seattle, WA) – Renée Hopkins, Executive Director of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility issued the following statement in response to new proposals by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, members of the Seattle City Council, Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole, and other community leaders.

Today is Gun Violence Awareness Day. This day began as a tribute to one individual victim and is now a movement to honor the more than 30,000 Americans who lose their lives every year to gun violence.

The best way to honor the victims and survivors of gun violence is to take action to end the crisis of preventable gun violence in our country.

I am proud that the City of Seattle and Seattle Police Department are taking important steps to implement better practices for procuring and re-selling firearms and investing in technology to improve their ability to respond to shootings.

For every one firearm homicide, there are approximately 100 more shooting incidents keeping kids from playing outside, keeping neighbors from stopping to talk, and keeping communities in fear. This investment in shot locator technology will be an important asset to the Seattle Police Department, helping first responders pinpoint and respond to shootings more quickly. Similar tools have helped cities across the country more effectively understand, respond to, and ultimately reduce incidents of shootings. The residents of Seattle deserve safer communities, and leaders who make safety a priority.

I look forward to working with the City of Seattle, and leaders statewide, to build on today’s announcement and implement responsible gun policies across Washington state.

About Initiative Measure No. 1491

Initiative Measure No. 1491 concerns court-issued extreme risk protection orders temporarily preventing access to firearms. This measure would allow police, family, or household members to obtain court orders temporarily preventing firearms access by persons exhibiting mental illness, violent or other behavior indicating they may harm themselves or others. Learn more at https://gunresponsibility.org/extreme-risk-protection-orders/.

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 atwww.gunresponsibility.org and follow us at @WAGunResponsib.