Timeline

Alliance helps secure congressionally-directed spending for partner organizations.

Working with Washington partners CHOOSE 180 and Peacemaking Institute, the Alliance successfully advocated for $245k and $300k in federal funding for each organization respectively to support efforts to reduce gun violence by diverting offenses from the traditional court process, which focuses on punishment and labeling conduct, to a restorative justice approach that utilizes wrap-around community support.

Washington State Legislature passes six gun responsibility bills!

In the second virtual legislative session, amid the continued challenges posed by the pandemic, Washington lawmakers significantly funded gun violence prevention programs and passed six community safety bills, including ESSB 5078 to restrict high-capacity magazines holding more than 10 rounds! The passage of high-capacity magazine restrictions is a victory six years in the making.

The Victory Fund helps elect 45 gun responsibility champions!

The Alliance endorsed 69 candidates across Washington state running for a variety of local races, from mayor to port commissioner to school board.

Washington State Legislature passes 10 community safety bills!

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and a virtual session, the legislature passes 10 significant public safety bills. Highlights include SB 5038, which rejects armed intimidation by prohibiting open carry at the state capitol and public demonstrations and HB 1320, which improves efficiency and accessibility in the civil protection order system. The legislature also takes long-overdue action on police accountability, passing seven bills to strengthen oversight and rebuild community trust.

The Foundation hosts second virtual summit, this time on white supremacy and firearms.

From high-profile police shootings to the insurrection, 2020 brought constant, painful reminders that gun violence and white supremacy are inextricably linked. This summit, White Supremacy and Guns: Exploring the History, is designed to start a conversation about how white supremacy, both past and present, contributes to the current gun violence epidemic.

The Foundation hosts (first virtual!) summit on firearm surrender and protection orders.

This is our fourth summit on protection orders and firearms, but the first held virtually and first with a national audience. Designed specifically for practitioners, the program goes in-depth on firearm surrender orders, domestic violence protection orders, and Extreme Risk Protection Orders. It also features a panel on centering equity in the protection order outreach and implementation process.

The Victory Fund helps elect 85 gun responsibility candidates.

The Victory Fund issues more endorsements than ever at the state and federal level, including our first presidential endorsement!

Washington State Legislature passes five gun responsibility bills and makes historic investment in gun violence prevention programs.

The supplemental budget includes more than $14 million in GVP funding. The legislature passes SB 6288, SB 5434, HB 2467, HB 2555, and HB 2622. Most notably, SB 6288 creates a first-in-the-nation Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention, which will be tasked with gathering data, supporting victims of gun violence, and administering a grant program to community violence intervention groups. This is a crucial first step toward addressing the gun violence that impacts our communities – especially Black and brown communities – every day.

The Tacoma City Council passes a tax on firearms and ammunition.

The tax is modeled after Seattle's 2015 tax.

The Victory Fund helps elect 38 candidates in local races across Washington State.

For the first time ever, they include school board candidates.

The Foundation hosts two Summits.

The Pierce County Summit looks at King County's successful model of addressing the intersection of gun violence and domestic violence. The King County Summit addresses the intersection of hate and gun violence.

Gov. Inslee creates a 10-point plan to address the rise of white nationalism.

The Alliance works closely with the Governor to develop the plan.

The WA State Legislature allocates $1 million in state funding for gun violence prevention research.

Harborview Injury and Prevention Research Center (HIPRC) will study risk factors for gun-related injuries and deaths, analyze the impact of gun laws, and develop strategies to reduce the devastating toll of gun violence in the state.

Ten gun responsibility priority bills pass through the WA State Legislature, more than were passed in all past sessions combined.

The 10 bills are: SHB 1225, EHB 1465, SHB 1739, SHB 1786, SHB 1949, SSB 5027, SSB 5181, SB 5205, SB 5508, and SSB 5954.

The Foundation produces three key educational resources.

Along with our national partners, we produce an Extreme Risk Protection Order toolkit, GunProtectionOrder.org and DisarmDV.org.

Washingtonians elect the state's first true gun responsibility majority to the WA State Legislature.

The Alliance for Gun Responsibility Victory Fund helped elect 67 candidates at every level of government.

The Foundation hosts two educational summits focused on domestic violence.

For the first time, one is held in Eastern Washington.

I-1639 passes.

The Alliance's third ballot initiative passes with nearly 60 percent of the vote statewide. It is the most comprehensive gun violence prevention measure in state history, strengthening rules for purchasing semi-automatic assault rifles and establishing a safe storage incentive.

The Regional Domestic Violence and Firearms Enforcement Unit collects 400% more firearms than the previous year.

March for our Lives occurs across the nation.

Parkland students inspire a new generation of gvp advocates to join the movement.

The WA State Legislature passes four gun responsibility priority bills.

They include domestic violence protections (SB 6298), a first-in-the-nation suicide prevention bill (SB 5553), a bill to prohibit bump stocks (ESSB 5992) and changes to concealed pistol licenses (HB 2519).

Education to Action launches.

This free workshop and toolkit is designed for impacted communities to advocate for change.

The Foundation hosts two educational summits.

One focuses on mental health, the other on guns in a civil society.

The Victory Fund helps elect 16 candidates for local office across the state.

See the full list here.

The WA State Legislature passes two priority gvp bills.

HB 1501, also known as “Lie and Try,” requires Washington gun dealers to report when someone tries to buy a firearm and fails a background check, and SB 5522, clarifies existing provisions of Washington’s background check law.

Chapter Teams launch.

The Chapter Team program empowers volunteers and advocates across Washington State to take action on gun violence prevention in their communities.

The Regional Domestic Violence Firearms Enforcement Unit forms.

This first-of-its-kind unit takes a multi-disciplinary, regionalized, and dedicated approach to gun violence prevention and is a direct result of the implementation work that began in 2016.

I-1491 passes.

The Alliance's second ballot initiative passes with almost 70 percent of the vote statewide, establishing Extreme Risk Protection Orders in Washington.

The Victory Fund helps elect 40 candidates for local office across the state.

Read the full list here.

The Foundation launches its implementation work in King County.

We convene work groups to analyze the impact of HB 1840 and firearms surrender in protection order cases.

The WA State Legislature passes three priority gun violence prevention bills.

SHB 2410 restricts firearms for certain felonies, HB 1448 establishes procedures for threatened or attempted suicide, and HB 2793 establishes a Safer Homes Task Force to address suicide.

The Foundation hosts two educational summits.

The Summits bring together experts and other stakeholders to address the intersectionality of gun violence with other issues. One focuses on suicide prevention, the other on disarming hate.

The Alliance releases its first annual "Legislator Scorecard."

The Scorecard serves as a counter to the NRA's Scorecard.

The Sheena Henderson Act becomes law.

SB 5381 allows family members to request notification when a confiscated gun is returned.

Seattle taxes gun and ammunition sales.

The tax, passed by the Seattle City Council, will fund gun violence prevention research.

I-594 passes.

The Alliance's first ballot initiative passes with nearly 60 percent of the vote statewide, expanding background checks in Washington State.

The Alliance establishes a state-based PAC.

The Alliance for Gun Victory Fund helps elect gun violence prevention champions.

The Alliance establishes a 501(c)(3) Foundation.

This arm of the Alliance focuses on research, education, implementation, and youth engagement.

The WA State Legislature passes HB 1840.

The law helps ensure firearm surrender as a part of domestic violence and other protection orders.

The Alliance hosts its first annual luncheon.

The fundraiser tops $1 million in contributions, setting a record in the space and an expectation for big successes.

Seattle directly funds research into the public health impacts of gun violence in the community.

It is the first city in the country to do so.

The Alliance for Gun Responsibility forms.

A group of concerned citizens, parents, and faith leaders, fed up with the inaction after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, comes together to bring a background check bill to the WA State Legislature.