MUKILTEO — Gun violence has been the focus of recent student-led marches and rallies.
It’s just the beginning, Mukilteo City Councilman Richard Emery said.
Emery proposed a gun safety resolution discussion for the City Council work session at 6 p.m. Monday at Mukilteo City Hall, 11930 Cyrus Way.
“It’s an issue that needs to be addressed in a radically different way than we’ve been doing it. I keep going back to the response across the country that had generally been, ‘Now is not the time,’ ” Emery said.
“The young people have said, ‘Why not now? If now is not the time, tell us when.’ They have come forward to say they have every reason to expect to be safe in the school — and not just in school. Going to the movies and the mall, going to music venues.”
U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen plans to host a forum on gun violence and school safety from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Mariner High School. The public event includes student speakers, Snohomish County sheriff’s Capt. Scott Parker, University of Washington Professor Frederick Rivara, Yasmin Trudeau, with the Office of Attorney General, and Riall Johnson, of the Snohomish County NAACP.
Since the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Larsen has met with Washington students, school superintendents, school boards and law enforcement to discuss safety. He is co-chairman of the school safety caucus, which provides a forum for Congress to figure out ways for schools to approach safety needs.
How much can be done about guns?
“We are largely constrained by the Washington state law,” Emery said. “There is very little we can do directly … but we can see what we can do, even if it’s a series of community discussions on what we can do as citizens … maybe get people to pay more attention to individuals whose behavior is concerning to people and how to get them help.
“Gun violence issues are not just about mass shootings at schools. It’s about suicide and access to guns. It’s about the use of guns in crimes.”
The other topics at Monday’s two-hour council session will be infrastructure and land use. It is a work session, meaning no decisions or actions will be made.
The public is encouraged to attend but will have limited input at this session.
“It will be great to have people come and listen. They should not come with the expectation they will be able to talk,” Emery said. “I would love to have students come.”
Public comments should be sent to elected@ mukilteowa.gov.
Mayor Jennifer Gregerson recently issued proclamations on gun violence for the “March for our Lives” event March 24 and the March 31 Kamiak High School student-led rally, “Never Again Mukilteo.”
Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.
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