Commentary: A victory for gun violence victims and the state

By Rory Graves

Whenever another gun violence tragedy makes headlines, the same question inevitably surfaces: How could it have been prevented? The conversation has become so predictable, that The Onion runs the same story every time: ‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens.

The polarized, partisan politics of it all are enough to make you want throw your hands in defeat.

For anyone who has experienced the devastating consequences of gun violence, defeat is not an option. Every shooting reveals gaping holes in our prevention tools that desperately need patching, as well as multiple missed opportunities for intervention before each tragedy.

In 2012, after decades of marriage and years of abuse, my former stepfather shot and nearly killed my mother. Police seized 24 guns and hundreds of rounds of ammo after the shooting. Currently, my mom’s shooter is barred from purchasing firearms. But that doesn’t mean he — nor other abusers and convicted felons — don’t try. There have been more than 12,000 illegal attempts to buy guns by prohibited persons in Washington state since 2013, but in the vast majority of cases, these attempts aren’t recorded and no action can be taken.

Fortunately, that is changing because of the bipartisan Law Enforcement and Victim Safety legislation. This policy will allow law enforcement and victims to be notified when felons, domestic abusers and other prohibited persons illegally attempt to purchase guns. It will give victims an opportunity to take steps to keep themselves and their families safe. It will also give police more comprehensive tools so that they can investigate people illegally trying to buy guns, the opportunity to intervene in dangerous situations further upstream.

Right now, my family has no way to know if my mom’s shooter is trying to get a gun; we’d only know if he showed up at our house with one. I know many other advocates and survivors who have been living with this same threat and we are relieved that this is changing.

In a last minute decision, amid mounting pressure and public outcry, Senate leadership did the right thing by holding a vote and passing House Bill 1501 unanimously. We celebrate this important moment, knowing that this legislation that will help save lives is now on its way to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. But it was a long road to get here with a lot of unnecessary ups and downs.

Because of the impact that this bill would have on my family, I’ve been following it closely. I watched as Republican and Democratic policymakers, law enforcement, victim advocates and even the gun lobby supported this commonsense legislation. I watched it pass the House of Representatives in a sweeping vote of 84–13, and as it unanimously passed two Senate committees. All that was necessary was for the full Senate to vote. My heart sank when, Republican Senate leaders failed to bring the bill up for a vote before a key deadline, just two weeks ago. The inaction felt like a slap in the face to those who had done the tireless work on this legislation, a slap in the face to survivors like my mother.

Our elected officials have a responsibility to protect public safety. This is an issue that we are all vulnerable to: In 57 percent of mass shootings, the perpetrator targeted a romantic partner or family member. We recently saw this in the horrifying mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, when a man shot and killed his estranged wife as she taught class, which also killed 8-year-old Jonathan Martinez.

I am overjoyed at the passage of the Law Enforcement and Victim Safety bill and am grateful that legislators stood up for survivors like my mother. We will continue to make it known that we will not accept inaction on this important, life-saving issue. Gun violence is preventable, but prevention is only possible if we act!

Rory Graves is an editor and a board member for the Alliance for Gun Responsibility Foundation. She and her family live in Bothell.