Councilmember Sally Bagshaw (District 7, Pioneer Square to Magnolia) issued the following statement following voters’ approval of Initiative 1491, which will allow family members and law enforcement to petition a court to temporarily suspend a person’s access to firearms if there is documented evidence that an individual is threatening harm to themselves or others:

“I am very pleased that Washington voters supported this common sense Extreme Risk Protection Order initiative with such a strong a voice. Big thanks to the Alliance for Gun Responsibility for spearheading this effort; they led the charge to get criminal background checks in this state through I-594 last year, and I know their work is not yet done.

“When the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School occurred in December 2012, I was shaken to my core. My granddaughter was only two months old and lived 55 miles away from the shooting, yet I realized again how precious and fragile life can be. I grieved for the families who lost their babies, and could only begin to imagine the empty places in their hearts that may never fully heal.

“Since then, I’ve been active in supporting and developing local solutions in pursuit of gun responsibility. Washington voters’ decision today demonstrates beyond doubt the people in our state want responsible gun ownership.  I hope that message resonates with our legislators in Olympia this next legislative session. I urge our legislators to support Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s call to end the sale of military-style semi-automatic rifles in the State of Washington and limit magazine capacity to ten rounds.”