By Dave Workman
Editor-in -Chief
OPINION: An editorial in the normally pro-gun-control Seattle Times says a measure aimed at licensed firearms retailers “pushes gun control to a level of punishment for legitimate businesses.”
Singling out House Bill 2118 from among three measures still in play, the Times editorial board recognizes the restrictive nature of the legislation.
“Some lawmakers may not like the selling of guns in Washington,” the editorial acknowledges, “but it’s a legal business. The Times editorial board praised the Legislature for enacting laws that banned the sale of assault-style weapons and ammunition over the past two years. But HB 2118 unnecessarily tightens the rein on gun dealers while using the public’s safety as a smoke screen.”
It is a stunning acknowledgement from a newspaper editorial board which traditionally has supported all kinds of gun control measures.
The same editorial said two other bills—House Bill 1903 and House Bill 2021—should be adopted. HB 1903 deals with reporting lost or stolen guns to police and HB 2021 concerns State Patrol destruction of guns used in crimes.
Beyond what Second Amendment activists might consider the newspaper’s surprising turnaround on a gun control measure, reader reactions tell a great deal about the mindset of anti-gunners. Such comments invariably make for some interesting reading.
One reader argued, “In a society awash in guns both legally bought and illegally obtained I feel that if we lose a few gun dealers who cannot comply with these standards then we’ll all be just a little bit safer.”
Another wrote, “The gun culture in this country is totally disgusting. No business that sells murder weapons should be refereed (sic) to as ‘legitimate.’”
But weighing on the other side were remarks defending gun rights.
One reader noted how ““the most recent CDC fatality statistics in 2021, the majority of violent firearm deaths in the United States are still by suicide…54% vs all other forms of firearm homicides.” That reader went on to observe, “When law enforcement can no longer realistically respond to a criminal threat to you, standing behind one’s beliefs will do little to protect you.”
Another reader response suggested how to reduce crime involving firearms: “If you want to drastically reduce gun violence, put the criminals in jail for the crimes they commit, and keep them there for their full sentences…”
The Times editorial notes in its first paragraph that Washington “ranks among the Top 10 states in the nation for strength of gun laws, according to Everytown, a gun policy and research organization.”
But nowhere have there been any explanations for the dramatic increase in homicides since the Evergreen State started adopting the strict laws celebrated by Everytown and other groups comprising the gun prohibition lobby.
According to data from the FBI Uniform Crime Report and the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, in 2015, the first full year after voters passed Initiative 594, calling for so-called “universal background checks,” the state logged 209 homicides. In 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, Washington suffered 394 murders.
In 2016, the first full year after Seattle adopted the special tax on firearms and ammunition, Seattle reported 20 homicides. In 2023, the number of murders more than tripled, according to various sources. While the Seattle Police crime dashboard says there were 64 murders in the city last year, the private “X” account “Seattle Homicide” and other sources put the number of slayings above 70.
