Legislation aimed at suicide prevention and intervention in Washington State that was championed by the Second Amendment Foundation received unanimous public support during a hearing before the state House Judiciary Committee.
SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb told TGM that he is very encouraged by the broad support shown for H.B. 1612, sponsored by Rep. Tina Orwall (D-Seattle). He has been involved in the effort for about two years, noting that “This isn’t about guns, it’s about preventing tragedies.”
The legislation was even supported by the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, the Seattle-based gun control group responsible for passage of Initiative 594 in 2014. Orwall’s legislation would loosen up some of the restrictions on firearms transfers that were included in the initiative.
The bill is also supported by University of Washington Professor Jennifer Stuber, whose husband took his life with a firearm. She and Gottlieb have been working closely to make sure that the legislation did not become a back-door gun control effort.
Last year, the original bill creating a “Safe Homes” suicide prevention task force was passed almost unanimously and signed by Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee. This year’s bill includes a general fund request for $200,000 to provide funding for training and materials, including those which will be available to federally licensed firearms dealers.
Meanwhile, the National Shooting Sports Foundation has partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in a separate national program that is designed to reduce the number of suicides by firearms nationwide.
