FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2024
Contact: press@wa-democrats.org
In contrast, Attorney General Bob Ferguson takes action, equipping law enforcement with funds for gun violence prevention efforts
Seattle, WA – This week Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the Democratic candidate for governor, announced additional gun violence prevention efforts, equipping law enforcement agencies with $2 million in funding to combat gun violence. The funds will come from money collected as part of a settlement with a gun shop that had violated state law.
While Ferguson and Democratic leaders across the state show there is a path forward and a way to prevent the tragic loss of life, Dave Reichert, backed by the politically compromised NRA, repeatedly voted against measures to protect Washington communities from the threat of gun violence. Reichert has also campaigned with Pete Serrano, who is at the forefront of legal attempts to repeal state gun safety laws that have saved lives.
REICHERT VOTED REPEATEDLY TO BLOCK BILLS THAT WOULD HAVE KEPT GUNS OUT OF THE WRONG HANDS
While Washington State led the nation in passing background checks for gun sales in 2014, Reichert voted repeatedly in Congress to block bills that would have required background checks and kept guns out of the wrong hands. Research shows that background checks are associated with lower firearm homicide rates, lower firearm suicide rates, and lower firearm trafficking.
REICHERT IS AGAINST A BAN ON THE SALE OF ASSAULT WEAPONS
In the wake of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump by a gunman using an AR rifle, Reichert refused to endorse stronger protections — like the ones Washington State currently has in place — to keep assault weapons out of dangerous hands, saying, “I think that if someone is intent on hurting or killing someone, they will find a way to do it no matter what weapon they use.”
Research shows that if the federal law prohibiting assault weapons and high-capacity magazines had been in effect from 2005 through 2019 — the exact years when Reichert was in Congress— it would have prevented 30 mass shootings that resulted in 1,478 people shot and killed or wounded.
REICHERT VOTED SEVEN TIMES AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION RESEARCH
Gun violence prevention research helps lawmakers and public servants do their jobs more effectively and keep communities safe. Reichert voted seven times to block this research (See Reichert’s votes here, here, here, here, here, here, and here).
“Dave Reichert put lives at risk every time he voted against common-sense gun safety measures,” said Shasti Conrad, chair of the WA State Democrats. “As governor, he would roll back common-sense measures that have kept our communities safer from the threat of gun violence. We cannot let him play politics with our public safety.”
The Washington State Democratic Party is committed to advancing progressive policy, empowering the grassroots, and ensuring Democratic victories up and down the ballot. Chair of the Washington Democrats, Shasti Conrad, is the first Indian-American woman to chair a major state party.
###
