Now that Initiative 1639, Safe Schools and Safe Communities, has passed, there is still more that needs to be done.
Currently, there is no state law that requires law enforcement agencies to destroy all confiscated or donated firearms.
This is a big problem and defies common sense.
Some cities in the state are taking action to require destruction of confiscated firearms but I am not aware of anything at the state level.
Law enforcement agencies across Washington state sold more than 6,000 firearms that had been used in crimes between 2010 and the end of 2017.
More than a dozen of those weapons later turned up in new criminal investigations, according to a yearlong analysis by the Associated Press.
Some law enforcement agencies across the state sell the guns through an auction process and the State Patrol is required by law to sell them.
Selling these firearms and putting them back into the environment defies logic.
To my knowledge there is no state agency that provides individuals with the information necessary to allow them to give up and ensure their unwanted firearms are destroyed if they so desire.
Some local law enforcement here on the Peninsula will take your unwanted firearms and destroy them if that’s what you want.
However, the information about that process is not obvious.
You would need to call the agency and ask specifically what the process is.
The Legislature needs to pass legislation to ensure that all confiscated and donated firearms are destroyed.
Stan Riddle,
Sequim