OLYMPIA — Continuing the fight to end gun violence, Rep. Liz Berry (D-Queen Anne) passed HB 1903, a commonsense gun safety measure through the House. The legislation requires lost or stolen firearms to be reported to law enforcement within 24-hours after discovering it.
According to Giffords, 380,000 firearms are stolen each year from gun owners in the United States. Many of these stolen firearms are not reported to law enforcement and are subsequently trafficked, sold illegally, and used in violent crimes. And many cities have reported alarming spikes in the number of firearms stolen from cars. However, less than 240,000 gun thefts are reported to police each year suggesting that nearly 40% of the guns lost or stolen in the United States are never reported to law enforcement.
“This bill will give law enforcement the tools to investigate and identify patterns of gun trafficking which will make our communities safer from gun violence,” Berry said. “States with these laws have a 30% lower risk that guns will be purchased in that state and recovered after a crime in another state. Simply put, this bill will save lives.”
HB 1903 passed the House with a vote of 57 to 40 and moves on to the Senate for consideration.