Washington Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America today applauded Governor Jay Inslee’s signing of HB 1840, bipartisan legislation that will stop domestic abusers from getting guns while under a restraining order. The bill was supported by domestic abuse survivors and advocacy organizations, law enforcement, gun violence prevention advocates and the National Rifle Association.
The new law is a major step forward for common-sense guns laws in Washington–it will help save women’s lives and protect families from gun violence. Recent research has found that women are five times more likely to be murdered in a domestic violence situation if a gun is present and that two-thirds of women who are murdered by their current or former intimate partners are killed with guns.
“I would like to congratulate all the people who were involved in passing HB1840 into law: the Governor, my former colleagues in the legislature, and the survivors of domestic violence and gun violence who traveled from all over the state to testify in Olympia,” said Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. “This is how we should work together to make our communities safer.”
“I’m so grateful that our legislators did the right thing by passing this bill. This type of legislation will help prevent other women from going through what I experienced,” said Courtney Weaver, a domestic violence survivor who was shot in 2010 by her former boyfriend. “The Governor signing HB 1840 into law today is an incredibly good thing for Washington.”
“There is no doubt in my mind that this will save lives. Seeing it brought to the Washington State Senate floor and passed unanimously was a huge victory for survivors of domestic violence and gun violence, like my mother. I was proud to be there in that moment,” said Bothell resident Rory Graves, whose mother was shot in 2012 by her former husband. “This bill will protect women, children, and law enforcement – it will be a valuable tool in keeping weapons out of the hands of dangerous people.”
“Moms are thrilled that this common-sense, public safety bill passed unanimously,” said Kate Beck, chapter leader for the Washington chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Today marks a new day for the safety of women and children, and one major–and victorious–step in the fight for safer gun laws in Washington.”
