Gun violence is an epidemic in Washington and in our country. We can and must do more to prevent it. In Washington we’ve already taken great steps, but there is still more to do.
I have supported action taken by the legislature and the people to remove guns from those who are a danger to themselves and others. In 2014, the Washington State Legislature enacted HB 1840, which makes it illegal for anyone subject to a domestic violence protective, no contact, or restraining order to possess a firearm. This new law gave courts new authority to order the relinquishment of firearms and was intended to reduce the risk to victims and families. Two years later, the Washington voters expressed their desire for appropriate gun safety measures by approving I-1491—the Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) initiative.
Nationally, a woman is fatally shot by an intimate partner every 16 hours, and when an abuser has access to a firearm, a woman is five times more likely to be killed. In Washington state, in 54% of all domestic violence homicides, the defendant had previously been ordered to surrender firearms. Due to the extreme risk that firearms cause in domestic violence situations, I believed it was important to ensure these new laws were enforced in King County.
Earlier this year, my office worked closely with law enforcement, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, law enforcement, the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, and the courts to launch a brand new Regional Domestic Violence Firearm Enforcement Unit (RDVFEU).” This new unit, the first of its kind in the nation, increases public safety by giving law enforcement the necessary resources to remove firearms from domestic violence perpetrators and from those subject to Extreme Risk Protection Orders for displaying harm to self or others.
In the first four months of operation, the RDVFEU served 83 orders to surrender weapons and removed 181 firearms, which allowed 107 victims to successfully receive outreach, safety planning, and resource referrals. By way of comparison, that is more in four months than were removed during the entire year in 2017, before the launch of this unit, when only 124 firearms were removed. It is undeniable that this unit is serving victims and increasing public safety by saving lives.
In addition to establishing the RDVFEU, I was a strong supporter of I-594, which established universal background checks in the state of Washington for both public and private sales of firearms. I also support Initiative 1639 which will raise the age to purchase a semi-automatic assault rifle to 21 and require background checks for those seeking to purchase an assault rifle. It is a comprehensive measure to keep schools and our communities safe.
We can and should do more legislatively by passing evidence-based gun violence prevention policies that will make Washington safer and save lives. I support taking additional common sense steps to prevent gun violence.
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Dan Satterberg
3 weeks ago
It's time for prosecutors in our country to rethink the traditional role of the prosecutor and look at new ways we can partner with defense attorneys, community leaders, and service providers in our regions to make our communities safer.
I recently co-authored a memo with Ronald Wright, a law professor at Wake Forest University, that outlined specific strategies we should put into practice to transform the criminal justice system.
You can read the full report here: thecrimereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/IIP-Community_Trust-paper.pdf ... See MoreSee Less
Memo to the Nation’s Newest Prosecutors: Restore Your Community’s Trust
thecrimereport.org
Only a major overhaul of prosecutors’ traditional practices can remove the long-festering distrust and racism that have alienated many American from the justice system and created a “public safety...Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Google PlusShare on Linked InShare by Email
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Nice work Dan Satterberg! I enjoyed the read.
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Dan SatterbergFollow2311,649
I'll be your prosecutor and so much more!
I appreciate the retweet by one of the true icons of criminal justice ethics @JTravis48 Our profession has much work to do to build community trust, but also many great new DA’s in America who aspire to do just that.
Gun violence is highly concentrated among young people and communities of color. Data helps us identify where to focus community-led intervention efforts to prevent more violence. We have much work ahead.