Seattle’s Program to Take Guns from Domestic Violence Perpetrators Lauded

The program to take firearms away from people who are subject to Domestic Violence Protection Orders that was initiated in the City of Seattle has been praised by the New York Times.

The New York Times is doing a series of opinion pieces on how to cut down on firearm violence across the country.  They noted that the most dangerous time for a victim of domestic violence is right after leaving the perpetrator and obtaining a Protection Order.  One-third of homicides related to intimate-partner violence occur within one month of a restraining order being issued, and one-fifth within two days, according to a 2008 study. Fifty-five percent of those homicides involve a firearm.

This just further underscores the need to other jurisdictions in our state to follow this model.  It is certainly more expensive to do it this way, but there is no question that it will save lives in the future.  As I noted in my blog from yesterday, Officer Kent Mayfield from Bremerton was shot by someone who was court ordered not to have a firearm, but no on followed up to make sure he did not have one.  As a result, the officer could have lost his life.  We have to do better.