Citizens sound off on Nickels' proposed gun ban
SEATTLE -- It's safety versus the second amendment in the fight over a possible gun ban on city-owned property.
On Monday the city held a public hearing on a proposed gun ban proposed by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels in response to a shooting during the Folklife Festival at Seattle Center last May.
Cheryl Stumbo, a surviving victim of the Jewish Federation shooting, pointed out how just one gun with one bullet can do so much damage. The shooting left one of her co-workers dead and five others, including Stumbo and her niece, injured.
"While this rule, had it been in place and enforced, would not have prevented what happened to me, my niece and my co-workers, I definitely would feel safer knowing that firearms are prohibited in city of Seattle's property, at least, " she said. "It's just plain common sense."
"Gun-free zones don't work unless enforced by metal detectors and armed guards. That is a fact that's punctuated by the recent shootings at Southcenter Mall, also a so-called gun-free zone," said an opponent of the ban at the meeting. "The only people, then, who will be armed in theses areas are criminals who don't care about the law in the first place and who they harm."
Attorney General Rob McKenna issued a non-binding opinion in October that cities lack the authority to ban guns because local laws would conflict with state regulations.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms says if Seattle is successful in banning guns on city property then other cities across Washington may do the same thing.
Comments will be taken through the end of the month.
On Monday the city held a public hearing on a proposed gun ban proposed by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels in response to a shooting during the Folklife Festival at Seattle Center last May.
Cheryl Stumbo, a surviving victim of the Jewish Federation shooting, pointed out how just one gun with one bullet can do so much damage. The shooting left one of her co-workers dead and five others, including Stumbo and her niece, injured.
"While this rule, had it been in place and enforced, would not have prevented what happened to me, my niece and my co-workers, I definitely would feel safer knowing that firearms are prohibited in city of Seattle's property, at least, " she said. "It's just plain common sense."
"Gun-free zones don't work unless enforced by metal detectors and armed guards. That is a fact that's punctuated by the recent shootings at Southcenter Mall, also a so-called gun-free zone," said an opponent of the ban at the meeting. "The only people, then, who will be armed in theses areas are criminals who don't care about the law in the first place and who they harm."
Attorney General Rob McKenna issued a non-binding opinion in October that cities lack the authority to ban guns because local laws would conflict with state regulations.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms says if Seattle is successful in banning guns on city property then other cities across Washington may do the same thing.
Comments will be taken through the end of the month.