CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
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A RESOLUTION relating to responsible police gun procurement.
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WHEREAS, June 2 is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, an effort which calls upon organizations across the nation to support common sense solutions that will save lives from gun violence; and
WHEREAS, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which collects data on gun incidents from media, government and commercial sources, in 2015, more than 13,000 people were killed with firearms in the United States, and the Washington Post concluded from the Gun Violence Archive data that, in October 2015, the United States surpassed 1,000 mass shootings since 2013; and
WHEREAS, in 2015 in Seattle, according to the Seattle Police Department SeaStat crime report, there were 388 shots fired with 88 injuries, including 16 people tragically killed; and
WHEREAS, during limited compliance inspections from 2004-2011, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) discovered nearly 175,000 firearms missing from dealer inventories during compliance inspections; and
WHEREAS, in 2015, the ATF inspected six percent of all federal firearms licensees; and
WHEREAS, according to the Brady Campaign and Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, five percent of gun dealers in the U.S. sell about 90 percent of the guns recovered from crime; and
WHEREAS, Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 9.41.110(5)b requires gun dealer employees to undergo fingerprinting and a background check; and
WHEREAS, the ATF states that licensed firearms dealers are the first line in maintaining the security and lawful transfer of firearms, and the ATF has highlighted the vital role that dealer security and sound inventory practices play in protecting licensed dealers and in keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals; and
WHEREAS, the ATF further states that safe business practices are the least expensive and perhaps most immediately beneficial steps that a licensee can take to limit the risks of becoming a victim of crime, and recommends a structured employee training program to implement and encourage safe business practices and procedures; and
WHEREAS, responsible practices by gun distributors can go a long way toward deterring gun deaths by ensuring that guns are obtained legally; and
WHEREAS, collectively, purchases by local law enforcement agencies make up 15 percent of the firearm market in the U.S., according to a Washington Post review of IBIS World data; and
WHEREAS, Seattle has acquired 258 Glock firearms for Seattle police officers over the past five years, and Seattle has surplused Glock firearms purchased for officer use back to the distributer for resale;
WHEREAS, the City takes actions to utilize its purchasing power to place restrictions on the resale of its surplus Glock firearms by requiring that they be resold out of state, yet seeks other effective ways to restrict the resale of law enforcement handguns by maximizing City purchasing power to increase responsibility with firearms;
WHEREAS, the Seattle Police Department destroys surrendered or confiscated firearms that are not needed for evidentiary purposes and that do not need to be returned to their lawful owners or agents;
WHEREAS, the City intends to continue to leverage its public purchasing power to help ensure that firearm distributors that do business with the City are practicing the most responsible forms of legally required gun responsibility processes in their business for any sales and all operations, in ways that prevent firearms handled through their business operations from becoming diverted into an illegal market where they are more likely to be used in a crime; and
WHEREAS, Do Not Stand Idly By is a program of the Industrial Areas Foundation, a community network committed to safe gun manufacturing policies, practices and sales; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Ed Murray, on behalf of the City, has joined Do Not Stand Idly By, along with leadership from governments across the nation, to request information from firearm manufacturers that will lead to full consideration of the manufacturers’ commitment to gun safety and responsible gun sales for the purpose of promoting responsible standards for selecting authorized dealers and aggressive activities toward developing gun safety technologies; and
WHEREAS, the information obtained through this request will be used by Do Not Stand Idly By to understand current practices and promote future strategies that will assure safe gun sales and manufacturing choices; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:
Section 1. The City of Seattle (City) will use its purchasing power to help ensure that firearm distributors wishing to do business with the City adhere to all applicable state and federal firearm licensee laws for all sales, ensure any necessary background checks are properly and fully performed before a gun sale, make efforts to deter and protect from firearm theft, and immediately report theft or loss to the appropriate governmental agencies.
Section 2. The City’s purchasing process for any company wishing to sell firearms or ammunition to or from the City will utilize the City’s right to obtain a copy of any firearms compliance documents from distributor inspections by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), to the extent legally available.
Section 3. All handguns purchased by the Seattle Police Department (SPD) that are no longer needed by SPD shall be destroyed, replacing the City’s policy that the firearms be sold out of state. SPD shall continue to destroy all surrendered or confiscated firearms that do not have a legal reason for their continued retention.
Section 4. By Sections 1 through 3 of this resolution, the City of Seattle aims to practice the most progressive protocols known throughout the country to best assure that firearms for the City’s officers are acquired and resold to dealers using the most responsible measures available. These practices also can serve as a model of responsible procurement for other jurisdictions throughout the nation; toward that end, the City shall, upon completion and implementation of its new gun and ammunition procurement protocols, share a copy of its protocols with neighboring jurisdictions and encourage other jurisdictions to add their collective power to promoting firearm safety.
Adopted by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2016, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this ________ day of _________________________, 2016.
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President ____________ of the City Council
The Mayor concurred the ________ day of _________________________, 2016.
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Edward B. Murray, Mayor
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2016.
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Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)