Justices: State law supersedes Edmonds gun storage law

Gun Rights

EDMONDS — The Washington State Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously affirmed the Court of Appeals opinion that the city of Edmonds ordinance regarding safe gun storage is pre-empted by state law.

The Edmonds law, passed in 2018, required gun owners to keep their firearms locked up and inaccessible to others, especially children. It did not apply to firearms carried by or under the control of owners. It did apply to weapons kept at home and in vehicles.

In Feb. 2021, a three-judge state appeals panel ruled unanimously that a city ordinance, “regardless of its arguable benefits to public safety,” is “unambiguously” pre-empted by state law and provisions of Initiative 1639, a gun safety measure passed by voters in November 2018.

The Supreme Court remanded the case to the lower court for further proceedings.

You Might Like

The city argued that because the gun storage ordinance does not apply to guns in the owner’s possession, it is not pre-empted by state law. Thursday’s ruling states that the state Legislature has limited local firearm regulation for decades, citing the pre-emption statute. Under state law, the state “fully occupies and preempts the entire field of firearms regulation.”

“We decline to limit the preemption statute to firearms’ transactions and active use,” the ruling states. “That limitation is simply not consistent with the words of the statute as a whole. … The key question is whether the ordinance regulates firearms — not whether it regulates firearm transactions or active use.”

Brett Bass, a National Rifle Association certified firearms instructor and safety officer, is one of three residents who challenged the city law with the assistance of the NRA and the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation, in the case known as Bass v. City of Edmonds.

“This is a great victory for the principle of state preemption,” SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb said in a statement.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Nelson said the Supreme Court’s denial of local government’s right to protect residents from gun violence “feels barbaric.”

“Safe storage of firearms saves lives,” he said in a statement.

The ordinance was born from conversations following a mass shooting at the nearby Marysville Pilchuck High School. It was drafted by Nelson during his tenure as council president in 2018.

“In Edmonds, three years ago a 16-year-old playing Russian roulette shot and killed a 17-year-old girl. This month a 13-year-old boy in Auburn shot his 15-year-old sister while playing with a gun,” he said in a statement in February 2021. “There is no dispute that safe storage of firearms saves lives.”

A month later, the NRA and Second Amendment Foundation, along with three residents, sued to block the ordinance, arguing it violated a state law intended to pre-empt local governments from enacting their own regulations related to the possession of firearms.

The city law took effect in March 2019, but Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Anita Farris blocked its enforcement in October 2019. The city appealed.

In February 2021, a state appeals panel ruled unanimously that the city ordinance is pre-empted by state law.

The city, in March 2021, petitioned the high court to review that decision and a majority agreed to do so.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Herald writer Jerry Cornfield contributed to this story.

Isabella Breda: 425-339-3192; isabella.breda@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @BredaIsabella.

Talk to us


You Might Like

Articles You May Like

Road Trip – Surplus Run – The Outdoor Gear Review
Colt SAA
Rekha Basu: Bad bills serve personal missions, not Iowa’s needs 
Behind The Shine Of Chrome-Lined Barrels
‘Out of central casting’: Could Donald Trump choose this woman as running mate?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *