Legislative Democrats will hail the passage of House Bill 1240 as a highlight of this year’s annual session at the Capitol. That is the bill to ban the sale, import, manufacture and so on of a specific style of firearm — what they call an “assault weapon.” It is written so the ban takes effect once the governor signs it, which I expect will be very soon.
Ahead of the final Senate vote on HB 1240 this past week, one of the supporters stood and made this claim: America has a gun-violence problem, she said, “and we’re willing to talk about everything else but the one constant in all of it — and that’s the gun.”
In that moment, it would not have been productive to respond by noting how Democrats have dismissed repeated Republican efforts to talk about firearms. They denied requests for public hearings on our Senate Bill 5049 and SB 5745, to crack down on firearm theft and the use of stolen firearms in crimes.
Instead, I stood and suggested that the real problem is violence, period. Take away the “gun” qualifier and the true constant is not an object. It’s people.
I do not question the sincerity of those who see value in HB 1240. That said, banning “things” is a simplistic response. Law-abiding people will abide by the ban. Those who do not respect the law will not. It will not change their behavior.
Meanwhile, people in our communities will continue to be injured and die from the kinds of violence that HB 1240 doesn’t touch, and an even larger number will die from overdosing on drugs, mostly from the fentanyl that has been flooding into our state.
When we zoom out and view the problem as violence, instead of narrowing it to “gun violence” as Democrats do, the nut becomes harder to crack. It’s difficult to change people and their behavior. But that’s the better path, and is exactly in line with the Republican priority on reestablishing public safety.
Getting after violence in general requires that we do more about behavioral health, which encompasses both mental health and substance use. That includes coming through with a better answer to the Blake decision than the failed policy adopted in 2021, so people with substance-use disorders can be compelled to enter and complete treatment.
It requires supporting real consequences for violent behavior and policies that have a chance of deterring harm to families and communities. Legislators could have done more to deter criminals this session by passing a stronger police-pursuit bill. That didn’t happen. The passage of Senate Bill 5352 is only a half-step forward. Pursuits still can’t even be considered for a long list of harmful crimes, such as auto theft and reckless driving.
Along that line, it’s also shocking to realize how close Democrats came to passing HB 1268, knowing how it would reduce sentences for violent crime, including crimes committed with firearms. That bill should disappear and never be seen again.
Getting after violence also means working to build — or rebuild — families and communities. We need them to not only recognize when a family or community member may be prone to committing violence, but also be in a position to provide help.
Democrats found support for HB 1240 by framing the issue as children versus firearms. That’s been effective, because nothing focuses your attention like having your child in danger. It doesn’t matter whether they’re three or 23. However, that overlooks the other threats to children, like gang violence and access to deadly drugs. I’m open to considering a whole range of approaches to that — but it means letting go of the “gun” qualifier so the conversation is about reducing or eliminating violence more broadly, and in particular about ensuring our children are safe.
I believe the courts will ultimately find the HB 1240 ban to be unconstitutional. When that happens, I hope Republicans and Democrats can work together on the real challenge of changing behaviors. While this will be difficult, we all have an interest in moving our society toward a more lawful, civil place.
We must do better.
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Sen. John Braun of Centralia serves the 20th Legislative District, which spans parts of four counties from Yelm to Vancouver. He became Senate Republican leader in 2020.
