Washington Ceasefire

Let's face it, the topic of suicide is generally uncomfortable. Like firearm violence, it is often considered something that happens to someone else, or someone else's family. The reality is that suicide is very prevalent in our communities -- especially here in the Pacific Northwest. And, it's an issue that is closely tied to firearm storage and firearm safety. Over the years, research has consistently shown that suicide is an impulsive decision, and can be prevented. Access to firearms or a convenient method increases the likelihood that the impulse will actually be carried out.

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In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s historic decision on the 2nd Amendment, many people have been asking me, “What is the road ahead?” I’m sure many of you are asking the same question.

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A comment on NPR’s Talk of the Nation Blog on the DC Gun Ban Case reads, “12 years ago my 16 year old brother discovered a gun at a friend's home which was unlocked, loaded and barely hidden. Later he stole that gun and used it to end his own life.”

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Today in Illinois we saw yet another in a string of major shootings in the United States in the last two weeks. The shootings included:

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Last week Douglas Chanthabouly, who opened fire last year at Foss High School in Tacoma was found incompetent to stand trial. He has been diagnosed with schizophrenia by three separate psychiatrists. Douglas shot his friend Samnang Kok in the face from a distance of less than one foot as Samang retrieved his books from his locker. Samang fell down and Douglas shot him twice more prior to fleeing the scene.

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Recently we remembered one of our nation’s most transformative leaders and victims of gun violence. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired our nation. He inspired not through platitudes or hollow promises. On the contrary, Dr. King fully and openly laid bare dark and painful realities of our society at the time. But in the face of great challenge, Dr. King spoke of a refusal to “believe that the bank of justice is Bankrupt . . . [a refusal] to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity in this nation.”

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As we approach our 25th year of serving Washington Communities, we thought it was time to get back to our roots: research, education and advocacy. Our new website is designed to facilitate that goal. We hope that our new website will provide both our membership and the community at large with up-to-date information about firearm violence as well as suggestions for what we all can do to make our communities safer.

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Polls have continuously shown that our communities support sensible firearms laws. However, despite community support, sensible policy solutions to firearm violence have been difficult to achieve. This week Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels took the first step toward hurdling some of the obstacles we have encountered when trying to strengthen existing laws.

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I got an email recently from the father of a young man whose life was tragically cut short by gun violence last year. He is making an effort to send updates about the trial of the young man accused of killing his son. The father wrote of how incredibly de-sensitized we are to gun violence. A person in the pool of prospective jurors who heard of his son's story explained that he had given the story passing attention -- just another shooting. The father wrote that he had felt the same way, too, until it was his son.

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