King County Considers Gun & Ammo Return Program

KING COUNTY, WA — Four members of the Metropolitan King County Council introduced legislation this week that would create a new safe disposal program for firearms and ammunition. Sponsored by councilmembers Rod Dembowski, Girmay Zahilay, Joe McDermott and Jeanne Kohl-Welles, the measure would allow residents to voluntarily return guns and ammo to any King County Sheriff's Office precinct or storefront.

"Reducing the number of guns in circulation will rescue the number of accidents, injuries and deaths caused by guns," Dembowski said in a statement Tuesday. "We know from past experience that people welcome the opportunity to turn unwanted guns over to a responsible party for disposal. This program will make that resource available to residents countywide, and I'm hopeful that we can stand it up as soon as possible."

Council members pointed to earlier successes in other gun safety programs, including mandatory destruction of forfeited firearms, Extreme Risk Protection Orders and safe gun storage programs. Officials said a 2013 gun buyback partnership between King County and Seattle netted hundreds of firearms.

"Just as King County's previous firearm buyback program led to 700 firearms voluntarily leaving the streets, a firearm and ammunition return program will give residents a safe, secure, and reliable option to remove these items from their home, and move us forward in our work to prevent all forms of gun violence," Councilmember McDermott said.

The bill's sponsors noted more than 230 events classified as mass shootings across the United States in 2022 alone, including the 10 Black people killed in a Buffalo supermarket last month and and the 19 students and two teachers killed in Uvalde, Texas.

Locally, the number of shooting victims last year was 70 percent higher than the four-year average, and fatal shootings were up 54 percent.

"Our communities in King County, like communities around the country, have experienced a painful spike in gun violence since the start of the pandemic," said Renée Hopkins, CEO for the Alliance for Gun Responsibility. "We know that it will take a comprehensive, public health response to address this urgent crisis. Offering residents a safe, consistent option for returning unwanted firearms and ammunition is an important part of that public health approach."

If approved, the new program would be available to anyone to utilize the service and the legislation asks the King County Sheriff to develop partnerships with cities to improve access for residents across the region.

"We have policies in place for taking in unwanted firearms, but I look forward to working with the King County Council to consider expanding this into a program that will promote community safety throughout King County," said King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall.