The mayor of Seattle is pushing legislation that would fine gun owners as much as $10,000 for not properly securing their firearms at home.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is sending the city council a bill to consider that's aimed at preventing people from improperly getting their hands on guns.
The bill would add a new chapter to Seattle's municipal code and would make it a civil infraction to improperly store guns at home, which comes on the heels of several shootings — including last week's school shooting in Texas — that involve the suspects taking guns from their parents or other family members.
The proposal lists several such incidents.
"The level of gun violence in our communities is not normal, and we can never think it is inevitable. We — especially our children — should not have to live like this," Durkan said in a statement.
"With Congress in the grip of the D.C. gun lobby and too many state legislatures failing to act, our cities must lead the way — and we must all continue to demand action that saves lives."
The gun control movement has heated up this year after a deadly shooting in a Florida high school left 14 children and three adults dead on Valentine's Day. Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., have pledged to do all they can to help prevent further shootings, but little has been done other than the passage of a handful of measures that helped beef up background checks.
According to the Seattle bill, improperly storing a firearm would result in a $500 fine. The penalty would increase to $10,000 if a minor or another prohibited person were to get their hands on a firearm that was improperly stored and use it to commit a crime.
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