The National Rifle Association, Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation and two Seattle residents are suing Seattle over the city’s new gun-safety law. Earlier this month, Seattle’s City Council passed an ordinance that requires gun owners to lock up their guns. Mayor Jenny Durkan signed the legislation Wednesday, with the law to take effect 180 days later. The legislation came at a time of heightened national concern around gun safety and mass shootings.
Under the legislation, a gun owner could be fined up to $500 if a firearm isn’t locked up, up to $1,000 if a minor, “at-risk person” or unauthorized user accesses the weapon and up to $10,000 if someone uses the weapon to hurt someone or commit a crime.
The lawsuit filed Friday in King County Superior Court alleges that the “safe storage” requirement violates Washington state law, which prevents cities from regulating guns.
“Seattle simply can’t break the law to adopt an ordinance as a political statement,” Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) founder Alan Gottlieb said in a statement.