SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane City Council has passed an ordinance that will make it unlawful to shoot a gun within City limits.
City Council voted 5-2 in favor of the Gun Violence Prevention for a Safer Spokane Ordinance. The new ordinance now makes it unlawful to shoot a firearm, pistol, rifle or something similar within City limits.
According to the new ordinance, anyone who does shoot their gun and it does not cause bodily harm will be charged with a misdemeanor. The punishment increases if someone shoots their gun and it does cause bodily harm, according to the new ordinance.
The prohibition does not apply to places like rifle or pistol firing ranges that have a business license from the City of Spokane. It also does not apply to "law enforcement officers engaged in the performance of their official powers or duties."
"While state law largely limits the ability of cities to enact local ordinances on firearms, it allows cities some flexibility to regulate where firearms can be discharged, what buildings armed individuals can enter, and how seized firearms are disposed of," said Lisa Gardner, Director of Communications with the City of Spokane, in a press release sent out Monday evening. "This ordinance supplements existing state laws, enhances safety locally and ensures fewer gun-related incidents in areas likely to be exposed to gun violence by establishing a new chapter to the SMC (Spokane Municipal Code)."
The ordinance includes the following new chapter in the Spokane Municipal Code:
- Scope and Purpose
- Discharge of Firearms Prohibited
- Possession of Firearms
- Disposition of Firearms
- Exemptions to Prohibitions on Discharge
“Gun violence is a national public health and public safety crisis,” said Council Member Paul Dillon. “It has been confirmed that someone is killed by a gun every 10 hours in Washington State, and gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teens. We also know gun violence is preventable, and stronger gun laws have been proven to reduce deaths, which is why we are bringing it forward. We have seen the impact of shootings in Spokane, so this is a critical step to address this concern. This issue is personal, and I am proud of the Council's action tonight.”
“It's concerning that our youth now must participate in active-shooter drills at school,“ Council Member Kitty Klitzke added. “I'm passionate about this ordinance because safety should be our top priority. We should be able to attend public events without the fear of armed individuals causing intimidation. Our aim is not to take away the right to bear arms but to prevent public intimidation and potential active shooting incidents. If firearms were not involved, we could all feel much safer. Only Federal, state, or local law enforcement officers or personnel, or members of the United States armed forces or the state of Washington, should be the exception to carrying a firearm or other weapon by their occupation.”
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com.