Washington: NRA and SAF File Lawsuit Against City of Edmonds

On Tuesday, August 7^th, the NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation filed a lawsuit against the City of Edmonds to invalidate the mandatory firearm storage ordinance that was recently passed by the Edmonds City Council.  This ordinance, which would unquestionably restrict the self-defense rights of Edmond residents by imposing a one-size-fits-all method of storing firearms, was passed by the City Council in clear violation of Washington's state preemption statute.  As previously reported, the NRA & SAF also recently filed a lawsuit against the City of Seattle for violating state preemption by passing a similar ordinance.

Anti-gun elites have made it clear they are willing to break the rules and ignore state law in order to restrict self-defense rights in Washington.

Washington's state firearm preemption statute was passed in 1983 to keep firearm and ammunition laws consistent throughout the state by establishing that the State Legislature has full authority to regulate and create laws pertaining to firearms and ammunition.  These statutes help prevent a confusing patchwork of gun control laws which make it difficult for gun owners to ensure that they are following the law.  Further, Second Amendment rights are guaranteed to all citizens, regardless of where they reside.  State preemption statutes help protect against the infringement of rights of citizens who live in localities controlled by anti-gun elected officials.  The City of Edmonds’ ordinance is exactly the type of legislation against which the state preemption statute was designed to protect.

As passed, this ordinance restricts the self-defense rights of Edmonds residents by making it illegal for them to keep firearms in a private residence unless the firearms are kept in a "locked container," with a potential fine of up to $10,000 for non-compliant storage.  Gun safety and storage is a matter of personal responsibility and every person’s situation is different.  It is unreasonable for the law to impose a one-size-fits-all solution.  This poorly thought out legislation is without any consideration for personal circumstances.  It invades people’s homes and forces them to render their firearms useless in a self-defense situation by locking them up.

Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org and your email inbox for further updates on this issue and others affecting your Second Amendment rights in Washington.