Police quietly disarming gun owners who appear dangerous
EVERETT — Police around Snohomish County quietly have begun making use of a new state law designed to temporarily keep firearms out of the hands of people who appear to pose danger to themselves or others.
Washington voters in 2016 overwhelmingly endorsed an initiative that made it legal for police and family members to seek extreme-risk protection orders that block access to firearms for up to a year based on a person’s demonstrated risk of suicide, mental illness or potential for violence.
Since the law went into effect in early 2017, police countywide appear to have sought fewer than 10 of the orders, most in the past few months, records show. Before gathering up guns, in each instance they’ve first had to convince a judge that lives are at risk.
“You’ll never know what you’ll prevent by obtaining these types of orders,” Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman said.
His department late last month successfully obtained a court order keeping guns away from a young Everett man who reportedly had discussed a compulsion to shoot up a school in King County. Before that, the department sought court intervention when a woman living with mental illness and a history of suicide attempts went to a local sporting goods store and began purchasing a handgun.
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