Las Vegas Shooter Had 23 Guns in His Hotel Suite: Among them, at least one fully automatic rifle. He also had two “bump stocks,” which convert semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic ones. Police found another 19 firearms at the shooter’s home in Mesquite, Nevada, along with explosives and ammunition.
Check to See How Much Money Your Congressperson Took From the NRA: Here’s a handy tool from the Washington Post. (Dave Reichert took $3,000.) Also, take a look at this list from Splinter News of every congressperson who took NRA cash and offered “thoughts and prayers” to Las Vegas shooting victims.
The NRA Also Poured Money Behind Trump: The organization spent millions on TV ads supporting their man and attacking Hillary Clinton. White House aides say he has no plans to back away from the pro-gun lobby.
In Related News, Republicans Still Plan to Vote on Bill Loosening Gun Restrictions: This one would make it easier to purchase silencers.
What Can Washington Do About Gun Control? Pass bills. One would raise the minimum age for purchasing assault rifles from 18 to 21. (You have to be 21 to buy a handgun!) Another bill would make gun owners who don’t safely store their firearms criminally liable if their negligence lead to someone getting hurt. Crosscut breaks it down.
How About Seattle?
Here’s Jenny Durkan:
We must do more. We should not pretend this is not preventable. We should not accept this is an unavoidable consequence of Constitutional freedom. We should not allow this to become normal. If Washington D.C. cannot act, Washington state and Seattle should.
And Cary Moon:
We must strengthen our local, state and national protections against gun violence, such as Attorney General Ferguson’s proposal to ban assault-style guns and high capacity magazines. In Seattle and in Washington State, we must keep pushing common sense reforms to protect public safety— which will require the courage to make big corporations and the wealthiest pay their fair share. Most importantly, we must stand strong together and tell the NRA and other violence apologists that enough is enough.
We’re still waiting on specifics.
Washingtonians In Vegas During the Shooting: Rachel Parker, of Cheney, died. She was 33. Melinda Brockie, a Lummi Nation member and UW social work student, was shot and underwent surgery. She is in stable condition. Nine friends from Bellingham and a couple from Maple Valley survived.
Jenny Durkan Returns Illegal Campaign Donations: In Seattle, it’s illegal for candidates to accept money from companies that have received more than $250,000 from the city in the past two years. So when the Times asked about $1,000 donated to Durkan by Microsoft and Ash Grove Cement, her campaign returned the contributions. Despite the law passing in 2015, Seattle does not have a list of companies that are ineligible to give to political candidates.
Another King County Sheriff’s Office Lawsuit: This time, it’s a former deputy whose house got raided by his colleagues after his wife sent an email threatening their neighbor’s dog. The deputy, Matthew Tighe, claims that high brass ordered the operation in retaliation after he complained about Sheriff John Urquhart mishandling his return from military leave. The Sheriff’s Office is facing numerous lawsuits alleging discrimination or retaliation.
Sixteen Have Applied For the Open Council Seat: Of the applicants, former council member Nick Licata has the most relevant experience. Whoever ends up in the seat will serve until election results are certified on November 28.
Rest in Power:
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