Washington Handgun Trigger Locks Act, Initiative 676 (1997)
From Ballotpedia
(Redirected from Washington Initiative 676 (1997))
The question asked on the ballot was, "Shall the transfer of handguns without trigger-locking devices be prohibited and persons possessing or acquiring a handgun be required to obtain a handgun safety license?"
Election results
| Initiative 676 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 No | 1,194,004 | 70.62% | ||
| Yes | 496,690 | 29.38% | ||
I-676 attracted national attention because, if it had passed, it would have imposed one of the toughest gun safety laws in the nation.[1]
I-676 would have required;
- Trigger locks to be sold with handguns.
- Required handgun owners to take an eight-hour safety training course or pass an exam on the safe handling, operation, and storage of guns before they could possess the handgun.
- Handgun owners would have been required to obtain a gun safety license from the state verifying they had completed the training or exam.
- Failure to obtain a gun safety license could have resulted in a misdemeanor or felony charge, as well as police confiscation of the handgun.[2]
Although I-676 suffered a crushing defeat, the New York Times said three weeks before the election that polls showed it winning "by a wide margin".[1]
Campaign spending
Gun rights groups, including the National Rifle Association, spent more than $2.3 million urging a "no" vote. Bill Gates and his father donated $185,000 to the "yes" side.[2]
See also
- Washington 1997 ballot measures
- List of Washington ballot measures
- 1997 ballot measures
- California Proposition 15 (1982)
External links
- List of all 1997 Initiatives to the People
- 1997 State of Washington ballot measure election results
- 1997 Washington Ballot Measures Details
- November 4, 1997 Voter Information Pamphlet
References
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