OLYMPIA, Wash.-Washington’s firearm violence intervention efforts and prevention strategies are becoming a national model.
The Department of Commerce’s Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention launched in 2021 and has increased support for gun violence reduction research and initiatives and gained the support of state and federal legislators.
“Broad outreach and community input are essential to building the partnerships that strengthen communities, making them safer for families and individuals,” said Commerce Director Mike Fong.
According to OFSVP, research, data collection, federal funding and support from the Washington Legislature have allowed it to effectively measure gun violence reduction strategies targeted at preventing suicides, domestic violence and community violence.
“The Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention will continue to engage community organizations, civic leaders and impacted community members from across the state to understand local needs and deliver the tools and support necessary to achieve sustainable reductions in firearm violence,” said Fong.
OFSVP recently submitted its bi-annual report to the state Legislature detailing its accomplishments and providing suggestions for further action, including:
Community firearm violence intervention and prevention strategies: OFSVP has invested significant support in community firearm violence planning, prevention and intervention efforts in communities across the state.Safe storage: supported efforts to expand, leverage, and evaluate existing safe storage education and outreach, and increase collaboration with health care providers, the Veterans Administration, law enforcement, schools and firearm dealers.Improving enforcement of protection order laws: State and federal funding through the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program has supported and will continue to support efforts to expand the adoption of best practices in training, policies, and outreach.Firearm related data inventory and dashboard: The OFSVP has worked with the University of Washington Firearm Injury and Policy Research Program to collect links to 31 state and national sources of firearm-related data.Firearm violence data dashboard: OFSVP launched a dashboard analyzing available Washington-specific firearm-related information. The dashboard – which is regularly reviewed and updated – is intended for use by policymakers, the media, advocates, researchers and other partners.
According to the Department of Commerce, OFSVP offered several recommendations for reducing gun violence in its report, including program support, revisions to the criminal code, research, analysis and further evaluation.
