Three Republican state legislators have introduced a bill that would allow concealed carry holders to bring their guns into sports facilities in Washington state. Specifically, the measure would prevent public facilities from banning concealed carry holders with a valid license and prevent private entities that run or operate facilities –from a public facility district– to ban licensed concealed carry holders.
The bill, HB 1015, is sponsored by representatives Bob McCaslin, David Taylor, and Matt Shea.
The sports media reacted in typical fashion. NBC’s “Hardball Talk” made the case that allowing guns into stadiums will put all fans in danger: “It’s easy to see how this bill would make sports stadiums a much less safe area for fans. The mixture of tense sports action, alcohol, and guns would inevitably lead to injuries and deaths. Studies have shown that having a gun in the home significantly increases the risk of an unintentional gunshot fatality.
“A home typically only has a handful of people in it. Imagine a stadium of 30-50,000 people. Only a microscopic percentage of those people would need to be armed to put all of the fans in potential danger.”
Well of course “studies” will show that a home with a gun in it has a higher likelihood of unintentional gunshot fatalities. How could a home with no gun in it have unintentional gunshot fatalities? Similarly non-shocking would be a study that said drowning deaths radically increase in homes that have a pool, as opposed to homes that don’t.
In reality, the bill has an extremely small likelihood of passage. Washington ranks 40th in Guns & Ammo’s list of most gun-friendly states and cities in America.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter: @themightygwinn
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.