OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it easier to lock up juveniles who carry guns illegally. Currently, it takes five felony convictions on firearms charges before someone under 18 is sent to a juvenile lockup.
King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg told a panel of Washington lawmakers the proposal would help curb youth violence.
“The truth is we don’t get many kids who get five convictions for carrying a gun because, sometime between that first one and the fifth one, they pull the gun out of their pocket and they shoot somebody.”
The bill would cost an estimated $6 to $8 million to implement. Critics say the money should instead be used trying to keep kids from picking up firearms in the first place.