It sure looks that way.
Seattle TV station KIRO is reporting that, despite claims to the contrary from Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, the King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office has not signed on or given the thumbs up to her "gun violence" plan.
Part of Wilson's plan involves using the city's Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department to respond to shootings. CARE, a city public safety unit, but it's been tasked with responding to non-violent behavioral health and crises in the past. Under Wilson's plan, CARE would be the city’s new “command center” for gun violence reduction strategies. And nine community violence interrupter programs will be housed within the CARE Department’s 911 call center.
According to KIRO, the department reached out to King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion ahead of Wilson's announcement and asked for a quote they could use that endorsed CARE and its work. The prosecutor agreed, but only if the quote was published without any edits.
However, three days later, Manion and KCPAO were surprised to read Manion's quote instead — on Wilson's official blog — highlighted as an endorsement of the mayor's all-up gun violence reduction plan. They were equally surprised to first learn about the mayor's gun violence reduction plan while watching TV news that same day. McNerthney said KCPAO did anticipate Manion would be quoted in a story about CARE. He said they were never given a copy of the mayor's plan before the media or when it was announced publicly.
"To my knowledge, KCPAO was not given a copy of the plan when reporters were given an embargoed copy of it, so KCPAO first learned the specifics from media reports," McNerthney explained. "If it was clear that the release was to roll out a gun violence reduction plan, the KCPAO would have requested to see the specifics of the plan."
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle says it was also blindsided by the announcement of Wilson's "gun violence" plan, which is at odds with a push for targeted deterrence by some members of the Seattle City Council.
KIRO Newsradio also asked the city attorney's office when they first learned about the mayor's gun violence reduction plan announcement. The following quote from City Attorney Erika Evans appears in the mayor's blog.
"The city attorney's office will have a dedicated attorney focused on taking guns out of the hands of dangerous people through Extreme Risk Protection Orders," Evans stated, according to the mayor's office. "This is one piece in a much larger puzzle, from offering fulfilling youth engagement opportunities to seeking strong measures of accountability. We are thankful for the dedicated focus of everyone working toward building a brighter future free from gun violence."
This is one of the dumber parts of Wilson's plan of action. The City Attorney's office isn't empowered to file for Extreme Risk Protection Orders under the state's "red flag" law, though the Seattle Police Department is. Supposedly the City Attorney will be working with SPD to identify individuals who are responsible for and at risk of committing acts of "gun violence," but if the Seattle PD has that kind of information they should be able to make an arrest and not just file an ERPO against someone who's unlikely to legally possess guns in the first place.
The dumbest part of the mayor's plan, though, is her decision to lobby for even more gun control laws across the state. Washington's legal gun owners aren't driving violent crime in Seattle, Olympia, Walla Walla, or any other community. Wilson, though, refuses to get tough on repeat, violent offenders, and I'm afraid she'll have a lot of allies at the state capitol who will be more than happy to put the screws to gun owners while treating career criminals with kid gloves.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their extreme gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
Help us continue to report on and expose the Democrats’ gun-grabbing schemes. Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member