Sen. Steve O’Ban, R-University Place, has requested a proviso to the 2018 supplemental operating budget for funding to create a legislative task force to prevent mass shootings.
The task force would develop strategies for identifying and intervening against potential perpetrators of mass shootings, educate the public about the availability of extreme risk protection orders, and report on recommendations to prevent these tragedies.
As ranking member of the Senate Human Services and Corrections Committee, O’Ban hopes the task force will pay special attention to mental health issues, which are the common link to most of the recent mass shootings, school safety, and strategies used in other states to identify and intervene in time to avert mass shootings.
“We cannot keep wringing our hands and do nothing to stop mentally ill perpetrators of mass violence,” O’Ban said. “The horrific Parkland, Florida massacre is typical of many before it; students, school officials, family members, neighbors, social media users, law enforcement and even mental health professionals knew the perpetrator was mentally unstable, a high risk, and owned a firearm. We need to gather smart people in a room, develop a plan to identify potential perpetrators, and prevent as many of these senseless killings as possible.”
In the budget request, members of the task force would include representatives from the state Senate and House of Representatives, institutions of higher learning, prosecuting and criminal defense attorneys, the Attorney General’s office, Washington Association of Counties, American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, Washington State Patrol, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and family members of victims of mass shootings.
Joseph Boyle says
Mr. O’Ban,
As I shared with you the other day at the Town Hall Meeting in Steilacoom, you consistently produce common sense ideas. I support you in your concept described above.
I would like to make one constructive comment. While it is good to include Washington State Patrol, WSP has it’s strongest focus on traffic issues on our state and federal highways.
I recommend that you also include other law enforcement representatives who actually have their boots on the ground and are more likely to be the first responders entering the schools to stop an active shooter. I am referring to sheriff’s departments and city police departments.
Joseph Boyle – Pierce County Resident 1959
John Arbeeny says
Although mental health problems are a common, but not universal, characteristic of mass shooters, a focus on mental health is really only a long term solution to part of the problem and will not stop future mass shootings. Sometimes shooters are quite sane but just evil. First you have to identify those with mental health problems (or not) which isn’t easy and then commit or put them in custody before they commit carnage. Dealing with their mental health problems is something they can attempt after commitment. The critical issues are the “seams” the exist between and isolate the various levels of law enforcement agencies as well as government agencies which make information exchange and coordinated action difficult. This results in the “cracks” through which such people, sane or insane, can fall through. There were way to many red flags waving that were ignored or unknown by law enforcement in the Parkland shooting which could have committed this fiend or put him in custody long before he ever pulled a trigger. Add to that the uncoordinated response by law enforcement at the time of the shooting and a massacre results. Deal with law enforcement issues for which we have concrete information on what went wrong and the ability to fix rather than a nebulous concept of “mental health” which is much more difficult to describe and affect.
Howard Lee says
How many study sessions, panels are needed, and money expended in order to find a solution to the issue of school safety. There has to be enough valid information already available on the subject to fill a small library, so why not act on the matter now and fine tune it later!