Passing stronger laws is just the first step toward reducing gun violence in our communities. The Alliance for Gun Responsibility Foundation is committed to ensuring that Washington’s gun laws are effectively implemented.
This work includes collaborating with stakeholders, such as law enforcement, public health officials, and community leaders, to develop educational resources and serving as a resource for practitioners. The most notable of our implementation work to date has been our partnership with the Regional Domestic Violence Firearms Enforcement Unit..
Regional Domestic Violence Firearms Enforcement Unit
To meet the goal of effectively implementing our state’s gun laws, King County—the largest county in the state—developed the Regional Domestic Violence Firearms Enforcement Unit (RDVFEU), a multi-jurisdictional and multi-disciplinary unit designed to reduce gun violence through regional collaboration and proactive enforcement of firearms laws.
The unit focuses on the service of protection orders, immediate removal of firearms based on those orders, and accountability for those who fail to comply or who otherwise possess firearms unlawfully. In its first full year of operation, the unit increased the number of firearms surrendered by approximately 400 percent.
The Foundation and the RDVFEU also collaborated with the state law enforcement training commission to develop curriculum around firearm surrender for officers in training. This project was later combined and expanded on in partnership with Johns Hopkins and the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence.