Everett City Council

CITY OF EVERETT SAFE COMMUNITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE Date: June 28, 2023 Time: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Location: Everett City Council Chambers The public is welcome to attend in person or remotely. There will be no public comment during committee meetings. To watch remotely, you may call in or listen to the meeting by dialing: 425-616-3920, Conference ID: 724 88 726 View on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/everettcity/live Agenda Items I. ADA Transition Plan Briefing II. Firearms and Ammunition Sales Tax Draft Ordinance Review III. Next Meeting Proposed Agenda Items Pending Items for Future Agendas: • Noise Ordinance Overview (Industrial and Vehicle) • Police Retirement Long Term Health Care Gap • Police Matrix Study Update (Summer) • Nuisance Properties and Code Enforcement: Q4 • Traffic Calming Excerpt of Draft Language of Firearms and Ammunition Sales Tax Ordinance WHEREAS, A. WHEREAS, In 2022, 20,200 people died from gun-related injuries in the United States. B. WHEREAS, of all women shot to death by others in the United States, half were shot by their intimate partners, and C. WHEREAS 74 percent of gun deaths in Washington are suicides, and D. WHEREAS, of the 13 homicides that have occurred in Everett in 2022, 11 involved firearms, and E. WHEREAS, from 2021 to 2022, there has been an increase of 41 percent in the number of shots- fired calls in Everett, and F. WHEREAS, from 2021 to 2022, there has been an increase of 33 percent in the number of firearm thefts in Everett, and G. WHEREAS, according to the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, gun violence costs Washington state an average of $5.3 billion each year, and H. WHEREAS, more than 34 percent of Washingtonians report having a firearm in their household, and I. WHEREAS, only 36 percent of people in gun-owning households practice safe storage- keeping firearms locked and unloaded, and J. WHEREAS basic research and prevention programs can reduce long-term costs and save lives, but often need funding to get started, and K. WHEREAS, due to successful efforts by the gun lobbyists, funding for research into the causes of gun violence has been blocked at the federal level since 1996, and L. WHEREAS, the firearms industry is financially healthy and robust in this country, as demonstrated by the number of firearms manufactured in the U.S. between 2010 and 2021 (excluding exports) increasing from 5,459,240 to 13,802,787, a 153 percent increase; and M. WHEREAS, the creation of a sustained local revenue source through a tax on the sale of firearms and ammunition would provide broad-based public benefits for residents of Everett related to gun violence by funding programs that promote public safety, prevent gun violence and address in part the cost of gun violence in the City; Proposed Tax Rates • $30 per firearm sold at retail • $.03 per round of ammunition that contains a single projectile that measures .22 caliber or less sold at retail • $.06 per round of ammunition for all other ammunition sold at retail Exemptions • Person selling no more than one firearm per quarterly tax reporting period • Person selling fewer than 50 rounds of ammunition per quarterly tax reporting period • Licensed dealers who are only conducting background checks for two unlicensed persons engaging in a sale Use of Funds The purpose of the Firearms and Ammunition Tax Fund is to provide broad based public benefits for residents of Everett related to gun violence by funding programs that promote public safety, prevent gun violence and address in part the cost of gun violence in the City. Such public benefits may include, but are not limited to, basic research, prevention and youth education and employment programs, and the administrative costs to manage the fund and make tax system modifications as needed.