House Bill 203 would penalize unsafe weapons storage

Bipartisan legislation introduced in the House would encourage gun owners to secure weapons safely in their homes and to avoid accidental injuries and deaths by establishing the offense of misconduct involving weapons in the sixth degree.

House Bill 203, introduced by Rep. Adam Wool, D-Fairbanks, and co-sponsored by Rep. Steve Thompson, R-Fairbanks, would allow law enforcement officials to issue citations to those who, while investigating injuries and deaths, are found to have left firearms unsecured. In this context, “unsecured” refers to weapons stored without a trigger lock or placed outside of a locked container. Citations could range from $500 to $1,000.

HB 203 does not enable seizure of firearms, nor does it encourage law enforcement to search for potential violators or allow incarceration for the new class of offense.

“If this bill prevents one accident or suicide then we’ve accomplished a great thing,” Wool said.

Thompson said that both legislators are the parents of young children and care about their safety.

“This bill is not an infringement of Second Amendment rights, and it’s not about taking guns away from anyone,” Thompson said. “It’s about preventing tragic accidents and only gets acted upon if such a tragedy occurs.”

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HB 203 is set or review by the House State Affairs and Judiciary committees.

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