// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did 1997 Washington Initiative 676 go to therapy? It had a lot of 'gun' control issues.
November 4, 1997
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Concerns firearms | ||||||||||
| Results | ||||||||||
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No 90–100% 80–90% 70–80% 60–70% 50–60%
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| Source: November 1997 General Election Results, Washington State Secretary of State, archived from the original on 25 October 2014 | ||||||||||
| Elections in Washington (state) |
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Initiative 676 was an unsuccessful Washington state ballot initiative concerning firearms regulation that appeared on the ballot for the November 1997 elections.
The initiative was filed on February 3, 1997, by Thomas C. Wales of Seattle, who later became a victim of gun violence himself. 239,805 signatures were collected to qualify it for the ballot.[1]
Ballot title
[edit]The ballot title was as follows:
Shall the transfer of handguns without trigger-locking devices be prohibited and persons possessing or acquiring a handgun be required to obtain a handgun safety license?
Support
[edit]Many physicians and medical associations expressed support, claiming it would decrease gun accidents especially in children. William H. Gates, the father of Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, donated $150,000 towards the passage of Initiative 676. Bill and Melinda Gates earlier contributed $35,000 to the cause. The Washington Citizens for Handgun Safety raised $575,658 by September 1997.
Opposition
[edit]Snohomish County Sheriff Rick Bart was opposed, voicing concerns about the strain the passage of the initiative could put on law enforcement, and excessive punishments for violations.
Ameripac, a federal-level political action committee, contributed $100,000 to opposing Initiative 676. Gun rights organizations, including the National Rifle Association of America, contributed more than $2.3 million in opposition to the measure.[2]
Results
[edit]Despite polling indicating voters almost exactly split,[3] the initiative overwhelmingly failed to pass, and was rejected in every single county. The highest percentage voting yes was San Juan County at 45.1%.[4]
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | 496,690 | 29.38 | |
| Against | 1,194,004 | 70.62 | |
| Total | 1,690,694 | 100.00 | |
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | |||
By county
[edit]| County[4] | No | Yes | Margin | Total votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 3,297 | 87.08% | 489 | 12.92% | 2,808 | 74.17% | 3,786 |
| Asotin | 4,357 | 85.82% | 720 | 14.18% | 3,637 | 71.64% | 5,077 |
| Benton | 34,728 | 85.84% | 5,727 | 14.16% | 29,001 | 71.69% | 40,455 |
| Chelan | 17,076 | 84.27% | 3,188 | 15.73% | 13,888 | 68.54% | 20,264 |
| Clallam | 18,596 | 77.65% | 5,351 | 22.35% | 13,245 | 55.31% | 23,947 |
| Clark | 50,890 | 65.83% | 26,414 | 34.17% | 24,476 | 31.66% | 77,304 |
| Columbia | 1,670 | 93.66% | 113 | 6.34% | 1,557 | 87.32% | 1,783 |
| Cowlitz | 20,046 | 76.51% | 6,155 | 23.49% | 13,891 | 53.02% | 26,201 |
| Douglas | 8,432 | 88.22% | 1,126 | 11.78% | 7,306 | 76.44% | 9,558 |
| Ferry | 2,432 | 91.19% | 235 | 8.81% | 2,197 | 82.38% | 2,667 |
| Franklin | 8,183 | 86.74% | 1,251 | 13.26% | 6,932 | 73.48% | 9,434 |
| Garfield | 1,059 | 92.41% | 87 | 7.59% | 972 | 84.82% | 1,146 |
| Grant | 15,638 | 89.67% | 1,801 | 10.33% | 13,837 | 79.35% | 17,439 |
| Grays Harbor | 17,771 | 84.00% | 3,384 | 16.00% | 14,387 | 68.01% | 21,155 |
| Island | 15,475 | 72.71% | 5,809 | 27.29% | 9,666 | 45.41% | 21,284 |
| Jefferson | 7,470 | 67.51% | 3,595 | 32.49% | 3,875 | 35.02% | 11,065 |
| King | 297,454 | 56.70% | 227,147 | 43.30% | 70,307 | 13.40% | 524,601 |
| Kitsap | 52,276 | 71.40% | 20,942 | 28.60% | 31,334 | 42.80% | 73,218 |
| Kittitas | 8,383 | 83.93% | 1,605 | 16.07% | 6,778 | 67.86% | 9,988 |
| Klickitat | 4,560 | 81.75% | 1,018 | 18.25% | 3,542 | 63.50% | 5,578 |
| Lewis | 19,859 | 88.89% | 2,483 | 11.11% | 17,376 | 77.77% | 22,342 |
| Lincoln | 4,180 | 91.27% | 400 | 8.73% | 3,780 | 61.02% | 82.53 |
| Mason | 13,946 | 82.48% | 2,963 | 17.52% | 10,983 | 64.95% | 16,909 |
| Okanogan | 10,208 | 89.86% | 1,152 | 10.14% | 9,056 | 79.72% | 11,360 |
| Pacific | 5,645 | 77.80% | 1,611 | 22.20% | 4,034 | 55.60% | 7,256 |
| Pend Oreille | 4,043 | 92.16% | 344 | 7.84% | 3,699 | 84.32% | 4,387 |
| Pierce | 130,124 | 73.42% | 47,106 | 26.58% | 83,018 | 46.84% | 177,230 |
| San Juan | 3,084 | 54.87% | 2,537 | 45.13% | 547 | 9.73% | 5,621 |
| Skagit | 25,659 | 79.39% | 6,663 | 20.61% | 18,996 | 58.77% | 32,322 |
| Skamania | 2,303 | 79.44% | 596 | 20.56% | 1,707 | 58.88% | 2,899 |
| Snohomish | 116,146 | 71.69% | 45,874 | 28.31% | 70,272 | 43.37% | 162,020 |
| Spokane | 103,815 | 83.16% | 21,030 | 16.84% | 82,785 | 66.31% | 124,845 |
| Stevens | 13,563 | 93.08% | 1,009 | 6.92% | 12,554 | 86.15% | 14,572 |
| Thurston | 49,319 | 70.90% | 20,240 | 29.10% | 29,079 | 41.80% | 69,559 |
| Wahkiakum | 1,251 | 78.48% | 343 | 21.52% | 908 | 56.96% | 1,594 |
| Walla Walla | 12,679 | 84.02% | 2,412 | 15.98% | 10,267 | 68.03% | 15,091 |
| Whatcom | 34,839 | 70.83% | 14,351 | 29.17% | 20,488 | 41.65% | 49,190 |
| Whitman | 8,737 | 78.03% | 2,460 | 21.97% | 6,277 | 56.06% | 11,197 |
| Yakima | 44,811 | 86.56% | 6,959 | 13.44% | 37,852 | 73.12% | 51,770 |
| Totals | 1,194,004 | 70.62% | 496,690 | 29.38% | 697,314 | 41.24% | 1,690,694 |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Initiatives to the People". Archived from the original on 12 December 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ↑ "Washington Handgun Trigger Locks, Initiative 676 (1997)". Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ↑ "Lewiston Morning Tribune - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- 1 2 Munro, Ralph (November 4, 1997). "Elections Search Results November 1997 General". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on March 11, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.