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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW BLM plan focuses on environment and recreation ... Drive-by shooter gets 8 years ... OSF and bookstore at odds over banned books display ... BLM plan focuses on environment and recreation ... Drive-by shooter gets 8 years ... OSF and bookstore at odds over banned books display ... OUR VIEW Our View: States taking the lead on gun safety laws Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jul. 10, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Jul. 10, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News This is not an editorial about the massacre of police officers in Dallas, although it is a related topic. Nor is it necessarily a call for more gun control laws. It is an observation about gun control laws and what may happen if congressional leaders continue to refuse to allow votes on the issue. An Associated Press story in Friday's Mail Tribune reported that in Washington state, supporters of a ballot measure to take guns from those deemed a threat to themselves or others turned in more than 330,000 signatures to the secretary of state. Initiative 1491 was drafted and petitions gathered after state lawmakers failed to pass legislation creating "extreme risk" protection orders. Such orders could be issued by the courts in response to affidavits from concerned family members and friends or law enforcement. The affidavits would cite specific concerns about an individual, such as mental illness or domestic violence, and list the number and types of firearms the individual owned. If a court found evidence the person posed a danger to themselves or to others, authorities could take their guns away and prevent the individual from purchasing a firearm for up to a year. The measure has not yet qualified for the ballot, and there is no guarantee it would pass if it does — although we suspect its chances are good. But it ought to serve as a warning to lawmakers at all levels of government that voters may not wait for them to address the issue of gun violence in this country and will take matters into their own hands. Some will no doubt raise the specter of heavy-handed government confiscating firearms from individuals in violation of the Second Amendment to the Constitution — but it is not a blanket confiscation law, and it requires a court order before any action is taken. While that ought to satisfy even the most ardent supporters of gun rights, it probably won't. Despite the reluctance of legislators to pass stricter gun safety laws, polls consistently show widespread support among the general public for measures designed to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them. The U.S. House of Representative was recently the scene of a sit-down protest by Democratic lawmakers demanding a vote on gun-control legislation that majority Republicans refused to allow. In Washington, the extreme risk initiative resulted from state lawmakers' inability to enact a law. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously called the state "laboratories of democracy" in the sense they could experiment with laws to see if they worked, and if they were successful, other states could follow suit. If Initiative 1491 passes, Washington would be the fourth state to enact such a law, after Connecticut, Indiana and California. If enough states follow that lead, Congress may be convinced to take action, lest it becomes even more irrelevant than it is now. 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