Washington lawmakers are scrutinizing the state’s juvenile gun possession law in the wake of the mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival in late July.
Since 2018, youth under 18 who are found in possession of a gun essentially get five strikes before serious penalties apply. They would have to be caught with a gun and charged five times before a judge could issue a detention of longer than a month. The first four charges might get a kid detention up to 30 days, community service, a fine, or nothing at all.
By contrast, adults arrested for illegal gun possession can expect harsher penalties, like years in prison or thousands of dollars in fines…