Prosecutor wants stricter gun laws for kids in WA
SEATTLE - The King County prosecuting attorney’s office says they want tougher gun laws when it comes to kids.
What they're saying:
According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the most that a juvenile who is convicted of unlawful gun possession will receive is a month behind bars.
"It could be zero to thirty days. Sometimes that can be time served. It’s really up to the individual case and the arguments made by both sides, but what we’re seeing is the status quo doesn’t work," said Casey McNerthney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
McNerthney said a juvenile can get up to four convictions before they are required to go to the state’s rehabilitation program.
"We’re not advocating for kids to be thrown in jail for life here. What we’re saying is we want them to be helped and have that violent behavior to be addressed before they hurt themselves or kill someone potentially," said McNerthney.
McNerthney said the hope is after two convictions the suspect would go to the state’s juvenile rehabilitation program. The state’s program lasts 15 -36 weeks, McNerthney said.
"It’s not perfect but we think it's better than the status quo," said McNerthney.
He said there are currently eight cases in King County, where kids who were convicted of unlawful gun possession are now facing murder or first-degree assault charges as adults.
Including the case against Charles Baker. Investigators said Baker murdered 29-year-old Karel Juarez in White Center in March 2023.
According to documents FOX 13 Seattle obtained, Baker was 16 at the time of the murder and already had two gun convictions.
"There are two folks in Olympia, Rep. David Hackney and Manka Dhingra in the senate, who said we want to work with you on this," said McNerthney.
The Source: Information for this report comes from original interviews from FOX 13's AJ Janavel.
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