Seattle will join other communities around Washington to form a coalition to reduce gun violence.

State Rep. Patricia Lantz, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has agreed to sponsor legislation that would deny guns to anyone who has been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility and improve the reporting of mental health information to the National Instant Background Check System.

Gun violence, whether self-inflicted or inflicted by others, remains a leading cause of death and disability in the United States, claiming nearly 30,000 lives each year. In 2006, firearms were involved in 3,988 violent crimes in Washington state, including 57 percent of all homicides. Gun violence is both a public health and public safety problem that plagues all communities large and small. The search for creative and practical approaches to reducing gun violence is an important challenge that requires a concerted and coordinated effort by many different governmental agencies, community organizations and individuals.

The bill Lantz is sponsoring would require the courts to report mental health information to the National Instant Background Check System directly. That is said to reduce the current delays with the Department of Social and Health Services reporting system and will ensure more complete and accurate reporting. The proposal will also more closely align state law with federal law.

Federal law prohibits anyone who has been involuntarily committed from possessing a firearm but state law prohibits only those who have been involuntarily committed for more than 14 days.