Washington state Democratic lawmakers have proposed a new bill that would lessen penalities for drive-by shooting murderers to “promote racial equity” in the criminal justice system even though the state has been ranked among the worst in the country for drive-by shootings.
House Bill 1692, sponsored by Democratic representatives Tarra Simmons and David Hackney, was introduced to allegedly “…promote racial equity in the criminal legal system by eliminating drive-by shooting as a basis for elevating murder in the first degree to aggravated murder in the first degree.”
The bill would act as an amendment to RCW 10.95.020.
Simmons, a former addict and prisoner who ran on prison reform, became the first felon elected to the Washington state legislature in November 2020 when constituents elected her to represent the 23rd District in Kitsap County.
Representatives for Simmons refused an interview request but sent a statement which said the existing penalties were “…targeted at gangs that were predominantly young and Black.”
In the statement, Simmons claimed the aggravated murder charge in the case of a drive-by shooting has only been used once since it was enacted into law in 1995 in the case of Kimonti Carter. Carter became a gang member when he was 11 years old and committed burglary, car theft, possession of narcotics and more before his sixteenth birthday.
“This legislation does nothing to make Washington safer and, in fact, would put the public at further risk to violent crimes. We need to reject this bill and put the safety of our communities first by ensuring that those who commit murder by drive-by shooting remain eligible for the maximum penalty under state law. We also need to stand firm and send a message to violent criminals that they will be held accountable.”