The Federal Way Police Department was awarded $150,000 to put toward a gun buyback event and gun safe giveaway event, with the funds coming from a settlement resulting from Federal Way Discount Guns being sued for illegally selling high-capacity magazines.

On Dec. 12, the Washington State Office of the Attorney General announced that it awarded nearly $2 million to 12 local law enforcement agencies across Washington for gun violence prevention efforts. According to the office, the one-time funding resulted from a lawsuit enforcing Washington’s ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines.

A King County judge ruled Federal Way Discount Guns violated the law by selling thousands of high-capacity magazines, resulting in a lawsuit. Following the lawsuit, Federal Way Discount Guns agreed to pay the state $3 million. Attorney General Bob Ferguson subsequently chose to dedicate more than $1.8 million to fund 12 local law enforcement efforts to reduce gun violence, promote firearms safety and support victims of gun violence, according to the office.

“We are investing this money in communities to help law enforcement prevent gun violence,” Ferguson said. “Their efforts will improve public safety across Washington.”

Of the $2 million awarded to various agencies, the Federal Way Police Department will receive $150,000. FWPD Cmdr. Kyle Buchanan said these funds will used for a gun exchange event and another event to give away gun locking safes.

Buchanan said the department hopes that doing a gun buyback will reduce gun violence in the community. Buchanan said the FWPD did a successful gun buyback about two years ago.

Buchanan said they don’t ask people why they’re giving their guns away, but people often volunteer reasons. Buchanan said a lot of the guns given back are from people who inherited them, but don’t really want them. Additionally, he said people will give back guns that are broken.

Buchanan said the funds would also go toward buying gun safes that they would give away to community members. Buchanan said locking up guns helps keep them away from kids and criminals, keeping everyone safer.

Buchanan said that when people don’t put their guns in safes, they can end up getting stolen and used for crimes. Buchanan added that guns are targets for thieves.

“The gun passed down, for example, if that person doesn’t necessarily want that gun, but they don’t know what to do with it, they usually don’t lock those guns up,” Buchanan said. “They just throw them in a corner of the garage or throw them up in a closet or something. And then if something happens like their house gets broken into, that gun is very easily accessible for somebody to take and then use in crimes in the community.”

Regarding children accessing guns, Buchanan said that they’ve seen what happens when kids get their hands on guns, and the result is that they end up hurting themselves or others when they play with them.

Buchanan said the $150,000 doesn’t necessarily benefit the department because they’re not buying new cars or anything, but instead reinvesting all of it into the community. However, Buchanan said these funds take a burden off the department’s back because they would still be doing something similar if they didn’t receive the funds. Buchanan said that with the funds coming from this settlement, they could use funds they would have put toward safes or gun buybacks and instead direct the money toward other departments or city endeavors.