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The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) is pushing back against calls for more gun control following Sunday’s deadly shooting at Seattle Center, arguing the tragedy underscores a crime problem rather than a gun problem.
In a statement released Monday, CCRKBA Executive Director Andrew Gottlieb criticized Seattle officials for repeatedly referring to the incident as “gun violence” while failing to focus on the alleged criminal behavior behind the attack.
“It took 17 hours for police to acknowledge the suspect they had in custody is only 15 years old,” Gottlieb said. “And then Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes talked about ‘small groups’ and not much about gangs. I’m sorry, but that sounds like political correctness rather than candor.”
Seattle police have said one suspect, a 15-year-old, is in custody while investigators continue searching for a second alleged shooter. Authorities recovered two firearms at the scene.
Gottlieb argued that the suspect’s age raises immediate questions about how the firearm was obtained.
“It is clear the teenage suspect didn’t legally buy the gun he allegedly used,” he said. “The other gun recovered by police, allegedly used by another shooter, may have also been obtained illicitly.”
Rather than framing the shooting as a firearm issue, Gottlieb said city leaders should concentrate on criminal conduct and illegal gun possession.
“Deflecting blame to guns is a non-starter because they just don’t commit crimes by themselves,” he said. “We don’t blame cars for fatal crashes, and we shouldn’t infer guns are to blame for violent crime.”
The organization also criticized Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Police Chief Shon Barnes for repeatedly using the phrase “gun violence” during public remarks following the shooting.
That rhetoric often serves as a precursor to additional gun control proposals targeting lawful firearm owners instead of violent offenders.
Gottlieb pointed to the more than 112,000 King County residents who hold valid concealed pistol licenses, arguing they should not bear responsibility for crimes committed by juveniles or other prohibited possessors.
“They haven’t hurt anybody,” he said. “You’re not going to reduce gun-related violence by penalizing the wrong people.”
CCRKBA also called for greater transparency from investigators regarding the origins of the recovered firearms and questioned why more attention has not been given to how the teenage suspect allegedly obtained a handgun.
The group further argued that Seattle’s ongoing violent crime problems (including shootings and stabbings documented in police reports) demonstrate that broader criminal activity, not lawful gun ownership, is the central issue.
The Seattle Center shooting remains under investigation as detectives work to identify and locate the second alleged shooter. Authorities have not yet released additional information about how either firearm was acquired.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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