14 DAY TRIAL // Bill and Melinda Gates made a donation of $1 million (€730,000) to the Initiative 594 campaign to support new laws that would call for stricter firearms controls in Washington.
Launched by the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, this campaign has already raised $6 million (€4.5 million), according to The Independent. In addition to Gates, some other ex-Microsofties have already stepped in to support this program, including former CEO Steve Ballmer and co-founder Paul Allen.
“Nearly 350,000 people came together to put Initiative 594 on the ballot, and almost 7,500 supporters from nearly every county in the state have contributed to help ensure its passage in November,” Zach Silk, campaign manager for the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, was quoted as saying.
“Their support, and that of prominent members of our community like Bill and Melinda Gates, Nick and Leslie Hanauer, Steve and Connie Ballmer, Paul Allen, and others, will make it possible for us to finally take action. We are grateful to everyone who is a part of this movement to reduce gun violence in Washington.”
The Initiative 594 campaign would impose new laws that would force licensed gun dealers to perform criminal and public safety background checks for all buyers. This is obviously supposed to prevent unfortunate events when firearms are involved, as the number of incidents involving shootouts has grown at an alarming rate in the last few years.
As one of the world’s leading philanthropists, Bill Gates obviously supports the campaign, and together with his wife Melinda, he wants authorities to restrict gun use in the state of Washington.