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NFL owner donates $1 million to pushing gun control

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The Seattle Seahawks have been one of the most politically and socially active NFL teams for years.

From former defensive lineman Michael Bennett’s anthem protests and racial activism to wide receiver Doug Baldwin’s political proclamations and coach Pete Carroll’s anti-war views, the Seahawks are a franchise that hasn’t hesitated to speak out on the issues of the day.

Team owner Paul Allen has used his deep pockets to do his talking.

The Microsoft co-founder, whose net worth is nearly $20 billion, has donated to numerous political candidates and campaigns over the years, from Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton to the NFL’s political action committee.

On Monday, Allen announced a $1 million donation to a gun control effort called Initiative 1639.

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Allen called it “a reasonable and necessary measure that will improve the safety of our schools and our communities.”

Do you support Initiative 1639?

Initiative 1639, which the Alliance for Gun Responsibility is trying to get on the Washington state ballot in November, is billed as effort to “address many of the root causes of recent tragedies,” including the February school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and the one last week in Santa Fe, Texas.

It would do this by “raising the age to purchase semiautomatic rifles to 21; creating an enhanced background check system similar to what is required for handguns; requiring completion of a firearm safety training course; and creating standards for secure storage to prevent guns from falling into dangerous hands.”

Many people expressed support for Allen’s effort in response to his tweet.

Others, however, questioned the effort.

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The National Rifle Association called Initiative 1639 “an egregious attack on Second Amendment freedoms.”

The group filed a legal challenge to effort last week.

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Todd Windsor is a senior story editor at The Western Journal. He has worked as an editor or reporter in news and sports for more than 30 years.
Todd Windsor is a senior story editor at The Western Journal. He was born in Baltimore and grew up in Maryland. He graduated from the University of Miami (he dreams of wearing the turnover chain) and has worked as an editor and reporter in news and sports for more than 30 years. Todd started at The Miami News (defunct) and went on to work at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., the St. Petersburg (now Tampa Bay) Times, The Baltimore Sun and Space News before joining Liftable Media in 2016. He and his beautiful wife have two amazing daughters and a very old Beagle.
Birthplace
Baltimore
Education
Bachelor of Science from the University of Miami
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Media, Sports




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