Legislators in the US state of Washington have put forward a bill that would permit sports fans to take firearms into stadia.
The Washington Post newspaper reports that the bill, which has been proposed by Republican representatives Matt Shea, David Taylor and Bob McCaslin, would prevent stadia or operators from banning fans with a “valid concealed pistol licence" from entering with a firearm.
Stadia that would be affected by the proposal include CenturyLink Field, home of NFL American football team the Seattle Seahawks, and Safeco Field, the home ballpark of the Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball franchise.
Such a proposal is not in line with NFL and MLB policy. “We haven’t seen the proposed legislation but we have a policy forbidding carrying a weapon into NFL stadiums,” Brian McCarthy, vice-president of communications for the NFL, told the Post.
The Guardian newspaper notes that the Seahawks have the lowest arrest rate in the NFL, with 0.8 arrests per game. Should the proposal be given the green light, concerns would likely be raised over allowing firearms at sports events where alcohol is served and tensions run high.
Share this