MLB Responds To Bill That Would Allow Guns In Washington State Sports Stadiums – Forbes

For some time now, professional sports leagues in the post-9/11 era have focused on increased security in an effort to prevent terrorist threats.

But, in at least one state, some lawmakers are looking to allow guns into ballparks and stadiums.

Fans walk through metal detectors at Gate 2 prior to the game between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium. A bill in Washington State has been introduced that would allow hand guns for those with a concealed weapons permit in publicly run facilities such as Safeco Field. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Washington State Republican representatives Matt Shea, David Taylor, and Bob McCaslin have introduced House Bill 1015 (see in PDF) that would allow those with a concealed weapons permit to bring hand guns into sports facilities that are controlled by public facilities districts in the state. That would include CenturyLink Field for Seattle Seahawks and Sounders games, and Safeco Field for the Seattle Mariners. The bill reads in part:

A public facilities district may not prohibit persons with a valid concealed pistol license from carrying a concealed pistol in any facility or on any grounds of a facility that is owned, operated, managed, administered, controlled, or maintained by the public facilities district, or leased or rented to a private or public entity by the public facilities district.  

The bill is unlikely to become law, but does show that more conservative lawmakers are seeing a shift in the political landscape in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as the next president of the United States.

The leagues that would be impacted certainly might see issues in how venues that serve alcohol might not be the best place to have the highly-charged world of sports fans intersect with someone having a gun at their disposal. In 2015, MLB added new stadium operations practices that added metal detection screening to look for weapons. The move was done as a result “from a recent study of best security practices and MLB’s continuing work with the Department of Homeland Security to elevate and standardize initiatives across the game.”

So, when Major League Baseball was asked to comment on the bill, they responded as one might expect.

“Major League Baseball is committed to providing a safe environment at all our ballparks and believes that our current policy is the right one for all of our fans,” said Patrick Courtney, MLB’s chief communications executive.

The Seattle Mariners declined to comment on the bill but said they would be monitoring it closely as it winds its way through the Washington State legislature.