Dueling Gun Initiatives

In this photo, taken Feb. 16, 2013, people look at a display of firearms at the Sports Connection Gun Show in Yakima, Wash.

(AP Photo/Yakima Herald-Republic, TJ Mullinax, File)

The Washington ballot measure that would expand background checks to almost all gun sales in the state continues to hold a strong lead after wealthy proponents have far out-spent opponents.

Seattle pollster Stuart Elway found that 60 percent of voters support I-594, while 32 percent opposed, he reported Monday.

Meanwhile, a competing measure sponsored by gun rights activists -- which would prohibit the state from adopting tougher regulations than required under federal law -- is now supported by just 39 percent of voters with 44 percent opposed, according to Elway.

Elway found that support for both measures declined since the campaigns have begun in earnest. Support for I-594 has dropped by 12 percentage points since April while support for I-591, which essentially keeps existing gun laws in the state, has dropped by 16 percentage points.

Elway said in an accompanying analysis that I-591 appears likely to lose since it is rare for a ballot measure to pass once it has lost the support of most voters by September. He said the question for I-594 is whether it can maintain its majority support while having a favorable turnout in the election.

Under I-594, background checks would be required for most gun purchases, including at gun shows and between private parties. There would be some exemptions, such as for gun transfers among family members.

Oregon already requires background checks for purchases at gun shows, but a bill that would cover additional transactions among private parties failed in the 2013 and 2014 sessions of the Legislature.

In Washington, proponents of I-594 have raised nearly $8 million, with just over $1 million coming from Everytown for Gun Safety, a group tied to billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Nicholas Hanauer, a Seattle venture capitalist who was one of the early investors in Amazon, has given $1.47 million, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates have each given $525,000 and Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen, also a Microsoft co-founder, donated $500,000.

Opponents have been heavily outspent. So far the National Rifle Association has given just under $200,000 to a group opposing the measure. Other gun-rights groups and activists have raised just under $1.2 million for I-591 -- in part hoping that if both measures pass it would cast legal doubt on I-594.

The new survey of 500 registered voters was conducted Oct. 6-9 and has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points, plus or minus.

-- Jeff Mapes