New Gun Survey Could Impact Major SCOTUS AR-15 Case + Seattle Mayor Wilson STOPS Tiny Home Project

A new 2026 National Firearms Survey estimates that roughly 88 million American adults own approximately 461 million firearms, including an estimated 40 million AR-15-type rifles. The survey, authored by Georgetown University professor William English, also estimates that 25% of American gun owners currently own an AR-15-type rifle, while another 12.9% own other similarly styled semiautomatic rifles. Those numbers are drawing attention as major Second Amendment litigation involving restrictions on AR-15-type and other semiautomatic rifles moves through the U.S. Supreme Court. Dave Workman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms discusses the new National Firearms Survey and why gun-rights advocates believe the ownership numbers are relevant to the legal debate over whether AR-15-type rifles are in common use. The episode also examines the other side of Washington's gun-policy debate. Ryan Guzman of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility discusses the organization's priorities for Washington's 2027 legislative session, including secure firearm storage and funding for community and hospital-based violence intervention programs. Also in today's Washington in Focus, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has unveiled an updated homelessness plan calling for 960 additional shelter beds by the end of 2027. The change comes as Pallet, the Everett-based company that manufactured the shelters used at Seattle's Bayside Enhanced Shelter in Interbay, has shut down. The Interbay project grew from an earlier $1.3 million contract to nearly $4 million as its scope expanded. And Washington's largest union representing state government workers has reached a tentative agreement with the state on a new 2027-29 contract. The Washington Federation of State Employees says its bargaining team accepted the tentative agreement, which will go before roughly 42,000 general government workers for a ratification vote. At the time the agreement was announced, detailed contract terms had not yet been publicly released. Today's Washington in Focus covers the new National Firearms Survey and America's estimated 461 million guns, the Seattle homelessness and tiny-home shelter debate, and Washington's latest state worker contract negotiations. Follow The Center Square for continuing coverage of Washington state government, gun policy, the Second Amendment, Seattle homelessness, public spending, labor negotiations and government accountability. Want the next important update by text? Get the Washington state government and policy developments worth your attention sent straight to your phone. Text TCSWA to 206-944-3016 or sign up here: https://joinsubtext.com/c/thecentersquarewa Msg & data rates may apply. #SecondAmendment #GunRights #AR15 #SCOTUS #SupremeCourt #GunControl #WashingtonState #Seattle #KatieWilson #WFSE #WashingtonNews #TheCenterSquare #WashingtonInFocus