As a mother of three children and a Bellevue resident since 1998, I will be voting this November for legislators who have demonstrated their commitment to common sense policies that make our families and communities safer from gun violence. One such candidate is state Rep. Tana Senn.

Tana, like me, is a mom who is living, working and raising her family here on the Eastside. She understands that we must reduce the public health impacts of preventable gun violence and has been consistent in her efforts to promote greater safety. Tana helped to organize the Million Mom March in the late ’90s. In 2006, while Tana was serving on the board of directors, the horrible hate-crime shooting happened at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. Afterwards Tana worked tirelessly to help the injured women through their physical and emotional recovery and to support them throughout the trial.

As our state representative, Tana worked successfully with other lawmakers to pass legislation that will help keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers by making it unlawful for them to possess a weapon while under a restraining or protection order. Just recently, as a Mercer Island city councilmember, Tana voted in support of a City Council resolution to endorse Initiative 594 which will expand our current background check system to include private gun sales.

Please vote to retain Tana Senn as our 41st District state representative. We need elected officials who are committed to protecting the safety of all families.

Linda Parrish, Bellevue