The Legislature on Monday passed a bill designed to keep guns out of the hands of people involuntarily committed for 14 days or more for mental health treatment.

House Bill 1498 passed the state Senate by a vote of 39 to 1. It now goes to Gov. Chris Gregoire.

The measure applies to adults and juveniles and mandates that when a person is committed for mental problems a court shall also forward information to the national instant criminal background check system index, a database created by the federal Brady legislation. Such people are prohibited from owning firearms.

About 4,000 people are involuntarily committed for 14 days or more each year in Washington state, according to a news release from Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. Nickels praised the bill's passage.

"I have long advocated for common-sense gun laws and the state legislature's action today is an important step. This measure will help protect the public and our police officers, as well as those who pose a danger to themselves," he said in a statement.

Nickels pointed out that in the Virginia Tech shootings and gun violence at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, the suspects had documented mental health issues.

Alan Gottleib, spokesman for the Bellevue-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, said his organization did not oppose the bill after provisions were made for people to petition the courts to restore their firearms rights.

"At that point, most of our concerns were gone," he said.