OLYMPIA, WA – A new state permit requirement for gun buyers is poised to become law, as the Washington House sent the legislation to the governor’s desk late Tuesday.
House Bill 1163 would require gun buyers to apply for a five-year permit from the Washington State Patrol. To qualify, applicants must pay a fee and have completed a certified firearms safety training program within the past five years, with some exceptions.
On a 57-39 vote Tuesday, Democrats in the House agreed with small changes the Senate made. Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat and gun control advocate, will decide the bill’s fate.
The amendments included adding exemptions from the training mandate for licensed armed security guards and private investigators and delaying the effective date to May 2027.
Rep. Liz Berry, D-Seattle, said if Washington had the permit requirement in place a decade ago, the state would’ve seen about 250 fewer homicides and nearly 1,000 fewer suicides.
“Permit to purchase systems save lives,” Berry said in debate on the House floor. “They work. They make sure that guns don’t get into the hands of the wrong people. They make sure that guns aren’t diverted to black markets, and they prevent crime.”
Republicans argue criminals would ignore the requirement, so the legislation would do little to promote public safety while placing another hurdle to the constitutional right to bear arms.
Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, said the bill “is not just unconstitutional,” but also “it is no guarantee that one murder will be prevented, that one assault will be prevented, that one suicide will be prevented.”
About a dozen other states have such permit-to-purchase systems. Courts across the country have largely upheld them.
Under the Washington legislation, if an applicant has completed the firearm safety course, the state has to approve the permit unless the person is barred from having guns, out of custody on bond awaiting trial or sentencing on felony charges, or the subject of an arrest warrant.
Troopers must issue the permit within 30 days, or 60 days if the applicant doesn’t have a state ID. State patrol anticipates receiving at least 100,000 applications per year, with over 40 employees tasked with handling them.
The agency expects the new program will cost nearly $20 million in the 2027-29 budget cycle. Fees collected for fingerprinting and background checks would offset the cost, according to a fiscal analysis. The system could bring in $31 million in the 2027-29 budget.
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