(Olympia, WA) The list of where possessing a firearm is illegal, even with a concealed pistol license, could soon expand as lawmakers considered a bill Tuesday to ban carrying altogether at more than 5,300 places.
Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, proposed Senate Bill 5098 to expand the list where it’s a gross misdemeanor to enter with a weapon. If approved, the state would prohibit possession at public buildings, parks, fairgrounds and playgrounds where “children are likely to be present.”
State law already prohibits possession in restricted access areas of airports, jails, law enforcement and public health facilities, courtrooms and other related areas, bars and places off-limits to minors, public libraries, accredited zoos and aquariums and transit facilities.
“I’m proposing that this bill extend these protections to neighborhoods and regional parks, public buildings and county fairgrounds,” Valdez said during the Senate Law & Justice Committee’s Tuesday public hearing. “Places where the risk of modern firearms can be as severe.”
While the current list includes an exemption for anyone with a valid concealed pistol license, committee staff Joe McKitrick said SB 5098 would not uphold that same protection.
“The only exception that’s stated in the new language is related to those color guard and honor guard ceremonies related to burial and interment ceremonies,” McKitrick said. “The current exception related to CPL holders would not apply to these new prohibited areas.”
Many people testified in support and against the bill, with some noting their status as survivors of gun violence with others criticizing “gun-free zones” and removal of the CPL exemption.
“Years later, at a playground in Bellingham with my daughter, a man openly carrying a gun frightened the children and alarmed parents,” gun violence survivor Liz Hjelmeseth testified. “Despite being asked to leave, he refused. Police were called, but we learned they could legally do nothing about the situation.”
If approved, the legislation would require signage at common access points for each place where possession is illegal. According to a fiscal note, the law could apply to at least 3,327 city parks, 1,405 city buildings, 345 county parks, 195 county buildings and 39 fairgrounds.
Each sign would cost about $640, with varying amounts needed depending on the location; according to the fiscal note, SB 5098 could cost at least $6.87 million to implement. The bill states that each municipality would designate these areas and post the appropriate signage.
“I’ll just remind you that [existing law] requires the state, when imposing new or expanded requirements upon local government, to also provide accompanying resources,” Paul Jewell testified on behalf of the Washington State Association of Counties. “At the very least, we ask that you provide those resources.”
According to SB 5098, “Park facilities where children and youth are likely to be present include, but are not limited to, park facilities that have: Playgrounds or children’s play areas; sports fields; swim beaches or water play areas; teen centers, community centers, or performing arts centers; skate parks; and other recreational facilities likely to be used by children or youth.”
The bill further defines state and local public buildings as “a building or part of a building owned, leased, held, or used by the governmental entity of a city, town, county, or other municipality or by the state of Washington, if state or local public employees are regularly present for the purposes of performing their official duties and that is not regularly used, and not intended to be used, by state or local public employees as a place of residence.”
If approved, provisions surrounding county fairs and related facilities would only apply during operational hours. The restrictions would also not apply to gun shows on county fairgrounds.
“Earlier in the year, a woman was confronted by a man while walking on the trails who stabbed her multiple times. She needed 186 staples,” Pierce County resident Jane Milhans testified. “The Tacoma Police Department … indicated that people need to take precautions when walking at Point Defiance. Women take precautions by carrying personal protection firearms.”
While the committee only had time for a certain amount of testimony, 552 of those who signed up for the meeting but didn’t testify supported the gun control measure, and 1,581 opposed it.
The Senate Law & Justice Committee will reconvene for an executive session on SB 5098 on Thursday.