Washington AG backs gun permit bill as it advances in state Senate
For his debut testimony before the Washington state Legislature, Attorney General Nick Brown picked a bill to require a new state permit to purchase guns.
He said the measure, one of the most hotly-contested this year, 'will save lives.'
'We are not doing enough currently to protect people,' Brown told a state Senate committee on Tuesday. 'Washington has already introduced components of a robust permitting system. House Bill 1163 would build on that progress.'
Brown is following the tradition of his predecessor, Gov. Bob Ferguson, who made gun control one of the marquee efforts of his tenure as attorney general. It's not new terrain for Brown, who helped write the ballot initiative that raised Washington's minimum age to buy a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21, added a 10-day waiting period and enhanced the background check process.
On Thursday, House Bill 1163 passed the Senate Law & Justice Committee on a party-line vote.
The proposal would require prospective gun buyers to first apply for a five-year permit from the Washington State Patrol. To get the permit, applicants must have completed a certified firearms safety training program within the past five years, with exceptions for police officers and active military servicemembers.
If the applicant has completed the safety course, the state would have to issue 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.
The state patrol's Firearms Background Check Program would issue the permit within 30 days, or 60 days if the applicant doesn't have a state ID.
State patrol expects to receive 120,000 applicants per year on average, with over 40 employees handling the applications.
The state patrol says it will cost $13.7 million in the next state budget to handle the new program. The amount rises to nearly $20 million in the 2027-29 budget. Fees collected for fingerprinting and background checks would offset the cost of the new permit-to-purchase program, according to a fiscal analysis.
The House passed the measure this month on a 58-38 vote without Republican support. During floor debate, one conservative lawmaker said this 'may be the worst bad bill we've seen so far this session.'
On Thursday, the committee amended the bill to exempt licensed armed private investigators and security guards from the training requirement.
Opponents say their constitutional right to bear arms shouldn't require a permit.
Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, questioned if the proposal would comply with a U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Bruen that held firearm laws must adhere to the nation's 'historical tradition of firearm regulation.'
'To be rather blunt about this, I think this is another imprudent piece of legislation,' Holy said Thursday, guaranteeing the bill will face legal challenges if it passes both chambers.
About a dozen states have permit to purchase laws on the books.
Judges have consistently upheld these laws. Last year, for example, a panel of federal appeals judges appointed by both Democrat and Republican presidents upheld a similar law in Maryland. The judges ruled the Supreme Court's decision in Bruen explicitly allowed for laws like this.
Last year in Oregon, a judge ruled gun regulations that included a permit to purchase violated the state's constitution. This month, a state appeals court overturned that decision.
Advocates applauded the Washington bill's progress.
'It's encouraging to see our lawmakers continue to prioritize gun safety and address America's gun violence crisis with the urgency it deserves,' said Finley Gonzales, of the Kamiak High School chapter of Students Demand Action. 'Permit to purchase is a key component of responsible gun ownership. This policy is something everyone should be able to get behind because it makes our communities safer.'
Several other Democratic priorities on guns have stalled this session, including proposals to limit bulk purchases of firearms and ammunition, require gun owners to lock up their weapons in their cars and homes and add new requirements for gun dealers.
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