Latest news with #R-Cheney
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Permit-to-purchase clears Washington Senate, heads back to House
Apr. 15—OLYMPIA — Legislation requiring residents to obtain a permit before purchasing a firearm has cleared another hurdle after the Washington Senate backed the proposal Monday in a party-line vote. A version of the bill previously cleared the House of Representatives, but the proposal will return to the House after the Senate adopted amendments. The updated bill must clear the House chamber before heading to Gov. Bob Ferguson's desk. "This is not about us versus them, this is about safety," Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, said Monday. "It's about ensuring that our children are not accidentally shot, which has been happening more and more. It's about making sure that guns are not lying in a closet. It's about making sure that people actually know how to handle a gun when they get it." If adopted, the bill would require a potential buyer to obtain a permit to purchase a firearm and prove that the purchaser has completed a firearms training course, among other requirements. Proponents of the bill have argued that 12 other states have adopted similar legislation and that it has been shown to reduce gun violence. "It has also curbed illegal gun trafficking, and it makes sure that our firearms in this state are in the hands of responsible gun owners," Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, said on the Senate floor Monday. "It is ultimately about saving lives. That is the most important mission." According to Liias, the 12 states that previously implemented permit-to-purchase have seen an 11% decline in firearm homicides in urban counties and 56% fewer mass shootings. Liias said the process to obtain a permit before purchasing a firearm is "designed to be relatively simple." Liias added that the system would be checked annually to ensure that the holder remains legally eligible for the permit, adding a "critical safety layer." Detractors, though, fear the new live-fire training requirements to obtain a permit would result in backlogs at firing ranges and with the Washington State Patrol, which will oversee the implementation of the new permit. Jeremy Ball, owner of Sharpshooting Indoor Range and Gun Shop, previously told The Spokesman-Review that "without a massive, massive, investment from Washington state in order to develop these programs and execute them, it's going to be at an extreme cost." "And the premise of them doesn't really make sense anyways," Ball said after the bill cleared the House last month. Under the bill, an applicant would need to prove that they have completed a certified live firearm safety course in the previous five years, or that they are exempt from the requirement. The permit would also need to be renewed every five years. Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, said on the Senate floor that the bill will likely "generate litigation immediately," adding that similar legislation has been challenged in other states. "So it's not just 'Yes, everything is going full speed ahead on this.' This is a controversial issue," Holy said. Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said the bill is an "assault on the hardworking taxpayers." In his remarks, Schoesler cited several other proposals to increase fees in Washington that have been introduced, including increasing the price of a yearly Discover Pass to use state parks and hunting licenses. "There is absolutely no way that that average taxpayer out in Othello isn't going to get hit trying to legitimately buy a firearm, upgrade a firearm," Schoesler said. "There's absolutely no way." The bill, Schoesler said, will also create unnecessary delays and referred to the bill as "poorly designed." The proposal is among several gun and ammo-related pieces of legislation lawmakers have considered this session, though many others failed to gain traction and will not advance in 2025. Bills that would have imposed a new 11% tax on ammo and banned the bulk sale of ammunition died in committee earlier this session. Lawmakers also are considering a bill to restrict open carry of firearms in areas "where children are likely to be present," which includes playgrounds, zoos, transit centers, county fairgrounds when the fair is open to the public and certain state and local public buildings. The bill would require warning signs to be posted where weapons are prohibited. The legislation previously cleared the Senate and is under consideration in the House.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Washington AG backs gun permit bill as it advances in state Senate
(Photo by Aristide Economopoulos/NJ Monitor) 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.
