Gun Control Bills on the Move in Washington State

A trio of gun control measures are one step closer to becoming law in Washington State after a key legislative committee gave its stamp of approval on Friday. 

HB 1163 would establish a “permit-to-purchase” scheme, with would-be gun owners required to submit a complete set of fingerprints and provide proof they’ve completed an approved firearm safety course within the last five years. The Washington State Police would have 30 days to approve or deny the permit, which makes the bill a de-facto month-long waiting period. This is almost identical to Maryland’s Handgun Qualification License, which the Supreme Court allowed to remain in effect when it recently denied cert to a lawsuit. I suppose if this bill becomes law we’ll get to take another crack at the issue, but in the meantime tens of thousands of Washingtonians are going to be harmed by these bureaucratic delays. 

 HB 1132 is a gun and ammunition rationing measure, with FFL’s prohibited from selling more than one gun in a 30-day period to someone. Ammunition sellers are also barred from delivering more than 100 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition or more than 1,000 rounds of any other caliber of ammunition to a purchaser or transferee within any 30-day period. Interestingly, California’s 1-in-30 law has been enjoined from being enforced by a; a decision that was actually upheld by the traditionally anti-2A Ninth Circuit. If HB 1132 becomes law it’s almost guaranteed to be blocked by the courts once Second Amendment groups sue, but it’s absolutely pathetic that Democrats in Olympia are moving forward with something a federal judge has already said is unconstitutional. 

HB 1152 is establishes some ridiculous storage requirements for firearms in both vehicles and domiciles. Handguns left in cars are supposed to be in a locked container not visible from the outside of the vehicle, and must be unloaded when it’s locked away. That means concealed carry holders who are forced to leave their guns behind when visiting a “gun-free zone” are going to have to unholster and unload their carry gun in parking lots, which (if nothing else) will undoubtably cause some passerby to freak the hell out when they see someone in their car messing with a gun. How many legal gun owners are going to have the cops called on them for obeying this idiotic storage law? 

“In 2023, a gun was stolen out of a vehicle out of Tacoma every 57 hours and firearms were the leading cause of youth hospitalizations,” a supporter of HB 1152 said. Some are pushing for guns to always be stored securely in all locations, but opponents said laws like this are already on the books.

“If people are stealing guns from cars more often than they used to, let’s focus on deterring stealing property,” an opponent said Friday.

That’s absolutely right. Look, it’s not just guns that are being stolen. The number of vehicle thefts in the state has skyrocketed in recent years, and even if a gun is in a locked container, if thieves have more than a few minutes they’re probably going to be able to defeat a locked box. If you want to reduce thefts, both of firearms and vehicles, you have to increase the changes of arrest and prosecution, and those charges must come with legitimate consequences. 

I realize that punishing people for stealing stuff is a bridge too far for a lot of Democrats, but HB 1152 is a big step in the wrong direction… just like the other two bills that are now one step closer to the House floor.