Insurance Mandate Legislation Fails in Washington, But Bad Bills Still Remain

Given the Democratic dominance of the Washington State legislature, the demise of any gun control bill is cause for celebration, and the failure of HB 1504 is good news for gun owners. The measure, if adopted, would have mandated gun owners purchase up to $25,000 of liability insurance for every firearm in their collection or face a potential $250 fine per gun. 

The bill failed to make it out of committee before a legislative deadline, so while it may reappear in 2026, this is one less thing for gun owners to worry about this year. Unfortunately, there are several other bills that are still floating around Olympia, including a major infringement on our Second Amendment rights.

House Bill 1163 would require Washington residents to obtain a state-issued permit before purchasing any firearm. The permit process would include fingerprinting, background checks and a certified safety training program, which must include live-fire exercises. 

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) would manage the permits, with a standard approval period of 30 days — extended to 60 days for new state residents. The bill had its first public hearing in front of the House Appropriates Committee on Monday.

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The bill would raise the bar for firearm safety training, requiring live-fire training for concealed carry applicants. The training would include a minimum of 50 rounds fired at a certified range, and WSP would certify training programs. Applicants would also be required to renew their certification every five years.

Marty Lough an NRA-certified firearms instructor, voiced his opposition to the new training requirements.

“There is no provision in the state constitution that mandates education for firearms,” Low argued. “It’s not the firearm that’s deadly — it’s the person with their finger on the trigger.” 

… Jeremy Ball, a gun store owner, voiced his concerns.

“This is a poll tax,” Ball said. “It’s going to prevent people from accessing firearms. Right now, we don’t even have enough shooting ranges in Washington to handle the influx of permits this bill would require.”

This is all about making it more time consuming, more expensive, and more difficult to exercise our Second Amendment rights. Don’t live near a range? Tough cookies. Have to take time off work in order to take a class so you can keep a gun in your home? Too bad, so sad. Have an abusive ex or a stalker threatening you? Well, hope and pray they don’t do anything to harm you in the 30 days the Washington State Patrol has to issue you your Second Amendment permission slip. 

Violent crime is out of control in Seattle, but it’s not legal gun owners who are responsible. As is the case in virtually every other U.S. city, its a small number of individuals who are already well acquainted with the criminal justice system who are responsible for an outsized portion of violence. That’s who the Democratic lawmakers should be targeting this session, but they’re once again focused on generally law abiding folks who want to keep or carry a gun to protect themselves and their loved ones.

HB 1163 faces a deadline of its own this Friday. If the House Appropriations Committee doesn’t approve the bill by then it will be done for the year. Unfortunately, this is the top priority for the gun control lobby in Olympia this session, and I suspect that by the time legislators head home for the weekend, HB 1163 will be headed for debate before the full House.