Voluntary waiver of gun rights gets final approval

OLYMPIA – Washington residents who are suicidal or otherwise in mental distress could voluntarily surrender their right to possess or buy firearms, under a bill that received final legislative approval Monday.

The bill, which now goes to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature, allows a person to waive their gun rights by filling out a voluntary form with the clerk of the county court. The clerk must verify the person’s identity through photo ID, and transmit the information to Washington State Patrol, which has 24 hours to enter it into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

That system is checked by firearms dealers before gun sales become final.

The person can revoke the waiver after seven days at the same office where the form was filed, and the name would be removed from the background check system within seven days of the state patrol receiving that information if there’s no other reason the person is ineligible to possess or buy a firearm.