Permit-to-purchase clears Washington Senate, heads back to House

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.