Firearm permit bill moving to governor’s desk

OLYMPIA — Washington State House Bill 1163 passed the Senate with a vote of 29 to 19 Monday following its earlier passage in the house. The bill seeks to implement stricter regulations surrounding the purchase, transfer and possession of firearms by requiring a permit to purchase them.

House Bill 1163 introduces a range of new requirements, including the mandate that individuals purchase firearms only after obtaining a permit from the Washington State Patrol. If enacted, the permit application will require a complete set of fingerprints, proof of completion of a certified firearms safety training program that includes live-fire training and a valid background check. WSP will be responsible for processing these applications and conducting background checks to confirm the applicant’s eligibility under state and federal laws.

The bill states, “A dealer may not deliver a firearm to the purchaser or transferee … until the purchaser or transferee produces a valid permit to purchase firearms.”

The total cost of implementation for 2025-2027 is around $14.28 million. The funds will go to the Washington State Patrol, the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Licensing. The cost goes up in 2027-29 with around $21.11 million being spent. In 2029-31 it is expected that around $20.79 million will be spent.

The cost for an individual to obtain a firearm permit is not set forth in the legislation.

Supporters argue that this legislation will strengthen measures to prevent firearms from falling into the wrong hands, ultimately reducing firearm-related violence across the state.

Proponents of the bill, including Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown, assert that implementing a permitting system will save lives.

“When the legislature passes this bill, it will save lives in Washington state,” Brown declared during a recent hearing. “On average, 935 people are killed by firearm violence in Washington each year. We are not doing enough currently to protect people. House Bill 1163 would build on that progress.”

Dr. Mike Van Dyke, a pediatric critical care physician, added his support.

“Firearm violence is the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. Permit to purchase has been shown to decrease rates of both homicide and suicide. In Connecticut, we saw a decrease in firearm suicide by 33% after implementing a similar law,” he said.

Advocates are highlighting that states with similar permitting systems have experienced declines in homicide and suicide rates associated with firearms. According to studies conducted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, the implementation of permit-to-purchase laws is associated with reductions in several different measures of gun violence, including firearm homicide and suicide.

However, not everyone agrees with the approach taken in House Bill 1163. Opponents argue the bill places undue burdens on law-abiding citizens and could endanger individuals in urgent need of self-defense. Finley Gonzalez, an 18-year-old advocate with Students Demand Action said he was not in support of the bill.

“While I wish to stop guns from taking away lives, the responsibility to protect oneself should not be hindered by bureaucratic delays,” he said during a bill hearing.

Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, said he is frustrated with the bill because he believes it will not decrease gun violence. He believes it will instead make it harder for lawfully abiding gun owners to access firearms.

“Every time we have a shooting or something happens, it seems like the people that are shooting folks, they don’t have a legal right to have a firearm,” Dent said. “It has to do with that boy that shot that girl out at the Grant County Fair last year. He was 14 years old and stole the gun from his dad. Didn’t legally have a gun, and he shot somebody. Well, none of these laws are going to fix that and all we’re doing is punishing people; patient people who do it right.”

Dent said he is also upset about the amount of funding dedicated to the legislation.

“They just take away rights from lawful people,” Dent said. “They impede our constitutional rights, but they’re not going to make any difference in the violence. We’re going to spend $14.2 million to not make a difference. That is a lot of money, and we have a real budget shortfall right now.”

Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake expressed a similar concern with the funding alongside staffing requirements for people to complete the training.

“They’re asking the state patrol to do an awful lot of work on this regarding this bill, and I don’t think there’s funding to do that, and I know there’s not going to be enough personnel within the state patrol to adequately test all the people who are applying for that,” Warnick said. “They want more instructors for anyone who’s buying guns. There is a huge backlog of background checks and so unless we find more personnel for the state patrol, people aren’t going to be able to process or have their background checks processed in a timely manner.”

Warnick said she is a gun owner with a concealed weapons permit. She said she has concerns about the extra steps she will have to take to renew her permit. Another concern Warnick has is the impact on veterans and other law-abiding gun owners.

“I’m afraid that it’s being set up so that there will be less people who can buy their guns in the State of Washington and qualify for these permits and for these sanctions and all that. There’s just not going to be enough people to do what the legislature is asking,” Warnick said. “I’m also afraid that the reason they’re doing that is, they’re delaying these so that people won’t have their guns.”

Rep. Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, said he also has concerns about the implications of this bill.

“I don’t want to restrict guns any more than they’re already restricted, so I voted no on it. I just don’t think we should be restricting guns or messing with our Second Amendment rights. This bill just makes it harder to own guns, to get guns and makes people jump through all these rings to have their Constitutional rights. I don’t think that is right.”

Opponents also contend that the legislation could have unintended consequences, particularly for marginalized populations. Critics, such as Amanda McKinney, a Yakima County Commissioner, claim the bill “makes it more difficult for victims to exercise their Second Amendment right to self-preservation.”

Underlining the reality faced by victims of domestic violence, McKinney added that “women will remain defenseless out of fear of breaking your law.”

Furthermore, opponents like Troy Nichols, representing the National Shooting Sports Foundation, highlighted that such regulations predominantly affect law-abiding citizens and fail to deter criminal activity.

“Criminals by definition do not follow permit requirements,” he said. “These burdensome regulations disproportionately affect law-abiding citizens, particularly those in lower-income communities by adding costs, delays, and government red tape that impede their ability to protect themselves.”

As the bill moves to the governor’s desk for final approval, the stakes of this legislative action are heightened by the fierce public sentiment surrounding issues of gun violence, personal safety and individual rights. If Gov. Bob Furguson signs the bill into law, it will take effect on Nov. 1, 2026.

The law, if signed by the governor, would likely be challenged in court by gun rights advocates and groups and it may violate the U.S. Constitution and Washington State Constitution.