Lawmakers consider new permit for gun purchases as ammo tax fails to gain support

OLYMPIA – Washington lawmakers continue to consider adopting a permit-to-purchase system for firearms in the state and prohibiting firearms in public areas where children are known to gather, though several proposals – including a new tax on firearms and ammunition – have failed, at least for this session.

This year, the legislature has considered an array of new laws that supporters say are aimed at reducing gun violence in the state. Detractors, though, have argued the laws would ultimately restrict legal gun owners, and could violate either the state or U.S. constitution.

While some bills ultimately passed out of the chambers, several others ultimately failed to make it out of committee, including a new 11% tax for ammunition and firearm sales.

Jeremy Ball, owner of Sharpshooting Indoor Range and Gun Shop, said the proposed tax could have been “very detrimental to the industry, and my business specifically.”

A bill that would have restricted bulk firearm and ammunition purchases also failed to make it out of committee in the House of Representatives.

Other proposals included a requirement for gun owners to store firearms in secure safes or lock boxes in vehicles and homes, which supporters said would restrict access in accidental shootings, domestic violence and suicide situations. Detractors, though, feared the bill’s one-size-fits-all approach could restrict gun owners who either live alone or don’t have children, among other concerns.

Here’s a look at the bills the legislature could ultimately adopt:

Permit-to-purchase

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.

Ball said the bill is the “height” of his concern among the proposals, as it would centralize firearms licensing with the Washington State Patrol, instead of at the local level. Ball also feared new live fire training requirements would result in backlogs at firing ranges, and with the Washington State Patrol.

“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,” Ball said. “And the premise of them doesn’t really make sense anyways.”

Speaking on the House floor Saturday, Rep. Liz Berry, D-Seattle, said the proposal comes amid heightened concerns around firearm safety, particularly in recent years.

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Berry said. “We know that this policy works.”

If passed, Berry said the bill would ensure that firearms do not end up in the wrong hands. According to Berry, 12 other states have implemented similar legislation.

“These laws save lives,” Berry said.

During debate on the House floor Saturday, Rep. Hunter Abell, R-Inchelium, said the bill could motivate some in his district to move out of state, noting that during a recent conversation with a constituent, he was told this bill could ultimately motivate him to move to Idaho.

“I believe that this bill is bad for a number of reasons,” Abell said. “I believed it was bad before the conversation with my constituent, I believe that even more so now.”

Abell added that the bill is bad “as a cultural matter” and contrary to the values of his district.

The bill has been referred to the Senate Law and Justice Committee. As of Friday afternoon, a hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Prohibiting firearms in certain public locations

The legislature is also 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 also require warning signs to be posted where weapons are prohibited.

Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, who sponsored the bill, said the proposal is ultimately about keeping families safe in the areas where they frequently gather.

“No one should have to think twice about their safety when taking their kids to the park or attending a local fair,” Valdez said in a statement. “This bill is about keeping our communities safe, preventing unnecessary tragedies, and ensuring that public spaces remain places of joy and connection – not fear.”

Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, said while he appreciated his Democratic colleagues who worked on the bill, he ultimately voted against the proposal because it would restrict lawful gun owners.

“Lawful gun owners are not the problem,” Holy said. “To ask us to believe that the people that we don’t want to have guns or be in those locations will honor a sign or honor a law, I think we have been battle-hardened enough, all of us, to realize that’s not the case.”

Holy added that the bill attempted to make “something that is already illegal even more illegal.”

The bill will be heard in the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.