Sweeping package of gun legislation proposed by Democrats is met by packed public hearing
Democrats in Washington are proposing several new pieces of legislation aimed at reducing firearm violence in the state.
On Tuesday, Jan. 16, a public hearing on five of the measures was conducted in a packed room before the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee at the state Capitol.
More than 1,000 people signed in opposition to the bills, while more than 800 people signed in support of the proposals.
On Monday, Jan. 15, Senate lawmakers had heard testimony from the public on another bill that would prohibit weapons, including firearms, in more public spaces, including parks, zoos and aquariums.
Here is the legislation that was considered Jan. 16.
Enhancing requirements for the purchase or transfer of firearms
House Bill 1902 is sponsored by Rep. Liz Berry, D-Seattle, along with 39 other House Democrats and is related to a bill passed during the 2023 legislative session that requires a 10-day waiting period before purchasing firearms.
Under HB 1902, dealers may not transfer firearms to a purchaser or transferee until the buyer is able to provide a valid permit to purchase.
Currently, a purchaser must provide a dealer with proof of a completed firearm safety program, but the newest proposal will remove that requirement and instead require purchasers to take a verified safety course to obtain a permit to purchase.
Individuals can apply for the permit with the Washington State Patrol background check program, and firearms safety courses must be certified through WSP as meeting safety requirements. Live fire shooting exercises are also added as a requirement for the safety course.
WSP must then issue or deny the permit within 30 days, under the proposal.
Many testified in support of the measure.
Jim Parsons, a Bainbridge Island resident, told the committee that his daughter was one of the victims of the Las Vegas mass shooting in 2017.
Parsons said although lawmakers have previously passed gun control measures, such as the state ban on assault rifles, he believes more can be done. He said the permit to purchase proposal would prevent unqualified individuals from obtaining firearms.
“Research shows that permit-to-purchase laws are effective in preventing the distribution of firearms from in-state retailers to criminal markets,” Parsons said. “Research also shows that background checks at the point of sale coupled with a permit-to-purchase requirement are associated with lower rates of firearm homicide, suicide and trafficking.”
Many others testified in opposition.
Jon Nelson, a concerned citizen, said that he found it ironic that the Legislature was considering bills to restrict peoples’ civil rights around Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“Firearms ownership is a constitutional right and this bill is clearly unconstitutional even though it has been cleverly written not to appear so under the guise of being common-sense policy, while lacking any crime statistics to support it or address actual criminality,” Nelson said.
A companion bill is in the Senate but has not been scheduled for a public hearing yet.
Reporting lost or stolen firearms
Currently, if an individual is prohibited from possessing firearms and is able to obtain a firearm by taking it from someone else, the theft is to be reported to law enforcement within five days of when the gun’s owner knew it was taken. Failure to report the lost or stolen firearm results in a charge of community endangerment.
Under proposed House Bill 1903, victims of firearm theft must report the missing weapon within 24 hours after the loss of the weapon is discovered. Caliber, make, model, serial number and manufacturer of the weapon must be included in the report.
Any person who fails to report a missing firearm is guilty under a civil infraction under the proposal, and it would be punishable with a fine up to $1,000.
Berry and 39 other House Democrats are sponsoring the bill, which was scheduled to have an executive session on Friday, Jan. 19.
Establishing more requirements for licensed firearms dealers
As the law currently stands, firearms dealers must be licensed and registered and cannot sell weapons or ammunition without license and registration.
House Bill 2118 updates some of those requirements, and adds additional requirements for firearms dealers to retain their licenses.
Some of the provisions included in the bill include requiring a dealer to be at least 21 years old and requiring yearly background checks for the dealer to sell firearms.
Additionally, the legislation would require firearms dealers to adopt security measures such as alarm and surveillance systems at their place of business. Dealers would have to review and respond to trace requests within 24 hours, and would be required to report weapon loss or theft to law enforcement officials within 24 hours. Dealers would also have to provide yearly reports to the state Attorney General.
Finally, the bill would require dealers to carry at least $1 million in general liability insurance, and would require dealers to demonstrate compliance with licensing requirements in writing.
The proposal is sponsored by Rep. Amy Walen, D-Kirkland, and co-sponsored by 15 other House Democrats, and was scheduled to go to executive session on Jan. 19.
Walen told committee members that the goals of the bill are to make sure “inventory is kept safe and secure, standardized records are kept, loss or theft are timely reported, video recordings of transactions are kept and liability insurance is carried.”
“There are a lot of rules and regulations on our businesses in Washington state, we have strong consumer protections and safety requirements, and passing this bill will clearly enumerate the responsibilities of gun dealers and I think help our communities be more safe,” Walen said.
A companion bill was also introduced in the Senate.
Disposing of privately owned firearms in the custody of government entities
House Bill 2021 is sponsored by Rep. Tana Senn, D-Mercer Island, and co-sponsored by 22 other House Democrats.
Senn referred to Washington as an “arms dealer” because as the law currently stands, the State Patrol is not legally authorized to destroy forfeited firearms, but they are legally allowed to sell or trade forfeited guns that come into their possession. Other law enforcement agencies already have the ability to destroy forfeited firearms, Senn noted.
She said WSP wants to have the ability to destroy forfeited firearms, or guns surrendered for buyback programs. Agencies that conduct gun buyback programs would also be able to destroy those guns under the new proposal.
“Police departments should not be in the business of selling guns, full stop,” Senn said.
A companion bill is in the Senate but has not been scheduled for a public hearing.
Concerning bulk purchases and transfers of firearms
While Washington state has regulations on who can deal firearms, there is no restriction on the number of firearms a dealer can sell or transfer at a given time.
Under House Bill 2054, firearms dealers would instead be prohibited from selling or transferring more than one firearm to an individual within a 30-day window.
Rep. Darya Farivar, D-Seattle, sponsored the legislation along with 23 other House Democrats.
During the public hearing, Farivar said that according to research, firearms sold in bulk purchases are more likely to be used to commit crimes, and twice as likely to be scrubbed and turned into “ghost guns.”
Farivar added that she knows measures such as her proposal work because five other states have already passed similar laws.
Still, some were opposed to the measure.
Melissa Denny, owner of Pistol Annie’s Jewelry & Pawn in Bonney Lake, said the law violates the rights of law-abiding citizens.
Denny quoted rising crime statistics in Washington and said that while crime is trending downward nationally, Washington is seeing an uptick in crime.
“In my job I have daily discussions regarding gun violence and buying restrictions that have been imposed in the last few years,” Denny said. “As violence is on the rise, so are buying restrictions. (Concealed Pistol License) holders are the most law-abiding citizens in the country. We often discuss the fact that restricting the law-abiding person’s ability to defend themselves will never curb criminal behavior. The opposite has happened.”
The bill has not yet been scheduled for executive session.
This story was originally published January 17, 2024 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Sweeping package of gun legislation proposed by Democrats is met by packed public hearing."
