Washington: Governor Signs Anti-Gun Legislation

Today, Governor Inslee signed five anti-gun bills into law that were recently passed by the Washington State Legislature. The bills include:

House Bill 1903 further victimizes otherwise law-abiding gun owners and places the liability on crime victims for theft of their own property by penalizing the failure to report missing or stolen firearms within 24 hours. 

House Bill 2021, expands the authorized and/or required destruction of firearms acquired from gun buyback programs held by state and local government entities.

House Bill 2118, the "FFL-Killer" bill, places onerous requirements on Washington-based FFLs and will put many out of business because of the financial burden to comply. Any FFL that does more than $1,000 of sales per year must run annual background checks on their employees, carry $1 million liability insurance, install steel doors or bars at the business, and meet onerous requirements for storage and security systems with 24-hour audio and video surveillance.

Senate Bill 5444, expands “sensitive places” where law-abiding citizens may no longer open carry in these publicly accessible areas - public transportation areas, libraries, zoos and aquariums. Nothing in the bill requires these “sensitive places” have any measures to protect citizens and prevent armed criminals from ignoring this arbitrary boundary and entering, such as metal detectors, security guards, or a police presence. Concealed Pistol License holders may still lawfully conceal carry their firearms in these locations.

Senate Bill 5985 codifies the unconstitutional provisions of Washington’s recent ban on commonly owned firearms into the section of state code on background checks.

Thank you to NRA members and Second Amendment supporters for your active involvement in voicing your concerns on these bills. Your engagement will be critical next session, too. Please stay tuned to your email inbox for further updates as the fight for Second Amendment rights continues in Washington.