Voting in lockstep, Democrats in the Washington State House of Representatives have passed legislation to require a permit-to-purchase in order for any citizen to buy a firearm, and gun owners are already girding for a court battle.
The vote was straight party line, 58-38, with two members excused. The entire debate, which may be viewed here, continued for almost 50 minutes.
Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1163 (E2SHB 1163) was passed Saturday following sometimes heated debate and now goes to the Democrat-controlled State Senate.
Not only does the measure require a permit issued by the Washington State Patrol, but it also mandates proof of state-approved firearm safety training within the previous five years, to include a live fire exercise.
The same requirement will now be added to the application for a concealed pistol license, the first time in 90 years such a mandate has been added to getting a CPL. Washington’s concealed carry law dates back to the 1930s, and currently, the state has nearly 700,000 active licenses. This requirement appears to be a deliberate effort to reduce that number by discouraging people from applying due to the additional costs and time factor.
The Washington State Standard is reporting that Democrat bill sponsor Rep. Liz Berry of Seattle claimed, “We know that this policy works.” She further insisted that the requirement will prevent firearms from getting into the wrong hands, an argument that opponents say is already demonstrably false because criminals get guns via various illicit means.
Gun owners are arguing on social media the only “permit” they need is the Second Amendment. Washington’s state constitution also has one of the strongest right-to-bear-arms tenets of any state in the union, adopted in November 1889. It plainly states, “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired.”
As viewed by furious Evergreen State gun owners, a permit to purchase is an impairment. Many of those activists will be meeting this Thursday evening at the Tacoma Sportsmen’s Club near Puyallup in Pierce County, to discuss their next moves.
According to MyNorthwest.com, Republican legislators were “strongly opposed to the legislation.” They contend it will not prevent criminals from using firearms illegally. Democrats rejected each of the 27 amendments offered by Republicans during floor debate.
State Rep. Jim Walsh of Grays Harbor, who also chairs the State Republican Party, argued, “First, it violates your due process rights. That’s Article 1, Section 3 of the Washington State Constitution. Second, it violates your privacy rights. That’s Article 1, Section 7, and third, it violates your rights to defend yourself with a firearm.”
The third reference is to Article 1, Section 24 of the State Constitution, which is the right-to-bear-arms tenet.
This vote comes at a time when AmmoLand and TheGunMag.com have been reporting how Washington state’s Department of Commerce appears to have been providing public funds ti the Seattle-based Alliance for Gun Responsibility, the billionaire-backed gun prohibition lobbying group whose legislative agenda is now being pushed into law by Democrats.
The probe has now revealed that the Alliance’s “Victory Fund” has supported anti-gun Democrats during the past few election cycles.
Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Bellevue, Wash.-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, told Ammoland and TGM over the weekend he will call for an investigation.
“It is appalling that the billionaire funded Alliance is getting public funding,” Gottlieb said via email. “I am calling for a federal investigation into this fleecing of Washington taxpayers to fund this political organization. Governor Bob Ferguson and his cronies can’t be trusted to investigate themselves as they are a main beneficiary of this scheme.”
Gottlieb has been on the forefront of the battle over Washington gun rights versus gun control. Another front-line trooper in this fight is Pierce County activist Jane Milhans, known on social media as “MJ Muehlhans.” She revealed Sunday that her local Democrat state representative contacted her via email after the vote.
“She wants to meet after session and get a tour of the gun club, in her district with 1600 members,” Milhans said.
If HB 1163 passes and becomes law, it is scheduled to become effective Nov. 1, 2026, which would be just a few days before the mid-term elections. Between now and then, Evergreen State gun owners and activists will have an opportunity to learn the names of every state lawmaker who voted for this legislation, and cast their ballots accordingly.
RELATED:
- From Evergreen State to ‘Police State’ as Washington Dems Push Permit to Purchase
- WA Commerce Dept. Has Previously Provided Funds to Gun Control Group
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