Washington: Two Anti-Gun Bills Advance Through the Legislature

On Tuesday, February 27^th, HB 2118, the “FFL Killer” passed the Senate, and SB 5444, "sensitive places" expansion, passed the House. Both bills were amended in the second chamber and now must return to their respective chambers of origin for concurrence and final passage before heading to the Governor's desk. 

House Bill 2118, the "FFL-Killer" bill, was passed by the Senate with a vote of 28-21. The bill will now return to the House for concurrence due to an amendment adopted in the Senate. The onerous requirements of House Bill 2118 will likely put most Washington-based FFLs 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. Even the Seattle Times agrees “… HB 2118 pushes gun control to a level of punishment for legitimate businesses… [and] unnecessarily tightens the rein on gun dealers while using the public’s safety as a smoke screen.”

Senate Bill 5444, regarding open carry bans passed with a vote of 58-36. This bill expands so-called “sensitive places” in many publicly accessible areas including public transit stations or facilities, public libraries, zoos, and aquariums. The bill permits firearms in these places with a Concealed Pistol License.

Please stay tuned to the NRA-ILA website and your inbox as these bills progress.