ILA | Washington: Gun Control Bills on Senate Floor

A number of gun control bills are moving to the Washington state Senate floor after advancing from committee before the deadline and could be considered at any moment.  Please contact your state Senator and urge them to OPPOSE Senate Bills 5062, 5174, 5434, 5143, 5027, 5745, and 5181.  Click the “Take Action” button below to contact your state Senator. 

The Substitute to Senate Bill 5062, sponsored by Senator Patty Kuderer (D-48), was filed at the request of Attorney General Bob Ferguson.  It would ban the possession of ammunition magazines with a capacity greater than 10, encompassing most standard capacity magazines commonly used by law-abiding citizens, such as with handguns popular for self-defense.  Those who own non-compliant magazines prior to the ban would only be allowed to possess them on their own property and in other limited instances such as at licensed shooting ranges and nationally sanctioned sport shooting events.  These magazines would have to be transported unloaded and locked separately from firearms and stored at home locked, making them unavailable for self-defense.

Senate Bill 5174, sponsored by Senator Guy Palumbo (D-1), would increase the government red tape that law-abiding adults must go through in order to obtain a Concealed Pistol License by requiring a mandatory training course. 

The Substitute to Senate Bill 5434, sponsored by Senator Claire Wilson (D-30), would increase the areas where law-abiding citizens are prohibited from possessing firearms, including holders of a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) carrying a handgun for self-defense.  It would allow local governments to make public parks and recreational facilities into “gun-free zones” where law-abiding citizens would be unable to defend themselves and their loved ones against criminals who simply ignore such arbitrary boundaries.  In addition, it would mandate that child care facilities be “gun-free zones” and post signs indicating so.

Senate Bill 5143, sponsored by Senator Manka Dhingra (D-45), would require law-enforcement to seize firearms and ammunition when they are called to the scene of an alleged domestic violence incident and hold them for at least five business days.  This would result in property being confiscated without first going through due process and subjecting citizens to bureaucratic red tape to get their property returned. 

Senate Bill 5027, sponsored by Senator David Frockt (D-46), would expand Washington’s existing Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO).  It would affirm that the ERPO can be issued against minors while also infringing upon the self-defense rights of law-abiding parents or others in the household without due process.  

Senate Bill 5745, sponsored by Senator Marko Liias (D-21), would expand Washington’s existing Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO) to allow Second Amendment rights to be suspended for individuals alleged to make certain threats by third party accusers with little, if any, real evidence and limited “due process” for the respondent.  Hearings for the orders would be ex parte, where the respondent would not be present to challenge the accuser and defend against allegations made against them.  The issuance of an order would immediately prohibit the respondent from exercising their Second Amendment rights.  The Right to Keep and Bear Arms should not be treated as a second-class right and should only be restricted consistent with the constitutional requirements of due process.

Senate Bill 5181, sponsored by Senator Kuderer, would suspend Second Amendment rights without due process for six months from individuals who are admitted for a 72-hour mental health evaluation, but who are not subsequently involuntarily committed.

Again, please click the “Take Action” button above to contact your state Senator and urge them to OPPOSE Senate Bills 5062, 5174, 5434, 5143, 5027, 5745, and 5181.