By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Democrat Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed four more gun control measures, keeping his record of supporting restrictive gun legislation intact as he heads into his final year in office.
Inslee is not running for another term, clearing the way for Democrat Attorney General Bob Ferguson to run for the office. He is being challenged by Democrat State Sen. Mark Mullett in the primary.
The Spokane Spokesman Review is reporting that Democrat State Rep. Timm Ormsby of Spokane co-sponsored several gun control bills this year. He reportedly said the new laws build on gun control legislation signed in previous years by Inslee and supported by Ferguson.
Signed into law by Inslee on Tuesday were:
- Senate Bill 5444, which prohibits people from openly carrying firearms in public libraries, zoos, aquariums and transit facilities, or concealed without a concealed pistol license. According to the state Department of Licensing’s most recent report, more than 690,000 Washington residents have CPLs.
- House Bill 1903, which requires gun owners to report lost or stolen guns to police within 24 hours after they discover the theft or loss. Current law allows crime victims five days to report such thefts or losses, but critics contend this could wind up penalizing a gun owner twice, once for the actual theft and again for missing the reporting deadline. People who fail to comply face a civil violation carrying a fine of up to $1,000.
- House Bill 2021, which authorizes the Washington State Patrol to destroy confiscated firearms, while requiring local police and sheriff’s departments to destroy most guns obtained through so-called “gun-buyback” programs.
- House Bill 2118, which requires gun dealers to install and maintain expensive alarm systems and 24-hour video surveillance and other security measures. Within the firearms community, this is called the “FFL Killer” bill because it could literally force small dealerships out of operation. Under this bill, retailers must also carry general liability insurance covering $1 million per incident, and reply quickly to law enforcement inquiries.
According to the Seattle Times, a volunteer with the Washington chapter of Moms Demand Action—the Michael Bloomberg-backed gun prohibition lobbying group—called the legislation “a win for Washington families.”
But Alan Gottlieb, founder and executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation, and chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, has a decidedly different perspective. He told the Seattle Times via email that SAF “is currently working with our attorneys on a potential lawsuit to challenge these new laws.”
Evergreen State gun owners believe last year’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” and the 2022 ban on “large-capacity magazines” are both unconstitutional. Both are being challenged in federal court.
The Vancouver Columbian reported this week that the Evergreen State “through voter-approved ballot measures and legislation, has enacted some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country. Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun control organization, ranks it as the ninth-best state when it comes to the strength of its gun laws.”
But how has that translated to lowering the number of homicides? According to data from the FBI and Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, it hasn’t.
Since Washington began adopting stricter laws in 2014, the number of homicides has doubled, from 172 to 394 in 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, according to both law enforcement sources.
