HB1163 requires anyone in Washington wanting to purchase a firearm to obtain a five‑year state permit from the Washington State Patrol. To qualify, applicants must complete a certified safety-training course within the past five years and pass background checks. Sellers must also record all firearm transfers, extending beyond just handguns and semi-automatic rifles. The law reinstates a right to challenge denied applications in court, and requires annual re-checks for permit holders.
The Washington State Senate passed HB1163 passed April 14, 2025 by a vote of 29 to 19. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this bill imposes unconstitutional restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms by creating burdensome and warrantless obstacles to lawful firearm ownership. Additionally, it penalizes law-abiding citizens by subjecting them to ongoing state scrutiny without probable cause. Such infringements directly violate the Second Amendment, which affirms that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” as well as the fourth and fifth amendments.
