Washington State Gun Legislation
2A Bills
This Tuesday was a big 2A Tuesday in Washington state as 5 bills addressing gun control were brought before the public for comment. Washington is trying to pass a lot of things through, so it’s important that we keep up.
SB5078 - This bill eliminates immunity for firearm manufacturers and allows citizens to sue businesses for criminal misuse of their products. Next session: January 19th - Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 8:00 AM.
HB1178 - This bill, if passed, would end state preemption, allowing cities, counties and municipalities to implement gun control ordinances and regulations. Next session: January 27th - Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 10:30 AM.
HB1180 - If passed, this bill would ban the manufacture, sale, purchase and transfer of so-called “assault rifles.”
HB1143 - This bill creates onerous permit-to-purchase requirements for all firearm sales in the state. Next session: January 27th - Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 10:30 AM.
HB1144 - Enhanced background checks that add additional disqualifiers for citizens wishing to purchase a firearm. Next session: January 27th - Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 10:30 AM.
Summary of How Bills are Moved Through Legislature
Now that the Washington State Legislature has heard public opinion on each of these bills, they will be moved forward to the executive session. When it comes to bills, committees hold three kinds of meetings: (1) work sessions, where issues are determined and reviewed; (2) public hearings, where testimony from interested parties is taken; and (3) executive sessions, where the committee decides how it will report the bill to the whole House. If the bill passes both the House and the Senate, it is passed the Legislature.
After passing through Legislature, the bill is then signed by the Speaker of the House, the Chief Clerk of the House, the President of the Senate, and the Secretary of the Senate and is sent to the Governor for his action. From there, the Governor reviews the bill, and decides whether to approve or veto. On rare occasions the Legislature has overturned a Governor’s veto, but in general, bills are not passed through once it is vetoed.
Ways to Make Your Voice Heard
The first advocacy point with these bills (and other unconstitutional bills being pushed through Washington) is to be aware of the text included in the bills. You can access Washington State Legislature by going to their website. The information related specifically to bills is at this link.
You can also request legislative updates be sent directly to your email inbox by signing up here.
Once you are aware of the verbiage of current bills you will want to see when the session for public comment is scheduled. Below the information area of each bill is a timeline, which will indicate when the hearings are to be held. (See screenshot below).
You can watch videos of the sessions at this link.
Once the public comment hearing has taken place you can continue to make your voice heard by contacting your Representatives. The most common means of legislative advocacy is direct lobbying, which entails contacting a legislator, sharing your views on an issue, and asking him or her to vote a specific way on a bill. This can be done with something as easy as a phone call or letter, or by a formal meeting with the legislator or staff person.
Get the word out about what Silent Majority Foundation does. As a non-profit, fundraising is the primary way we provide legal services to our clients, so we depend on monthly support and donations to continue to take on unconstitutional cases in Washington state and across the nation. What cases are we taking on right now? You can see all of our case documents and current litigation here.
If you have any questions about us, your Constitutional rights and/or how to get involved with our foundation, feel free to reach out on our website at:
https://silentmajorityfoundation.org/contact/