House committee hears staff and public testimony on proposed permit-to-purchase firearms law

The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday heard a staff briefing and more than an hour of public testimony on substitute House Bill 11-63, a proposal to establish a permit-to-purchase program and change rules for concealed pistol licenses.

The bill would require dealers not to transfer firearms unless a purchaser holds a valid permit to purchase firearms and would direct the Washington State Patrol (WSP) to conduct fingerprint-based background checks and issue or deny permits within statutory timelines. A permit would be valid for five years and renewable in five-year periods. The bill would also require the WSP to certify firearm-safety training programs and to annually verify that permit-holders remain eligible to possess firearms, revoking permits if not.

A staff summary by Edie Adams, staff to the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee, and fiscal briefing by Sydney Jefferey said a complete fiscal note for the substitute was not yet available. Agency illustrations in committee materials assume 600,000 permit…