Bill would move firearms‑dealer licensing to Washington State Patrol and require inspections, training, annual checks

Senate Bill 5099 would require the Washington State Patrol (WSP) to serve as the statewide licensing authority for firearms dealers, establish application materials and training requirements for dealers and employees, mandate annual state and federal fingerprinting and background checks for employees who sell firearms, adopt a tiered licensing fee schedule based on average firearm sales volume, and authorize WSP to conduct regular and unannounced inspections with sanctions for noncompliance.

Under the bill’s text as presented in the hearing, the initial licensing fee would start at $500 with renewal tiers ranging from $125 to $1,500 depending on a dealer’s three‑year average annual sales; the bill would also require WSP to inspect 10% of licensed dealers’ premises annually and permit unannounced inspections during posted…