Weapons Prohibited in Designated Places. It is a gross misdemeanor offense for any person to enter the following places while knowingly possessing a weapon:
Signage must be posted at reasonable intervals along the perimeter of the above locations alerting the public of any law restricting the possession of firearms on the premises.
These restrictions do not apply to:
The prohibition against carrying weapons in the restricted access areas of jails and law enforcement facilities does not apply to persons who maintain a valid concealed pistol license so long as the person, upon entering the facility, promptly receives written permission to possess the firearm or checks the firearm in with the facility.
The prohibition against carrying weapons in the restricted access areas of certain public health facilities does not apply to the facility employees or any person who, upon entering, promptly obtains written permission to possess the firearm.
The prohibition against carrying weapons at taverns and other places designated off-limits to persons under age 21 does not apply to the proprietor or employees of the business while engaged in their employment.
The prohibition against carrying weapons at certain zoos and aquariums does not apply to employees of the facilities while engaged in their employment so long as the weapon is owned by the facility and maintained for the purpose of protecting its employees, animals, or the visiting public.
The prohibition against carrying weapons at libraries, certain zoos and aquariums, and transit stations and facilities do not apply to persons who maintain a valid concealed pistol license, or the activities of color guards and honor guards related to burial or interment ceremonies.
Weapons Prohibitions. New locations are added to the list of locations where it is a gross misdemeanor to enter while knowingly possessing a weapon.
Weapons are prohibited on the premises of a city's, town's, county's or other municipality's neighborhood, community, or regional park facilities at which children are likely to be present. Local authorities must designate the park facilities within its boundaries where children are likely to be present. Such facilities include, but are not limited to, playgrounds or children's play areas, sports fields, swim beaches or water play areas, teen centers, community centers or performing arts centers, skate parks, and other recreational facilities likely to be used by children or youth.
Weapons are prohibited on the premises of state or local public buildings where "state or local public building" means a building or part of a building owned, leased, held or used by the governmental entity if public employees are regularly present for the purposes of performing their official duties and is not regularly used, and not intended to be used, as a place of residence. State and local public buildings do not include Washington State Department of Transportation properties and facilities such as:
In such areas weapons must remain in locked cases or remain in a locked portion of a vehicle.
Weapons are prohibited on the premises of county fairs and county fair facilities during the hours of operation in which the fair is open to the public. "County fair" means fairs organized to serve the interests of single counties and are under county commissioner jurisdiction. This prohibition does not apply to gun shows operating on county fairgrounds.
Signage. The requirement to post signage is amended to require all locations where weapons are prohibited to, as soon as practicable, post signs at common public access points rather than at reasonable intervals alerting the public to the prohibition against carrying weapons.
Exemptions. The newly added weapons prohibitions at park facilities where children are likely to be present, state or local public buildings, and county fairs do not apply to the activities of color guards and honor guards related to burial or interment ceremonies or individuals who maintain a valid concealed pistol license.
Firearms that are part of a museum collection are exempted from the bill's prohibitions when in the possession of museum staff, volunteers, or contractors when they are on premises of locations where weapons are prohibited and while engaged in activities directly related to their official museum duties.
Definition. The definition of weapon is amended to mean any firearm, explosive as defined in statute, or any instrument of the kind usually known as slungshot, sand club, metal knuckles, or any knife, dagger, dirk, or other similar instrument that is capable of causing death or bodily injury, and is commonly used with the intent to cause death or bodily injury.
The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard. PRO: This is a necessary step to enhance public safety in Washington. These locations are often bustling with people which makes the dangers of firearms particularly acute. Prohibiting firearms at these locations will stop preventable tragedies. This is about protecting lives. Access to firearms increases the likelihood an argument turns deadly. This will create public spaces where family can gather free from the threat of gun violence. This closes a gap in current law. Young people are avoiding parks because of the fear of gun violence. Washington youth deserve the opportunity to enjoy public spaces without the fear of gun violence. Firearms have no place in these public places and only increases the risk of violence, intimidation, and trauma. We all deserve to live in a world free from gun violence. Gun violence is devastating and often leads to irreparable harms. Studies show, restricting weapons in public places leads to a reduction in gun violence. This is a meaningful step ensuring these locations are as safe as possible for kids and families. No one should have to worry that a minor altercation will become deadly just because someone is armed.
CON: The open carry of firearms at these locations poses no actual criminal threat, and concealed pistol license holders rarely commit crimes. The public will not know which buildings are owned or leased by the government and may violate this law by simply going into the wrong building. Survivors of crimes just want to live normal lives and this includes the right to protect themselves. Firearms level the fight between women and their attackers. This bill will allow local governments to create a nearly limitless number of gun free zones with little or no oversight. This guarantees people will leave more guns in their cars which will lead to more stolen guns and more gun crimes. Lawful gun owners are not the problem. While this is well intentioned, such a blanket ban on weapons will infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens. Disarming citizens does not enhance safety, and those who will use a gun against the law will not comply with these prohibitions. This will prevent domestic violence survivors from protecting their families. Law-abiding citizens should be allowed to carry firearms to protect themselves and families.
OTHER: While it is important to keep Washingtonians safe, rather than mandate additional statewide restrictions, these decisions should be made at the local community level. These restrictions may make sense in urban areas, most of Washington is not urban. This will also create a large cost for local governments.
PRO: Amy Bailey; Sarah Rumbaugh, Council Member, City of Tacoma; Margaret Heldring, Grandmothers Against Gun Violence; Halle Norenberg, Students Demand Action; Gwen Loosmore, WA PTA; Mahiki Malldi; Robert Schentrup, Brady; Neal Black, Kirkland City Council Member; Ann Madsen, Moms Demand Action; Paula Barnes; AP Diaz, City of Seattle; Michael Noack.
The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard. PRO: This bill extends protections to places where harm from firearms is particularly severe. I believe this bill is a necessary step to enhance public safety in the areas where firearms pose heightened threats. This bill builds on successful legislative efforts in recent years. This bill would help keep our communities safe by creating risk-based restrictions on firearms in sensitive places.
As an elementary principal and teacher, I have seen first-hand how important it is to ensure that children can play, learn and grow in environments free from the risks associated with firearms. Please show your support for community safety by supporting this bill. The laws on open carry vary greatly from state to state—our focus is on Washington State only. We live here because of the state's natural environment and beauty so readily accessible at our parks. Feeling safe in our natural environment is essential to make our children, families, babysitters, and others feel free from concern about encountering a potentially deadly weapon in these spaces. Signage is important to ensure enforcement of this bill should it be passed. The presence of firearms in community spaces increases the risk of accidents, escalation and violence. We know that restricting firearms in sensitive spaces works. These spaces are essential parts of our community and should be free from the threat of gun violence.
As a student who is actively suffering from PTSD because of gun violence that occurred ten feet away from me at school, a place where students deserve to feel safe and protected. This bill represents a vital step toward enhancing the safety and security of our communities. By prohibiting firearms in parks and public buildings we create a safe space for families, children and the dedicated public servants who work tirelessly to serve our communities. The threat of gun violence in workplaces is a serious concern and this legislation will help to mitigate the risk.
On May 23rd, 2014, my 19-year-old niece, a college freshman, Veronica Weiss, was brutally murdered in a violent mass shooting in Isla Vista, CA. In her honor I promised I would do everything I could to help our communities be safer from gun violence. The mere presence of a firearm increases the likelihood of intimidation and trauma and tragedy. This will help protect the people of WA, especially young people like me who are uniquely vulnerable. Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for young people in the United States. There are important updates in this bill that need to be put in place to continue keeping Washingtonians safe. The discharge of a gun can shatter a happy childhood moment in an instant.
CON: Our membership of close to 5000 members urge you to vote against this bill. The overbroad language is indicative of a disdain anti-gun Legislatures have for law-abiding citizens and their desire to turn the entire state of WA into a gun free zone. No data has been provided to support that this bill will improve public safety. This state has plenty of firearms laws, drug laws, and driving laws what we need is enforcement of current laws. Our members ask you to just enforce current law as it is.
What you will see here is an influx of massive amounts of lawsuits and settlements. Every time the Legislature expands the government's ability to regulate and then does it poorly, we end up in court. There are $2.5 million in lawsuits right now in the state of Washington, most of that in the Child Welfare Program. We are currently in an $80 million lawsuit in Yakima County right now because of a question on signage. With your overly subjective and vague language here, we're going to have a place where a child may gather, and we didn't put a sign there, and a municipality is going to be sued and be embroiled in a lawsuit. This will only cost taxpayers more money and not solve the problem.
The Supreme Court standard for the constitutionality for firearms regulation under Bruin is whether a regulation is consistent with the tradition of firearms regulations at the founding of our country. Our founding fathers certainly weren't concealed carrying their rifles. No amount of signs will deter criminals, these signs are magnets for attacks. I'm a survivor of a home invasion by two men. I can tell you that women are terrified to be out in public and not be able to protect themselves. Women have a right to protect themselves. A no gun zone makes them an instant target that would be defenseless and unprotected. A woman was raped in Point Defiance Park, no guns. We're asking you to please target the criminals. Look at the costs of this. There will be additional costs and lawsuits. But will there be security? Who's going to protect us women when we are on government property? I think what needs to happen is to adjust it to allow individuals to open carry in transit stations and park facilities. Individuals with a concealed pistol license are well trained in the use of firearms, have passed a background check, and are safety conscious. Members in gun clubs haven't been included in these bills and I believe that they should be.
PRO: Senator Javier Valdez, Prime Sponsor; Sarah Rumbaugh, Council Member, City of Tacoma; Jason Magdalena, WA Youth Alliance; Ann Madsen, Moms Demand Action; Jennifer Dolan-Waldman, Grandmothers Against Gun Violence; Robert Schentrup, Brady United; Jane Weiss.