‘Stock up now’: Gun rights attorney William Kirk blasts Senate gun bill

The Washington State Senate voted Monday to tighten gun regulations, passing House Bill 1163, which requires anyone who wants to buy a firearm in Washington to get a permit—applicants would have to pass a certified firearms safety course, undergo a fingerprint-based background check, and pay several fees. The Senate version also expanded the recordkeeping requirements to all firearm transfers, not just specific types. That means every sale, every gift, every transfer—all of it gets logged and tracked by the state.

However, gun rights attorney William Kirk with WashingtonGunLaws.com told “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio Thursday that the bill was expected.

“We saw this one coming from a mile away,” he said. “They tried it last year. Got watered down. It didn’t get watered down this year. So now it’s a reality, and everyone’s been kind of expecting this for a while.”

Senate gun bill would require more intense training

The House passed the bill last month in a 58-38 party-line vote, but the Senate took a different approach—beefing up the bill, particularly around training.

“So an individual who had the audacity to want to access their Second Amendment rights will need to go through mandatory training, including live-fire training—which creates all sorts of issues as I’m not sure how a person could do live-fire training if they don’t have possession of a firearm to begin with—but if you do jump through all of those hoops, government will bestow upon you then a permission slip that will then allow you to go to a gun store so that you can purchase a firearm,” Kirk sarcastically explained. “Now, you will have already gone through a background check to get the permission slip, and then you will go to the gun store to go through the exact same background check before you can take possession of that firearm as well.”

John Curley, host of “John Curley,” said there is no data that shows this bill will save lives.

“Absolutely not,” Kirk responded. “And one of the biggest lies they perpetuate is to say that firearms are the number one cause of death for young people. But that’s only if you include 18, 19, and 20-year-olds in the equation, as well. So when they say that it’s the number one leading cause of death of children, that’s actually statistically incorrect.”

Kirk added that when drunk driving happens, no one talks about banning cars or alcohol, but lawmakers continue to bring up banning guns. He believes that Washington Governor Bob Ferguson will sign the legislation, which would then go into effect on May 1, 2027. Kirk also had a message for gun supporters: “Stock up now.”

Contributing: Matt Markovich, KIRO Newsradio

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