BP BHEAD INT S

AN ACT Relating to firearms; amending RCW 9.41.090; reenacting and amending RCW 9.41.010 and 9.41.040; and prescribing penalties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 9.41.010 and 1992 c 205 s 117 and 1992 c 145 s 5 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Short firearm" or "pistol" ((~~as used in this chapter~~)) means any firearm with a barrel less than twelve inches in length.

(2) "Crime of violence" ((~~as used in this chapter~~)) means:

(a) Any of the following felonies((~~, as now existing or hereafter amended~~)): Any felony defined under any law as a class A felony or an attempt to commit a class A felony, criminal solicitation of or criminal conspiracy to commit a class A felony, manslaughter in the first degree, manslaughter in the second degree, indecent liberties if committed by forcible compulsion, rape in the second degree, kidnapping in the second degree, arson in the second degree, assault in the second degree, assault of a child in the second degree, extortion in the first degree, burglary in the second degree, and robbery in the second degree;

(b) Any conviction or adjudication for a felony offense in effect at any time prior to July 1, 1976, which is comparable to a felony classified as a crime of violence in subsection (2)(a) of this section; and

(c) Any federal or out-of-state conviction or adjudication for an offense comparable to a felony classified as a crime of violence under subsection (2) (a) or (b) of this section.

(3) "Firearm" ((~~as used in this chapter~~)) means a weapon or device from which a projectile may be fired by an explosive such as gunpowder.

(4) "Semiautomatic firearm" means a firearm having an automatic chambering mechanism but requiring the manual operation of the trigger for each round fired.

(5) "Commercial seller" ((~~as used in this chapter~~)) means a person who has a federal firearms license.

Sec. 2. RCW 9.41.040 and 1992 c 205 s 118 and 1992 c 168 s 2 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of the crime of unlawful possession of a short firearm ((or)), pistol, or semiautomatic firearm, if, having previously been convicted or, as a juvenile, adjudicated in this state or elsewhere of a crime of violence or of a felony in which a firearm was used or displayed, the person owns or has in his or her possession any short firearm ((or)), pistol, or semiautomatic firearm.

(2) Unlawful possession of a short firearm ((or)), pistol, or semiautomatic firearm shall be punished as a class C felony under chapter 9A.20 RCW.

(3) As used in this section, a person has been "convicted or adjudicated" at such time as a plea of guilty has been accepted or a verdict of guilty has been filed, notwithstanding the pendency of any future proceedings including but not limited to sentencing or disposition, post-trial or post-factfinding motions, and appeals. A person shall not be precluded from possession if the conviction or adjudication has been the subject of a pardon, annulment, certificate of rehabilitation, or other equivalent procedure based on a finding of the rehabilitation of the person convicted or adjudicated or the conviction or disposition has been the subject of a pardon, annulment, or other equivalent procedure based on a finding of innocence.

(4) Except as provided in subsection (5) of this section, a person is guilty of the crime of unlawful possession of a short firearm ((or)), pistol, or semiautomatic firearm if, after having been convicted or adjudicated of any felony violation of the uniform controlled substances act, chapter 69.50 RCW, or equivalent statutes of another jurisdiction, the person owns or has in his or her possession or under his or her control any short firearm ((or)), pistol, or semiautomatic firearm.

(5) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, a person convicted of an offense other than murder, manslaughter, robbery, rape, indecent liberties, arson, assault, kidnapping, extortion, burglary, or violations with respect to controlled substances under RCW 69.50.401(a) and 69.50.410, who received a probationary sentence under RCW 9.95.200, and who received a dismissal of the charge under RCW 9.95.240, shall not be precluded from ownership, possession, or control of a firearm as a result of the conviction.

(6)(a) A person who has been committed by court order for treatment of mental illness under RCW 71.05.320 or chapter 10.77 RCW, or equivalent statutes of another jurisdiction, may not possess, in any manner, a firearm as defined in RCW 9.41.010.

(b) At the time of commitment, the court shall specifically state to the person under (a) of this subsection and give the person notice in writing that the person is barred from possession of firearms.

(c) The secretary of social and health services shall develop appropriate rules to create an approval process under this subsection. The rules must provide for the immediate restoration of the right to possess a firearm upon a showing in a court of competent jurisdiction that a person no longer is required to participate in an inpatient or outpatient treatment program, and is no longer required to take medication to treat any condition related to the commitment. Unlawful possession of a firearm under this subsection shall be punished as a class C felony under chapter 9A.20 RCW.

Sec. 3. RCW 9.41.090 and 1988 c 36 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) In addition to the other requirements of this chapter, no commercial seller shall deliver a pistol or a semiautomatic firearm to the purchaser thereof until:

(a)(i) For pistol purchases: The purchaser produces a valid concealed pistol license and the commercial seller has recorded the purchaser's name, license number, and issuing agency, such record to be made in triplicate and processed as provided in subsection (4) of this section;

(ii) For semiautomatic firearm purchases: The commercial seller has recorded the purchaser's name, such record to be made in triplicate and processed as provided in subsection (4) of this section; or

(b) The seller is notified in writing by the chief of police of the municipality or the sheriff of the county that the purchaser meets the requirements of RCW 9.41.040 and that the application to purchase is granted; or

(c) Five consecutive days including Saturday, Sunday and holidays have elapsed from the time of receipt of the application for the purchase thereof as provided herein by the chief of police or sheriff designated in subsection (4) of this section, and, when delivered, ((~~said~~)) the pistol or semiautomatic firearm shall be securely wrapped and shall be unloaded. However, if the purchaser does not have a valid permanent Washington driver's license or state identification card or has not been a resident of the state for the previous consecutive ninety days, the waiting period under this subsection (1)(c) shall be up to sixty days.

(2) In any case under subsection (1)(c) of this section where the applicant has an outstanding warrant for his or her arrest from any court of competent jurisdiction for a felony or misdemeanor, the seller shall hold the delivery of the pistol or the semiautomatic firearm until the warrant for arrest is served and satisfied by appropriate court appearance. The local jurisdiction for purposes of the sale shall confirm the existence of outstanding warrants within seventy-two hours after notification of the application to purchase a pistol or a semiautomatic firearm is received. The local jurisdiction shall also immediately confirm the satisfaction of the warrant on request of the seller so that the hold may be released if the warrant was for a crime other than a crime of violence.

(3) In any case where the chief or sheriff of the local jurisdiction has reasonable grounds based on the following circumstances: (a) Open criminal charges, (b) pending criminal proceedings, (c) pending commitment proceedings, (d) an outstanding warrant for a crime of violence, or (e) an arrest for a crime of violence if the records of disposition have not yet been reported or entered sufficiently to determine eligibility to purchase a pistol or a semiautomatic firearm, the local jurisdiction may hold the sale and delivery of the pistol or the semiautomatic firearm beyond five days up to thirty days in order to confirm existing records in this state or elsewhere. After thirty days, the hold will be lifted unless an extension of the thirty days is approved by a local district court or municipal court for good cause shown. An applicant shall be notified of each hold placed on the sale by local law enforcement and of any application to the court for additional hold period to confirm records or confirm the identity of the applicant.

(4) At the time of applying for the purchase of a pistol or a semiautomatic firearm, the purchaser shall sign in triplicate and deliver to the seller an application containing his or her full name, address, place of birth, and the date and hour of the application; the applicant's driver's license number or state identification card number; and a description of the weapon including, the make, model, caliber and manufacturer's number; and a statement that the purchaser is eligible to own a pistol or a semiautomatic firearm under RCW 9.41.040. The application shall contain a warning substantially as follows:

CAUTION: Although state and local laws do not differ, federal law and state law on the possession of firearms differ. If you are prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm, you may be prosecuted in federal court. State permission to purchase a firearm is not a defense to a federal prosecution.

The purchaser shall be given a copy of the department of wildlife pamphlet on the legal limits of the use of firearms, firearms safety, and the fact that local laws and ordinances on firearms are preempted by state law and must be consistent with state law.

The seller shall, by the end of the business day, sign and attach his or her address and deliver the original of the application and such other documentation as required under subsection (1) of this section to the chief of police of the municipality or the sheriff of the county of which the seller is a resident. The seller shall deliver the pistol or the semiautomatic firearm to the purchaser following the period of time specified in this section unless the seller is notified in writing by the chief of police of the municipality or the sheriff of the county, whichever is applicable, denying the purchaser's application to purchase and the grounds thereof. The application shall not be denied unless the purchaser fails to meet the requirements specified in RCW 9.41.040. The chief of police of the municipality or the county sheriff shall maintain a file containing the original of the application to purchase a pistol or a semiautomatic firearm.