Washington: Bill Removing Fee Cap on Firearm Background Checks Advances AFTER Crossover Deadline

February 25, 2026
8:00 am

▶

Listen to Article

In a move that reeks of legislative sleight-of-hand, Washington's state lawmakers pulled a classic end-run around their own rules on Tuesday night, suspending procedures to ram through House Bill 2521 after the crossover deadline. This sneaky bill doesn't just tinker with the edges—it's set to obliterate the longstanding $8 fee cap on firearm background checks, potentially jacking up costs to whatever the private vendor (read: big government contractor) feels like charging. Passed by the House and now slithering toward the Senate, HB 2521 masquerades as modernizing the system, but let's call it what it is: a blatant revenue grab dressed in safety drag, exploiting Washington's already draconian permitting regime where concealed pistol licenses trigger these checks. Dig deeper, and the 2A implications are chilling. Washington's background check fees were capped for years to keep self-defense affordable, especially for low-income folks exercising their rights. Scrapping that cap hands unchecked power to vendors like the ones handling NICS queries, who could inflate fees to $50, $100, or more—mirroring California's gouging tactics that have already priced out thousands from legal gun ownership. This isn't about safety; violent crime in Seattle is skyrocketing despite strict laws, per FBI stats showing a 20%+ homicide spike since 2020. It's punitive taxation on a fundamental right, aligning with the evergreen Democrat playbook of death by a thousand fees to erode Second Amendment access without outright bans. Post-Bruen, this smells like desperation from gun-grabbers testing how far they can push before courts slap it down. For the 2A community, the clock's ticking—contact your senators now via the Washington State Legislature hotline or SAF's action center. This bill's passage post-deadline proves they're playing dirty, but organized pushback has killed worse (remember I-594's near-misses?). If it lands on Gov. Inslee's desk, expect a signing party; if not, it'll resurface. Stay vigilant, Washington—your right to keep and bear arms just got a little more expensive courtesy of Olympia.

Best FFL Software Ranked and Compared!

In a move that reeks of legislative sleight-of-hand, Washington’s state lawmakers pulled a classic end-run around their own rules on Tuesday night, suspending procedures to ram through House Bill 2521 after the crossover deadline. This sneaky bill doesn’t just tinker with the edges—it’s set to obliterate the longstanding $8 fee cap on firearm background checks, potentially jacking up costs to whatever the private vendor (read: big government contractor) feels like charging. Passed by the House and now slithering toward the Senate, HB 2521 masquerades as modernizing the system, but let’s call it what it is: a blatant revenue grab dressed in safety drag, exploiting Washington’s already draconian permitting regime where concealed pistol licenses trigger these checks.

Dig deeper, and the 2A implications are chilling. Washington’s background check fees were capped for years to keep self-defense affordable, especially for low-income folks exercising their rights. Scrapping that cap hands unchecked power to vendors like the ones handling NICS queries, who could inflate fees to $50, $100, or more—mirroring California’s gouging tactics that have already priced out thousands from legal gun ownership. This isn’t about safety; violent crime in Seattle is skyrocketing despite strict laws, per FBI stats showing a 20%+ homicide spike since 2020. It’s punitive taxation on a fundamental right, aligning with the evergreen Democrat playbook of death by a thousand fees to erode Second Amendment access without outright bans. Post-Bruen, this smells like desperation from gun-grabbers testing how far they can push before courts slap it down.

For the 2A community, the clock’s ticking—contact your senators now via the Washington State Legislature hotline or SAF’s action center. This bill’s passage post-deadline proves they’re playing dirty, but organized pushback has killed worse (remember I-594’s near-misses?). If it lands on Gov. Inslee’s desk, expect a signing party; if not, it’ll resurface. Stay vigilant, Washington—your right to keep and bear arms just got a little more expensive courtesy of Olympia.

Share this story