Washington: Bill Removing Fee Cap on Firearm Background Checks – Committee Vote TODAY

January 29, 2026
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Washington state's House Appropriations Committee is set to vote TODAY, Thursday, January 29th at 4pm, on House Bill that would scrap the longstanding fee cap on firearm background checks—potentially turning a routine $10 check into a wallet-draining nightmare for law-abiding gun owners. This isn't some obscure tweak; it's a direct assault on the Second Amendment by inflating the cost of exercising your rights, disguised as administrative efficiency. While the state claims it's about covering costs from the Department of Licensing, the real play here is classic gun control creep: make compliance so expensive that fewer people bother, effectively chilling ownership without outright bans. Dig into the context, and it's even uglier. Washington already mandates universal background checks, a post-2014 I-594 regime that's ballooned bureaucracy without denting crime rates—FBI data shows violent crime ticking up despite it. Removing the cap (currently holding fees at $10 for pistols and $18 for long guns) echoes tactics in blue states like California, where enhancement fees have quietly jacked up transfer costs by 50-100% over a decade. For the 2A community, this means families buying heirloom rifles or first-time hunters could face $50+ per transaction, pricing out working-class folks and small FFLs. It's regressive taxation on rights, subsidizing a system rife with delays (average wait: 10+ days) and errors (NICS denial appeals cost you more time and money). The implications scream urgency: if this passes committee, it rockets to the floor in a Dem supermajority legislature, likely landing on Inslee's desk by spring. 2A warriors, rally your networks—flood the hotline (360-786-7500), hit socials with #KillTheFeeHike, and pack any public hearings. This isn't just about bucks; it's a test of whether Olympia can nickel-and-dime away our freedoms. Stand firm, or watch the cap vanish and costs skyrocket. Eyes on 4pm—victory demands vigilance.

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Washington state’s House Appropriations Committee is set to vote TODAY, Thursday, January 29th at 4pm, on House Bill that would scrap the longstanding fee cap on firearm background checks—potentially turning a routine $10 check into a wallet-draining nightmare for law-abiding gun owners. This isn’t some obscure tweak; it’s a direct assault on the Second Amendment by inflating the cost of exercising your rights, disguised as administrative efficiency. While the state claims it’s about covering costs from the Department of Licensing, the real play here is classic gun control creep: make compliance so expensive that fewer people bother, effectively chilling ownership without outright bans.

Dig into the context, and it’s even uglier. Washington already mandates universal background checks, a post-2014 I-594 regime that’s ballooned bureaucracy without denting crime rates—FBI data shows violent crime ticking up despite it. Removing the cap (currently holding fees at $10 for pistols and $18 for long guns) echoes tactics in blue states like California, where enhancement fees have quietly jacked up transfer costs by 50-100% over a decade. For the 2A community, this means families buying heirloom rifles or first-time hunters could face $50+ per transaction, pricing out working-class folks and small FFLs. It’s regressive taxation on rights, subsidizing a system rife with delays (average wait: 10+ days) and errors (NICS denial appeals cost you more time and money).

The implications scream urgency: if this passes committee, it rockets to the floor in a Dem supermajority legislature, likely landing on Inslee’s desk by spring. 2A warriors, rally your networks—flood the hotline (360-786-7500), hit socials with #KillTheFeeHike, and pack any public hearings. This isn’t just about bucks; it’s a test of whether Olympia can nickel-and-dime away our freedoms. Stand firm, or watch the cap vanish and costs skyrocket. Eyes on 4pm—victory demands vigilance.

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