Washington voters next Tuesday decide if the high court stays all-liberal or adds at least five independent justices backed by conservatives, independents and gun-rights activists, shaping challenges to House Bill 1163. Democrats passed the purchase-permit law Republicans opposed; it costs at least $126 plus hundreds for required training and starts May 1, 2027. Expected suits cite the 1889 unimpaired right to bear arms and the Second Amendment via McDonald v. City of Chicago from Bellevue’s Second Amendment Foundation as Scott Edwards, Dave Larson and David Stevens face opposition spending.