Washington's $90 gun permit fee doesn't match the math, critics say
Washington's new permit-to-purchase system starts charging gun buyers $126 next May, and Bearing Arms says the state's own explanation of where that money goes doesn't hold up to basic math.
Snapshot
Starting May 1, Washington residents will need a state permit to buy a firearm, at a cost of $126, which covers a $90 permit fee and a $36 fingerprint background check, on top of a separate state-certified safety course required for licensing. Bearing Arms, citing reporting from Reason Magazine, questions whether the Washington State Patrol's stated use of the fees actually matches the volume of work involved.
Key points
- The breakdown: Reason reports the $126 fee splits into $90 for the permit itself and $36 for fingerprinting, with renewal due every five years at $90, even for existing concealed pistol or hunting license holders.
- Extra costs not included: Applicants must separately pay for a state-certified gun safety course covering live fire, safe storage, suicide prevention, and use of deadly force, per Reason.
- Projected revenue: WSP Firearms Background Division commander Kevin Baird told Reason the agency expects 200,000 applicants in the first year, which could generate roughly $18 million from the $90 permit fee alone, since the fingerprint fee isn't retained by the program.
- Doesn't add up: Bearing Arms argues that $90 per applicant is far more than the actual processing time would justify, estimating the program would net roughly $1.6 million per employee if a modest staff handled the expected volume.
Quick take
Bearing Arms frames this as a fee structure built to fund bureaucracy and expand state authority, not just cover costs, while stopping short of claiming it has hard proof of where the money really goes. The piece notes the law was passed by Democrats over Republican objections and expects gun rights groups to challenge it on state and federal constitutional grounds once it takes effect.
Read the full story: bearingarms.com