SB 5444 — Concerning firearm sensitive places.

S-4123.2S-0531.1 SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5444 State of Washington 68th Legislature 20242023 Regular Session By Senate Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senators Valdez, Hunt, Kuderer, Nguyen, Pedersen, and Saldaña)Saldaña READRead FIRSTfirst TIMEtime 01/19/24.01/18/23.

Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

1 SSBSB 5444 court proceedings, when it is possible to protect court areas without restricting ingress and egress to the building.

2 SSBSB 5444 unscreened passengers or visitors to the airport.

3 SSBSB 5444 county, or other municipality or by the state of Washington, if state or local public employees are regularly present for the purposes of performing their official duties and that is not regularly used, and not intended to be used, by state or local employees as a place of residence.

A public building does not include Washington state department of transportation properties and facilities such as ferry terminals, ferry holding lanes, safety rest areas, and train depots which are used primarily by the general traveling public;

in such cases weapons transported in vehicles must remain in locked cases and or remain in a locked portion of a vehicle.

A "gathering" means a p.demonstration, march, rally, vigil, sit-in, protest, picketing, or similar public assembly.

4 SSB 5444 demonstration, march, rally, vigil, sit-in, protest, picketing, or similar public assembly.

A "public place" includes, but is not limited to, the front, immediate area,p. or parking lot of any store, shop, restaurant, tavern, shopping center, or other place of business;

4 SB 5444 area, or parking lot of any store, shop, restaurant, tavern, shopping center, or other place of business;

(b) Cities, towns, and counties may restrict the location of a business selling firearms to not less than 500 feet from primary or secondary school grounds, if the business has a storefront, has hours p.during which it is open for business, and posts advertisements or signs observable to passersby that firearms are available for sale.

5 SSB 5444 during which it is open for business, and posts advertisements or signs observable to passersby that firearms are available for sale.

(5)p. Violations of local ordinances adopted under subsection (3) of this section must have the same penalty as provided for by state law.

5 SB 5444 (5) Violations of local ordinances adopted under subsection (3) of this section must have the same penalty as provided for by state law.

(8) Subsection (1)(a), (b), (c), ((and)) (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), and (j)(e) of this section does not apply to correctional personnel or community corrections officers, as long as they are employed as such, who have completed government-sponsoredgovernment- sponsored law enforcement firearms training, except that subsection (1)(b) of this section does apply to a correctional employee or community corrections officer who is present at a courthouse building as a party to an antiharassment protection order action or a domestic violence protection order action under chapter 7.105 or 10.99 RCW, or an action under Title 26 RCW where any party has alleged the existence of domestic violence as defined in RCW 7.105.010.

(9) Subsection (1)(a) of this section does not apply to a person licensed pursuant to RCW 9.41.070 who, upon entering the place or facility, directly and promptly proceeds to the administrator of the facility or the administrator's designee and obtains written permission to possess the firearm while on the premises or checks his p.or her firearm.

6 SSB 5444 or her firearm.

(10) Subsection (1)(c) of this section does not apply to any administrator or employee of the facility or to any person who, upon entering the place or facility, directly and promptly proceeds to the administrator of the facility or the administrator's designee and obtainsp. written permission to possess the firearm while on the premises.

6 SB 5444 obtains written permission to possess the firearm while on the premises.

(12) SubsectionGovernment-sponsored (1)(g)law ofenforcement thisfirearms sectiontraining doesmust notbe applytraining tothat employeescorrectional ofpersonnel aand zoo,community aquarium,corrections orofficers animalreceive sanctuary,as whilepart engagedof in their employmentjob ifrequirement theand weaponreference isto ownedsuch bytraining thedoes zoo,not aquarium,constitute ora animalmandate sanctuarythat andit maintainedbe forprovided theby purpose of protecting its employees, animals, or the visitingcorrectional public.facility.

(13) SubsectionAny (1)(f),person (g),violating (h),subsection (i),(1) andor (j)(2) of this section doesis notguilty applyof to a persongross licensedmisdemeanor. to carry a concealed firearm pursuant to RCW 9.41.070.

(14) Government-sponsored"Weapon" lawas enforcementused firearmsin trainingthis mustsection bemeans trainingany thatfirearm, correctionalexplosive personnel and community corrections officers receive as partdefined ofin theirRCW job70.74.010, requirementor andinstrument referenceor toweapon suchlisted trainingin doesRCW not9.41.250. constitute a mandate that it be provided by the correctional facility.

(((13))) (15) Any person violating subsection (1) or (2) of this section is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

(((14))) (16) "Weapon" as used in this section means any firearm, explosive as defined in RCW 70.74.010, or instrument or weapon listed in RCW 9.41.250.

7 SSBSB 5444