WA Dems Ram Through Background Check Fee Hike, Sheriff Silencing Bills

Summary

Washington state Democrats passed House Bill 2521, which allows the State Patrol to increase firearms background check fees, potentially from $18 to $35, effective May 1, 2027. They also passed House Bill 5974, designed to silence county sheriffs opposing gun control. Separately, Connecticut is considering HB 5043 to ban "convertible pistols," and a Washington state challenge to magazine bans, *Gators Custom Guns v. Washington*, is pending Supreme Court review.