The WA state background checks are starting to bog down

[STI]

I know it well.

And I stand both corrected, and surprised. Both local places that I frequent here are quoting 3 weeks *minimum* with stories of having to resubmit.

Could be a volume thing; the largest place here probably sells more guns in a week or month than all of King county.

They unofficially told me 5-10 business days was the common turnaround lately and I was prepared for it to go weeks after reading your posts here. Last time I bought was fall 17 so I had no expectations.

I thought the 10 day wait was a WA law and NICS was 3 days. Now it seems like 1639 made the wait indefinite depending on where you live.

I purchased a SAR last year in Nov. and the wait was 3 days IIRC. That was before 1639 kicked in.

Do you have a CPL? Maybe that was the hang up, don't know.

Dunno who you’re asking about CPL but yes I do and it’s with Kent whose the same group that did the check this week.

10 day wait wasn’t law - the way it used to work is that at the counter, they’d put your stuff in NICS and you’d either get proceed, deny, or hold. Hold could be one day, or up to the full ten days, at which without a deny it timed out and you could come get your stuff. I had that happen every time. NICS is no longer used here in the new 1639 atmosphere, I asked.

[Totem Polar]

Interesting, @STI. You must have a name similar to some nefarious terror suspect, or something. Since my 21st birthday, it's been the same for me: show the CCW permit; the friendly dude in flannel behind the counter calls it in; I walk with my impulse (or planned, once in a while) purchase. For decades. And that is a LOT of gun purchases over that 30-year time frame.

I'm actually not all broken up over the wait... it's not like *I* need a gun right now, because I don't already have one. If I thought that I1639 would actually do dick for preventing unjustified violence, I'd be all in. I'm just not that naive. [/shrug]

[idahojess]

I was about 2 weeks on a pistol I just purchased. I usually ran the full 3 days for a proceed before 1639.

I guess it depends on which county here in WA you happen to live in. Or maybe it's the new may issue for purchases.

The new background check delay for pistols was not implemented by 1639. It was caused by the (Dem controlled) legislature this last session, when they failed to come up with a solution to the feds not allowing NICS checks to be run solely on pistol purchases for CPL holders, while local law enforcement ran checks on non cpl holders. Or alternatively, I guess they came up with a solution that they liked. The legislature, with HB 1465, (which I linked to earlier) struck the old language that allowed for a dealer to immediately deliver a pistol to someone with a CPL and a successful NICS check. Now, local law enforcement runs them for all pistols and all "assault rifles." (The assault rifle portion was enacted by 1639.)

If you live in the unincorporated county, then the Sheriff's office runs it, otherwise, it's the municipality you live in. But each of those entities have to check with the other state agencies, too.

[Borderland]

They unofficially told me 5-10 business days was the common turnaround lately and I was prepared for it to go weeks after reading your posts here. Last time I bought was fall 17 so I had no expectations.



Dunno who you’re asking about CPL but yes I do and it’s with Kent whose the same group that did the check this week.

10 day wait wasn’t law - the way it used to work is that at the counter, they’d put your stuff in NICS and you’d either get proceed, deny, or hold. Hold could be one day, or up to the full ten days, at which without a deny it timed out and you could come get your stuff. I had that happen every time. NICS is no longer used here in the new 1639 atmosphere, I asked.

We've had so many changes in the WA laws that it's hard to keep up. Whatever happened it's all history now with 1639. I was just going by my own experience. Before 1639 I had my purchases within 3 days. Last 2 before 1639 was 11/18 and 6/19. Looks like 1465 may have held you up but that's just a guess, I have no idea. At least you got it thru and that's the important part.

As Sid said, the wait isn't critical as long as you get the goods. Most of use have plenty of stuff already. For me personally, I know that I've passed every NICS and one state BC recently. If I get hung up I'll know it's a state database FU. That's a chilling thought. That report goes into WSP database and could have some consequences like a no fly list. Probably require an attorney.