Dealers in jeopardy...?
Another thing has been bugging me about the law, and I feel it deserves its own write-up.
My emphasis in
boldface and notes in [brackets]:
I-594 said:
Sec. 2. RCW 9.41.010 and 2013 c 183 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in
this section apply throughout this chapter.
(13) "Licensed dealer" means a person who is federally licensed under 18 U.S.C. Sec. 923(a).
(17) "Person" means any individual, corporation, company, association, firm, partnership, club, organization, society, joint stock company, or other legal entity.
(26) "Unlicensed person" means any person who is not a licensed dealer under this chapter.
[Other definitions omitted for brevity]
Note that the definition for "unlicensed person" clearly excludes a "licensed dealer", but the same is NOT true for the term "person" without the "unlicensed" qualifier.
Furthermore...
I-594 said:
Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 9.41 RCW to read as follows:...
[Subsection (1) omitted]
(2) No person shall sell or transfer a firearm unless:
(a) The person is a licensed dealer;
(b) The purchaser or transferee is a licensed dealer; or
(c) The requirements of subsection (3) of this section are met.
Sec. 3(2)(a) clearly implies that a "licensed dealer" is a "person".
Hence...
I-594 said:
[Sec. 3 continued]
(3) Where neither party to a prospective firearms transaction is a licensed dealer, the parties to the transaction shall complete the sale or transfer through a licensed dealer as follows:
[Subsection (a) omitted, already discussed]
(b) Except as provided in (a) of this subsection, the licensed dealer shall comply with all requirements of federal and state law that would apply if the licensed dealer were selling or transferring the firearm from its inventory to the purchaser or transferee, including but not limited to conducting a background check on the prospective purchaser or transferee in accordance with federal and state law requirements and fulfilling all federal and state recordkeeping requirements.
[Subsection (c) omitted, already discussed]
(d) If the results of the background check indicate that the purchaser or transferee is ineligible to possess a firearm, then the licensed dealer shall return the firearm to the seller or transferor.
(e) The licensed dealer may charge a fee that reflects the fair market value of the administrative costs and efforts incurred by the licensed dealer for facilitating the sale or transfer of the firearm.
Sec. 3(3)(b) says that the "the licensed dealer shall comply with all requirements of federal and state law... including... fulfilling all federal and state recordkeeping requirements."
Sec. 3(3)(d) says that the licensed dealer "...shall return the firearm to the seller or transferor", although it does NOT clearly address situations where this cannot be done because the seller or transferor failed the background check himself. A Form 4473 and NICS check are required under federal law before a firearm may be returned, as presumably known to anyone who has changed their mind about a consignment firearm and/or gotten a firearm out of hock. However, this puts Sec. 3(3)(d) in conflict with both federal law AND Sec. 3(3)(b), so this provision may be unenforceable.
Only Sec. 3(3)(e) is clearly discretionary, as it says that the dealer "may" charge a fee.
Here's the kicker:
I-594 said:
Sec. 8. A new section is added to chapter 9.41 RCW to read as follows:
The department of licensing shall have the authority to adopt rules for the implementation of this chapter as amended. In addition, the department of licensing shall report any violation of this chapter by a licensed dealer to the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives within the United States department of justice and shall have the authority, after notice and a hearing, to revoke the license of any licensed dealer found to be in violation of this chapter.
The law gives the Dept. of Licensing the authority to take away the dealer's license,
and does not clearly prescribe the number of violations that must occur before this can happen.
AND...
I-594 said:
Sec. 9. A new section is added to chapter 9.41 RCW to read as follows:
Notwithstanding the penalty provisions in this chapter, any person knowingly violating section 3 of this act is guilty of a gross misdemeanor punishable under chapter 9A.20 RCW. If a person previously has been found guilty under this section, then the person is guilty of a class C felony punishable under chapter 9A.20 RCW for each subsequent knowing violation of section 3 of this act.
The dealer is a "person", and Sec. 3 imposes duties on licensed dealers, thus
a dealer could potentially be charged with a gross misdemeanor AND have his license taken away for the FIRST paperwork violation related to a private transfer. Although the dealer is entitled to a hearing before her license is revoked, and can contest the misdemeanor charge in court, the court costs are likely to be burdensome even if the case is ultimately dismissed.
If the dealer manages to keep his license after the misdemeanor conviction,
the dealer potentially faces a FELONY charge for the SECOND paperwork violation.
Not sure I'd want to process these transactions if I were a WA FFL!!