For the first time in recent history, five seats on the Washington State Supreme Court are up for grabs, and this year, there are five conservative candidates vying for those positions, with the support of Evergreen State gun rights advocates.
The state high court will rule on various cases which could alter the course of government and possibly reverse the current exodus of gun owners and conservative voters to other states where taxes are lower, the cost of living is far less expensive, and where the Second Amendment is not under relentless attack.
AmmoLand News reached out to veteran gun rights activist Jane Milhans of Washington’s Pierce County. Over the past few years, she has become one of the leading spokespersons for gun owner rights during the legislative sessions in Olympia. For her, this is more than just an election. It is an opportunity to genuine common sense to the state Supreme Court.
“The Washington State Supreme Court election in 2026 is the single most important election for firearm owners in our state,” Milhans said via email. “For the first time in decades, voters have an opportunity to flip five of the nine seats on the Court. What that means is simple: firearm owners could finally begin winning cases at the state level.”
She is urging gun owners to turn out for the November election in support of five candidates: Dave Larson, Scott Edwards, David Stevens, Sean O’Donnell and Todd A. Bloom.
Supreme Court races are non-partisan, but other candidates running for those seats have the support of liberal anti-gunners. The liberal Supreme Court as been unflatteringly nicknamed the “Seattle Supreme Court” in recent years. The state Supreme Court which held that Seattle’s special “gun violence tax” on the sale of firearms and ammunition in the city was constitutional as a tax measure, despite the fact that evidence provided at trial showed its backers considered it a gun control effort.
It would be the State Supreme Court which will decide the legality of the state’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” and “large-capacity magazines,” and the constitutionality of mandates contained in House Bill 1163, including a “permit-to-purchase,” which involves completion of a gun safety course including a live-fire component. It will be the same requirement to obtain a Concealed Pistol License (CPL), which has not required such a course in the 90-plus year history of licensed concealed carry in the state. HB 1163 takes effect next May 1, and civil rights lawsuits are almost certain to follow quickly.
Article 1, Section 24 of the State Constitution reads, “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”
RCW 9.41.290, Washington state’s model preemption statute, adopted more than 40 years ago, reads: “The state of Washington hereby fully occupies and preempts the entire field of firearms regulation within the boundaries of the state, including the registration, licensing, possession, purchase, sale, acquisition, transfer, discharge, and transportation of firearms, or any other element relating to firearms or parts thereof, including ammunition and reloader components. Cities, towns, and counties or other municipalities may enact only those laws and ordinances relating to firearms that are specifically authorized by state law, as in RCW 9.41.300, and are consistent with this chapter. Such local ordinances shall have the same penalty as provided for by state law. Local laws and ordinances that are inconsistent with, more restrictive than, or exceed the requirements of state law shall not be enacted and are preempted and repealed, regardless of the nature of the code, charter, or home rule status of such city, town, county, or municipality.”
Milhans, in her correspondence with AmmoLand, explained the importance of electing these five judicial candidates: “If the Court shifts, we could see the repeal of unconstitutional Washington laws — including the so‑called ‘assault weapon’ ban, the magazine ban, and the permit‑to‑purchase requirements with forced training. Every one of the current incumbent justices has ruled against our Second Amendment rights. The power to change that rests entirely with gun owners who vote.”
Voter turnout in the August primary was an abysmal 36 percent. Milhans knows gun owners, hunters and traditional conservative voters must turn out in big numbers. She also knows they are traditionally lethargic, if not apathetic, and many have joined the exodus to friendlier states, including Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Texas and Florida.
“With turnout sitting far too low,” she stressed, “every firearm owner must vote for the five candidates who support constitutional rights in the general election on November 3. Our rights are only protected when we elect justices who uphold the Constitution.”
In a recent post on Facebook, Milhans stated, “If you are not interested in voting, or making any efforts to help Pro-2A candidates get elected, then do not expect any 2A organizations to file a legal action to support your constitutional rights. They will spend their money in other states where the voters care by putting in efforts to help Pro-2A candidates win. Do not let the opportunity slip away. Do not give up. We all must do our part to defend our rights.”
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
