Senate Bill 5962 amends multiple weapons and related statutes and creates new regulatory duties. It revises RCW 9.41.250 to define "spring blade knife" (including certain automatic or gravity-deployed blades and excluding knives that require manual exertion to open) and expressly states a spring blade knife "is not a dangerous weapon under this section." The bill amends RCW 9.41.280 (schools) and RCW 9.41.282 (child care centers) to prohibit knowingly carrying or possessing specified weapons, including spring blade knives, on school and licensed child care premises; the first school-possession violation is a misdemeanor, subsequent school violations are gross misdemeanors, child care violations are gross misdemeanors, and conviction for carrying a firearm onto school or child care premises triggers a three-year revocation and application prohibition for a concealed pistol license (with immediate surrender and written notice requirements in the child care context). The bill also amends RCW 9.41.300 to expand places where weapons possession is unlawful (including court-related restricted areas, certain mental health facility areas, libraries, accredited zoos/aquariums, transit stations, and specified airport areas), requires local governments to provide locked-weapon storage or an official to receive weapons for safekeeping in court-related buildings, restricts open carry at permitted demonstrations and near their perimeters after warning, and permits municipalities to adopt certain venue and sale-location restrictions; violations of these prohibitions are gross misdemeanors. The bill repeals RCW 9.41.251, amends RCW 10.31.100 to clarify many circumstances in which police may arrest without a warrant, and amends RCW 43.216.760 to make child day care centers and early childhood education providers subject to the child care weapons prohibition in RCW 9.41.282. The bill creates licensing and storage obligations for family day care providers (storage of firearms, ammunition, and other dangerous weapons, including spring blade knives, in a secure area inaccessible to children — a locked gun safe or locked room; if a locked room is used, firearms must be unloaded and have a trigger lock or other disabling device) and authorizes the responsible department to take licensing action for violations. The act is set to take effect July 1, 2026. Some provisions and full text are not included in the extracted material: the complete amended language of RCW 9.41.300, RCW 10.31.100, and RCW 43.216.760 is not present here; the full text and implications of the repeal of RCW 9.41.251 are not shown; and portions of RCW 9.41.282 and related exceptions are cut off, so those specifics are uncertain from the provided extracts.

If enacted, the bill makes schools and licensed child care facilities explicit no-weapons zones for items now listed to include spring blade knives (even though that knife type is defined elsewhere as not a “dangerous weapon” in RCW 9.41.250), and it requires child care centers to post GUN-FREE ZONE signs. Bringing a prohibited weapon onto school grounds can lead to misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor charges, revocation of a concealed pistol license for three years after a firearm conviction (and immediate surrender plus three‑day notice to licensing authorities for child care site convictions), and for persons ages 12–21 found with a firearm at school up to 72 hours’ detention, a 24‑hour referral to a designated crisis responder, and mandatory evaluation under state behavioral health statutes. Family day care providers must keep firearms, ammunition, and other dangerous weapons in a locked gun safe or locked room inaccessible to children (with unloaded firearms and trigger locks if in a locked room), and the licensing department can discipline providers who do not comply; the act takes effect July 1, 2026. The groups most affected are family day care providers (who will likely face upfront costs to purchase safes or secure rooms and the risk of license denial or revocation for violations), child care centers and schools (which must post warnings and enforce prohibitions), concealed pistol license holders (facing suspension and surrender of licenses after convictions), local governments and court facilities (required to provide locked weapon storage or designated officials and exposed to liability for loss or damage), and law enforcement and designated crisis responders (who must follow new arrest, detention, referral, and evaluation procedures). Some important details are missing from the excerpts—several exceptions, the full text of related amendments and the effect of the repeal of RCW 9.41.251 are incomplete—so the precise scope and enforcement mechanics are partly uncertain.