Bye bye Marine Corps, hello WA!

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A while ago I posted this thread on Armed Polite Society about my discharge from the Marine Corps. I am finally getting somewhere with the process, and God Willing I'll be getting out in the next month or so. I just thought I'd let some of my friends here know what was going on.

I got my CDL and have a job lined up driving a dump truck for a logging/construction company. We have some friends in Bellevue who will be putting us up until we get on our feet. My wife will be heading up there sometime around the middle of the month, and I'll follow as soon as they let me go. The plan is for her to find a job and an apartment before I'm out so I can just move all our stuff up there. We're looking at maybe Federal Way or Kent for an apartment, but we won't really know until we arrive. We're both very excited; I'm really looking forward to being a civilian again.

Anyone from that area on these boards? From what I hear western Washington tends to be pretty anti-military and anti-gun so any friendly faces we can find would be welcome. Any advice from locals about moving there? Places to check out, places to avoid, things like that?
 
WA is acctually a conservative state with one large liberal city. You will find that Seattle is VERY diverse, what that means is you'll find every thing from vegan, earth godess-worshiping hippies to border-line racists, extreme religious right, and neocons. You will find people that you don't agree with on both sides of the spectrum, but you will also find a large mix of people in the middle that you can get along with. I have met tie-dye wearing, pot smoking hippies that love to go out and shoot at pop cans, and strait-laced conservatives who think only single shot rifles and break action shotguns should be legal. You might have to open your horizons alittle and let a few peoples opinions slide, but you should have no problem finding people to hand out/go shooting with.

Also, the Puget Sound area has several military bases and there are quite a few military types around, both active and retired.
 
Welcome to WA

I work in Bellevue/Redmond. It is one of the nicer areas in the greater Seattle metro region.

Politics on the east side are decidedly less liberal than downtown Seattle, the further east you go, the more conservative folks get. Seattle is very liberal.

There are plenty of places to shoot. Wade’s Indoor range is just down the street from Bellevue and there are at least 5 other ranges (indoor or outdoor) within 30 minutes drive.

PM me with specific questions and I will try to help.

-PB
 
Have a soon to be brother in law that works in Bellevue and lives in Duvall. Been saying he wants to go out shooting but hasnt gone on his own. Might be a good range buddy.
 
As a Seattle-area native, the liberal politics mentioned above are concentrated in several neighborhoods throughout the city. Seattle is a long way from being San Francisco from a political standpoint. I think there is a fairly robust gun culture in the area, and you would be surprised as to how many dot-com workers are gun aficionados.

The major problem for you will be identifying yourself as a former jarhead in what is primarily a Navy area. ;) My wife is a retired CPO. Tacoma has quite the Army and Air Force presence, but the sole Marine presence is a security company over at what is now called Naval Station Kitsap, at the Trident base.

Also of importance for you, housing gets cheaper the further away you are from the downtown Seattle-Eastside-Everett-Tacoma areas. South King County, down around Kent and Federal Way, still has some affordable housing.
 
Congratulations on making it out alive and well.

Washington is a great place to live even if some of your neighbors don't share all of your politics. Ethnic jokes about Californians aside the people are pretty laid back. It's beautiful if you can deal with the rain.
 
Actually there is a very large Marine presence in the Puget Sound area... In addition to MCSF Co Bangor there is MATSG 53 at Whidbey Island, and 4th LSB at Ft Lewis. There are several active Marine Corps League detachments, most of the Division organizations, and the Marine Corps Support Group.

E-mail me off line and I can give you more info about these and about gun groups in WA.

Joe Waldron
USMC(ret)
Pres, MCSG
Past Commandant, PS MCL
Pres, WA Arms Coll
Chmn/lobbyist, GOAL of WA
Exec Dir, CCRKBA


P.S. Marine Corps bumper stickers on cars in the Puget Sound area outnumber ALL other services by about 3:1.
 
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Listen to the man, he's got the credentials and the contacts. If you feel the urge, attend one (or more) of the Washington Arms Collectors shows in either Puyallup or Monroe at the fairgrounds. We will be looking for you.

Don't rule out Auburn or Renton in your search for a home either.
 
Did you use your MGIB money to take the CDL classes offered at 29 Palms while waiting to get out?

If so, good on you. Heck, I'm an officer and I would have taken the classes if I could've conned the LtCol into giving me time off to go to them.

WA is pretty dang cool, great gun laws (better than Texas) aside from the NFA issue. Knife laws aren't great (no balisongs, 3" (?) or so blade limit in Seattle). Cost of living is a little high, but weather is gorgeous, scenery outstanding, people courteous/amiable, and food great.

Hope you enjoy yourself. Make the most of your CDL, and don't hesitate to hit up your MGIB to pay for more vocational training. Less than 50% of devilpups use a single buck of their MGIB, don't be like those twits. Uncle Sugar has muchly free money for his Misguided Children; I've been cruising comfy on Fed$ for the 18 months since I EAS'ed.

-MV
 
I have met tie-dye wearing, pot smoking hippies that love to go out and shoot at pop cans, and strait-laced conservatives who think only single shot rifles and break action shotguns should be legal. You might have to open your horizons alittle and let a few peoples opinions slide, but you should have no problem finding people to hand out/go shooting with.
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Amen to that. It's part of what I love about this area. I'm more libertarian in philosophy but have plenty of liberal and tree-hugging friends who agree with the right to carry, etc. Lots of gun owners in the area. And if you're towards Everett Sam's is a good place to shoot rifles and shotguns indoors.

I do miss the days of heading up towards Mt. Vernon and shooting in the gravel pit. Still looking for a good outdoor place to do some plinking.

Welcome to WA! Just don't get started on drinking lattes... I'm pretty sure crack is a less expensive habit.
:what:
 
I always recommend folks find a convenient place to rent for 6 months first. That way you can take your time checking out neighborhoods/communities you might want to live in. Lots of good neighborhoods in "bad" towns and vice versa. If you have kids (or intend to... :D ) your decision will be driven by the school districts, which run the gamut of good to awful (we just relocated out of Seattle for this reason).

Give serious thought to where you and your wife will be working as commuting anywhere within the Puget Sound is increasingly frustrating. Spending as little time as possible parked on I-5/405/520/I-90 will improve your life immeasurably. Back when I first moved up here I had to do a lot of driving and found a place to live within a few minutes of an on-ramp that was rarely crowded. It helped. Ditto for being near a good bus route if one of you will take a bus to work (most large employers subsidize transit passes up here & it eliminates parking costs which can be high in Seattle/Bellevue).

Also, if you plan on spending serious range time you'll want to think about being near Renton's club or up North there is Kenmore in Bothell.

Feel free to PM if you have specific questions.

Welcome to the wet!
 
WA outdoor gun ranges?

Also, if you plan on spending serious range time you'll want to think about being near Renton's club or up North there is Kenmore in Bothell.
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The Kenmore range is very "old school" - one round in the rifle magazine at a time, etc.

Does anyone know of any good outdoor ranges in the area? Preferably with some IPSC-style falling-plate pistol ranges? I have some info on a range in Kirkland but haven't looked into it any further.
 
Here you go Devil Dog!

Plenty of misguided children in the area. The range in Seabeck has USPSA shoots. All the comments about the political landscape in the state are correct. Amazingly, people don't fit into the party lines and you are guaranteed to find all types up here. We just have to keep on top of the legislature like any other state.
I used to live on the other side of the pond, but Kitsap doesn't have the traffic and all the access to everywhere you would want to go over there any way.
There is a job opening at Keyport for a Heavy truck driver requiring a Class B CDL with BAE Systems. www.baesystems.com , go to North American career search and filter for the State of Washington.
Good Luck and welcome to Washington.
 
From what I hear western Washington tends to be pretty anti-military and anti-gun so any friendly faces we can find would be welcome.
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Not at all! This state is extremely supportive of its military, and with the exception of King County, some of Pierce County, Bainbridge Island and a few other liberal enclaves, hugely pro-gun.

Welcome! If you're staying in the reserves and eligible to go on-base, Ft. Lewis' Range 15 is a great place to shoot. Here on the West side of the Sound, we've got several excellent gun clubs, can't speak to East Sound.

Lots of great gun shops, and as noted, the WAC shows rule. Feel free to PM me as well for any info (from a retired sailor)...
 
Just saying welcome ! If your going to be driving logging trucks , try looking this side of the bay , the cost of living here is alot cheaper than the Seattle/Tacoma side of Puget Sound .
 
Thanks for all the replies. It'll be a little while before I make it down there, but the wife is going inside of a week. I'll be taking up those offers to PM for info as questions crop up.

MatthewVanitas said:
Did you use your MGIB money to take the CDL classes offered at 29 Palms while waiting to get out?
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Sure did. TA did $4500 and MGIB did the rest. Class A and all endorsements except HazMat, and that's just because I'd have to repay for the background check when I get to WA.

rwc said:
I always recommend folks find a convenient place to rent for 6 months first. That way you can take your time checking out neighborhoods/communities you might want to live in. Lots of good neighborhoods in "bad" towns and vice versa. If you have kids (or intend to... ) your decision will be driven by the school districts, which run the gamut of good to awful (we just relocated out of Seattle for this reason).
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That's pretty much the plan. Rent for 6-12 months to get a feel for the area, then find a house. As for schools..... my wife and I will be homeschooling. Even if we hadn't heard horror stories about some of the local schools (a friend in the Corps relayed his experience with the "guess and go" method of spelling :uhoh: ), we are both really into homeschooling.

huntingnt: thanks for the heads up, but I don't have a clearance. Since I'm getting out on a mental health discharge I'm not sure I can get one now.
 
I hope that you find a happy new life here in the Upper Left Corner.

In the Kent valley, just north of downtown Kent, there is a new indoor range. It is called Champion Arms. There are actually several indoor and outdoor ranges within striking distance from Kent, Federal Way, Auburn etc.

I recommend that you (and your wife) get concealed carry permits (money being available of course), for two reasons. The more of those, the more the Olympia politicians see that there are serious lawful owners. And this permit means that you can buy a handgun and take it right out of the store. Otherwise, there is a 5-day wait. I hope that your discharge status doesn't cause any problems with a CCP.

Bart Noir
Who ditto's the lament about traffic. Especially when there is some ice or snow on the ground.
 
I live in the area you are looking at..
Kent is OK. Lots of apartment complexes.
Rent is pretty steep according to my daughter.
She is paying $1100 a month for a 2 bedroom 3rd floor apartment.
That is pretty standard in Kent.
I belong to the Cascade Rifle and Pistol club.
Good place to shoot.
$110 per year membership & a new range.

http://www.cascaderifleandpistol.org/

I read your other post. Your wife should have no trouble finding a job.
Nurses are desperately needed all over the Puget Sound area.
RN especially however LPNs are in demand also.
If you have any question please email me.
AC
 
I live north of Everett. Housings affordable out here.

If you're in a residential construction related business like me, this is the place to be. Or Issaquah- Sammamish area on the eastside. Or Kent-Covington area in the south. Those are pretty much the limits of urban sprawl.

Plenty of woods to shoot in, especially Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in the north end. For indoor shooting though, I make the trek into Sam's in Everett.

Traffic sucks, expect to plan your day around it. Outside of King County I havn't seen much anti-military mentality, and I've lived here off and on for 20+ years. Get your CPL, we need more law-abiding gun-owners here.:)

Welcome!
 
Actually there is a very large Marine presence in the Puget Sound area... In addition to MCSF Co Bangor there is MATSG 53 at Whidbey Island, and 4th LSB at Ft Lewis.
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Wow, I learn something every day. I knew that on occasion, there were some Marine tenant commands at NAS Whidbey and the occasional Marine aviation component comes in for a while. NAS Whidbey is almost all P-3 Orions, Prowlers and some helos nowadays. I just so rarely see any active duty Marines at the local NEX or PX. Not at all like San Diego or Norfolk.
 
Agree that Kenmore Range is pretty Fudd. Wade's isn't too bad for a shooting range, though their gunshop prices are a bit high.

My favorite PNW gunshop is definitely DJ's Loan and Sport up in Bothell. Massive amounts of used inventory, high turnover, and often very reasonable prices. They also get far more interesting gear than the usual pawnshop spread. I was highly tempted this Christmas to pick up an old Remington pump .35, with the spiral magazine. Slick stuff.

-MV
 
My favorite PNW gunshop is definitely DJ's Loan and Sport up in Bothell.
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Agreed. You would never know this is a big gunshop from the outside. They know their guns there and have some good deals. Prices are a bit high on quick-moving items, but on some oddities you can get a great deal. I try to go in there every few weeks and see what is new. Just got a new gun there yesterday!
 
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