Opinions on firearms rights in Seattle/Tacoma area

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leadcounsel

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I'm considering a move to the Seattle/Tacoma area and am interested in opinions from members that have lived there on the public opinion of gun rights and gun laws. Are there good gun ranges? Also, any other sound advice on the area is welcomed - I have many outdoors hobbies and interests.

Thanks.
 
Some people on THR will complain about the liberal reputation of the area, but there sure are a lot of liberal gun owners here! Quite a few ranges, including the new Shooting Sports Northwest facility:

http://www.shootingsportsnorthwest.com/

You have to drive a bit to find outdoor plinking areas, but that is the nature of this area becoming very developed. Lots of sportsman's clubs with rifle ranges, and some general public ranges.

Carry permits are easy to get once you're a resident. Unless you've got some former problems with the law you should be able to get one as this is a shall-issue state.

No full-auto weapons or short barreled rifles, but you can legally own suppressors, although you can't use them in the state (yes, it's silly).

If you can survive a long winter of never seeing the sun, then come on out to the Evergreen State!

Any particular area you're thinking about? Are you heading to Ft. Lewis? Tacoma has some gang problems, probably the most in Western Washington. The Lacey/Olympia/Tumwater area near Ft. Lewis is nice. Olympia is a bit of a hippie town but if you're fine with that then it is a nice place.
 
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

The State of Washington or any other state doesn't have shizznat to do with giving our taking away our rights. The right to keep and bear arms is a right spelled forth in our 2nd amendment as a right endowed by our Creator, not by any man. You want to have guns there in Washington state? Have your guns in Washington State or any other State.

Even though SCOTUS opined that the 2nd amendment was an individual right, it has never mattered to me as it shouldn't have mattered to any other American either. We all know what the 2nd says and means and didn't need interpretation. Whether they called it an individual right or state right, I'd still have my weapons regardless. Same will apply no matter who gets elected this November.

Just remember, they are all God-given rights, not priviledges, they are merely spelled out in our Bill of Rights.
 
the Seattle/Tacoma isn't all that liberal when it comes to guns. WA is an open carry state with a pretty active forum over on opencarry.org. there are some decent ranges around, my favorite being Range 15 out on Ft. Lewis. its open to civilians on weekends from 10-4.

Concealed carry permits are shall-issue and there's not many places you're not allowed to carry. namely the area of a restaurant or bar that is off limits to those 21 and under. nevermind Mayor five-pennies bloviating about gun bans. he is powerless as we have state preemption on all gun laws.

if you love the outdoors, there is no better place in the country than Washington. we have everything from temperate rain forests to frozen deserts. tons of water to play on, mountains to climb, volcanoes to check out, and wildlife galore.

if you come here, get good, waterproof gear. oh and you better learn to fish for salmon. if you don't, we kick you out. :D

if you have any more questions, i'll do my best to answer them. i've lived here all my life.

Bobby
 
There's a more important provision of constitutional law which applies to Washington:

The right of the individual citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be impaired.....

Quote from Article 1, Section 24 of our state constitution.
 
WA has open carry (and an active group educating people about it) with full state pre-emption. The only places you're forbidden (aside from the usual places like courts, etc) are places in restaurants that are off-limits to people under 21 (in practice this means that you can carry in most bars as long as you do not sit at the bar itself and remain in the dining area).

No full-auto weapons.

Suppressors are legal to own, but not to attach to a firearm.

The state is shall-issue and turnaround is fast. In my case, my CPL (Concealed Pistol License) arrived in my mailbox only 4 days after I applied in person at the Bellevue police station. Since I applied at the end of the day, and it must have spent a day in the mail, that means they turned it around in only 2 days of administrative time.

Overall, WA is very friendly towards the 2nd Amendment. The prohibition of NFA weapons and the suppressor laws are silly, but there are groups working on those things.
 
Back in 1997 there was an attempt, Initiatve 676, to toughen gun laws. It woud have mandated trigger locks and training (among other things). It went down by over 70% to 30%. It failed in every county, even King (where Seattle is located). I work at "a major, public, research uiniversity" which shall remain nameless. It doesn't get much more left coast liberal. You might be amazed at the number of gun owners (and CPL holders) who work here.
It is, however, late August, and I have yet to harvest more than a handful of tomatoes from my three, up against the house, south facing plants.
-BothellBob
 
I hope to move soon to Whidbey Island. It's good to hear that Seattle isn't representative of the rest of Washington State.

Is there a website that shows hunting possibilities in western WA?

Thanks.

brad
 
Lonnie Wilson wrote:
There's a more important provision of constitutional law which applies to Washington:

The right of the individual citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be impaired.....
Click to expand...

I think you left out an important piece Lonnie,

The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired...


The Seattle/Tacoma area is great. I could not however recommend either city proper. Seattle for it's uber-liberal, San-Fran wannbe ways and Tacoma's reputation and crime. Get a little removed though and you'd be surprised how great of a place it is.
 
People need to quit moving to Whidbey because I want to move there. I need to keep prices on homes low... I will be there as soon as I find a job.

- Sig
 
Suppressors are legal to own, but not to attach to a firearm.
Click to expand...

You can attach them to the firearm, you just can't fire them. Which explains why you can buy firearms with integral suppressors in WA.
 
MrSig - I already own the house (I bought a few years ago) so I won't be one of the bad ones, even if I will be coming from the San Fran Bay area. The good news is that prices are actually back down to where they were 3 or 4 years ago, so now is a good time to buy.

Whidbey's great - liberals to the south, conservatives to the North, and the rest of us in the middle. Whatever you want is there somewhere.

I know there are a couple of gun ranges on the island, but I'm hoping to find some upland bird and deer, and maybe find a place to go for a pig hunt.

UnknownSailor - is there an active gun community on the island for shotgun sports, or is it mostly EBR shooting?

brad
 
You can own AOWs in WA.
Click to expand...

Very true, but that covers a pretty limited bunch of weapons. The tiny shotguns are neat but I don't really have a need for one. Every time I see one I think of Det. Tubbs and the Miami Vice TV show.
 
for upland birds, try the Willapa Nat'l Wildlife Refuge. i happen to know a great way to get there down a private road (that i happen to own some property on) ;) oh and its good for fishing and hunting bear, deer and elk too.

Bobby
 
Interesting thread.

I'm trying to decide on which side of the Columbia River I want to move when I retire.

One side has no state income tax, and the other no state sales tax.

I like pumping my own gas, especially for my motorcycle.

That also means I also want to see some sunshine (or at least lack of rain) for riding weather.

I'm looking for an area no less that 30 minutes away from an urban area, and an hour's drive isn't prohibitive.

I'll likely be doing a lot less shooting & training once I retire, although I haven't completely ruled out keeping my hand in some sort of firearms instruction. Dunno. Still be nice to have a range within a comfortable drive.

Wondering how OR & WA are handling the LEOSA qualification issue, too. CCW would be fine, but might as well take advantage of the LEOSA provision. Is it handled by any/all local agencies in either state? Anybody know?

The taxes on cigars in OR are much better than that in WA. This I know. WA's tobacco tax situation, and lack of smoking lounges/clubs, makes CA look downright progressive and civilized. :eek:

I'm increasingly leaning more toward the southern tip of WA, if only for the income tax/retirement consideration, but I'm still open to any advantages OR has to offer.

Not interested in desert areas, though.

FWIW, I've been visiting WA for more than a couple of decades. More in the Sound and Peninsula, though. Mostly just passed through the southern parts.
 
You want to have guns there in Washington state? Have your guns in Washington State or any other State.
Click to expand...

amprecon:
I'm pretty sure from the OP's screen-name (leadcounsel) that he may be more interested in the legal ramifications of gun ownership in WA state than he is in your defiant stand to have guns wherever and whenever you choose - regardless of the local laws. If you are so certain your rights can not be infringed - try open carry in Chicago and see what happens.

WA state is a beautiful place to live and, as has been noted, is a "shall-issue" state. There are lots of good ranges - both indoor and out. Good places to hunt and fish (although you better hurry up if you are a fisherman - I think there are only a couple of salmon left). Sailing, mountaineering, hiking, etc, etc.

Come on down! (or is that "up"? over?).
 
(although you better hurry up if you are a fisherman - I think there are only a couple of salmon left)
Click to expand...

haha! ain't that the truth. i'm going fishing after work today on the Puyallup, with my barbless hooks. :(

Fastbolt, sounds to me like you're describing Vancouver, WA. might want to check it out.

Bobby
 
Fastbolt, sounds to me like you're describing Vancouver, WA. might want to check it out.
Click to expand...

That's certainly one of the places in which we're interested. It's been a long time since I've done more than stop there overnight, though.

I need to look a bit west & east of the city, I'm thinking.
 
Live in a county but not in a city.

I have 12 acres, but more importantly I have a pistol range in my backyard and seldom go to Clark rifle's range anymore even though I'm a longtime member of the club.
 
Within Seattle:

Me: So, I went shooting this weekend...
Seattle Proletariat: You own..a gun?
Me: Well, multiple, but...
Seattle Proletariat: Eww...don't you know those are dangerous?
Me: No, not really....
Seattle Proletariat: Well, I read that someone who owns a gun is 43 times more likely to have it used on themselves! 43 times! That's like one times 43! I don't know if I can trust you or be your friend, although I do claim to value diversity and different viewpoints on things, as long as they have a sound basis in peaceful, green, Eastern-philosophy...
Me: Yeah, well...
Seattle Proletariat: Mayor Greg Nickels needs to do something about this! I wonder what the carbon-offset is for shooting a gun....

Outside of Seattle:

Me: So, I went shooting this weekend...
Non-Seattlite: Really? What did you shoot?


Some good ranges, some so-so. As others have said: shall-issue CCW, State preemption (so far), silencers (sort of), AOW's, no other good stuff.
 
Fastbolt, may I suggest Vancouver? Right on the Columbia, so you'll be paying sales tax on cars and guns but anything else just roll over to PDX.

Don't get caught bringing the dreaded "A" or "T" of "ATF&E" back though... and for an Oregon nonresident, last I knew per the OregonConcealedCarry board Columbia County in St. Helens was pretty good. Might've changed over four years though...
 
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