Washington state does NOT register firearms.
He has a concealed-weapons permit.
Just another reporter making an incorrect statement.
Actually, Washington State has a "handgun sales registry" for when you buy from a gun dealer. This is contained at the Department of Licensing-Firearms Division office in Olympia. However, Handgun Sales Registry information is private and cannot be accessed by anyone other than law enforcement, so there is no way for the reporter to know.
I will be placing a phone call to the Seattle PI and try to get a hold of this reporter to let her know that a Concealed Pistol License doesn't require the registration of handguns at all, or at least the editor.
That being said, the person from Snohomish County was correct about downtown Seattle: There are a lot of EDP's in downtown Seattle, centering around Pioneer Square area however due to the "Ride Free Area" in downtown they can move around pretty easily.
To give an idea of how dangerous things can be at any time. We had a raging psychotic on one of the buses here, the Sound Transit 565 that runs from Overlake Transit Center that's smack dab in the middle of Microsoft to Federal Way Transit Center. It runs a path down I-405 to SR-167, then goes west on US-18 and then heads north to S. 320th in Federal Way.
Anyway, during that time, the guy got on in Renton and was continually harassing and intimidating people, and this is one of the commuter buses during the commute hours for frak's sake. He didn't hit anyone, but he got WAAAY uncomfortably close to me. This was one of the biggest reasons I bought a car. Metro and Sound Transit absolutely refuse to take the TriMet route and start booting these psychotics off the buses and serving exclusions. Until then, I will not take a bus.