Washington State: non-legal-specific gun aspects :)

[yhtomit]

Hi!

Because I'm hoping to move back there later this year, after three years at law school and a year before that spent about half in Texas, I just posted a long-winded post in the Legal section to ask about legal aspects of life in Washington State when it comes to guns. http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=4202352

I'll keep this one shorter, but basically, I'm seeking information / anecdotes about other aspects of gun ownership / use in the state. If I find a job in the state, I won't rule out at this point any particular part of it; though I like some parts especially well (the Western edge appeals -- the woods are fantastic), I'm not ruling out any particular part; I've overdosed on the beauty of it from East to West, and I haven't even been out to the rainforest yet.

There is some overlap between this post and the other one, I know, so if you think an answer would be better there, please feel free to ignore this one.

- Where do you shoot? (And esp, in relation to where you live.) Are indoor ranges easy to find near (your city)?

- Since gun sales are (with few exceptions) limited in this country to residents of the state where sold, I'm curious about the best gun shops in all parts of the state.

- If you're happy with a particular part of the state, please let me know and tell me why Spokane seemed like a pretty nice city, the few times I passed through there and had lunch. Seattle, Bellingham, are both on my list. I've heard mostly catty insults to the city of Vancouver, WA, but it's near lovely Portland and the invincible Powell's bookstore.

- Are there special clubs or groups you think are worth being part of? (I hope that if I *do* move out there again, I'll make it to next year's gathering of THR readers)

- Do you hunt? I never have, and may never, but I am curious about the hunting culture out there. One day, I might want to go duck-hunting.

- Do you have any regrets about living in Washington, wrt gun issues at least?

- Basically, what would you tell someone with a firearms hobby who was planning to move there? Are there any stupid anti-gun movements afoot?

One thing I love: crossing the border for the first time by car through Idaho (along 90), first rest stop / welcome center has free coffee (donations accepted). I am by no means a coffee junkie, but have always loved the smell of it, and this was a good first impression And though I've *lived* in Washington, that was just for a few years, and only in Seattle, so my ignorance is nearly complete. Seattle, though, is such a fantastic place that I encourage anyone who hasn't to visit.

Any responses appreciated!

timothy

 

[-terry]

I live in Bellingham. There is a great gun club about 20 minutes north, the Custer Sportsman's club. $100/year for all the shooting you want. Rifle, Pistol, Indoor, IPSC, IDPA, Bullseye, etc. Always room the the range...never crowded...I love it. Was out there today as a matter of fact. Three other shooters, none on my 25 yard range.

WA is shall issue and with the exception of the Seattle area which is fairly liberal and moderately anti-gun, WA is a great place to own a gun and to shoot. I carry most places. Don't know about castle doctrine but there is no requirement to retreat.

I don't hunt so I don't know about that. I love it here too. The winter rain pays for the most gorgeous summers that exist.

-terry

 

[riceboy72]

Timothy,

I live in the Puyallup area and have for most of my adult life. A few indoor ranges in the area, along with gun clubs that promote outdoor shooting. Gun stores are spread about, with certain flavors for certain tastes. PM me if you wish and I'll call you. Make arrangements for when you come out to meet you and show you around.

As for coffee, you're in the right place. Every corner seems to have a stand, I swear.

 

[yhtomit]

terry -- Yes, I've only good things (ever!) from Bellinghamians (?); a friend of mine went to school there, and I met some of his relatives at his wedding.

$100/year seems nicely reasonable for a gun club.

timothy

 

[yhtomit]

Nice Offer, Riceboy72

I've been near (and I think in, at least once) Puyallup, but never for long. Pretty area! If it looks like the move will really happen, I'll try to remember and take advantage of your offer.

Thanks,

timothy

 

[acdodd]

I lived in the Seattle area for 25 years.
I just moved back to the dry side 2 weeks ago.
I hate Seattle and all the liberal idiots there.
Washington Arms Collector puts on the gun shows and you have to be a member to buy at their show.
$35 and a background check and you are good to buy.No charge to attend.
Washington is a shall issue state so permits are easy to get.
No Full auto.
You can buy a silencer, but you can't use it. How's that for logic.
Stay out of the Seattle Tacoma area and you will be better off. IMHO
AC

 

[Soybomb]

Don't mind me I'm just marking this for later reference although oregon is still slightly edging out washington for me

 

[bdjansen]

Seattle is hard to find places to shoot. I drove an hour across the lake to shoot today. And boy was it packed at that range. Olympia has some better spots.

I thought I heard you could open carry in most of the counties except King and one other one. I don't know where I heard that though.

Oh and I think guns are a bit more costly here then other parts of the country. I just seem to get that feeling seeing how much other people pay.

 

[wdlsguy]

No Full auto.
You can buy a silencer, but you can't use it. How's that for logic.

No short-barreled rifles or shotguns either.

 

[MillCreek]

As a life-long Seattle-area resident, the traffic, commute times and housing prices in the Greater Seattle-Tacoma-Eastside area are very bad and getting worse. Depending on what area of law you wish to practice, if you have the option of finding a job outside of the urban/suburban core of Puget Sound, your quality of life may be better.

In the area in which I work, the defense side of medical malpractice claims, virtually all the major defense firms are in Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane and some much smaller firms in Yakima and Walla Walla.

 

[MD_Willington]

I've lived in the Palouse area for almost 8 years now. Plenty of farming area to shoot. This area is South of Spokane, and we're very close to Idaho.

If you get in with a like minded bunch of friends, there are plenty of nice places to do some shooting...

I have several friends that own anywhere from 10+ to 1000+ acres to shoot on.

It tends to be WHO you know and not WHAT you know around here.

Overall it has been fun... the only part that isn't fun for me, as I am a green card holder is jumping through licensing hoops..

But you probably don't have to deal with those issues.

 

[Jon223]

If it is convenient for you, http://www.eastcountyguns.comEast County Guns in Elma, WA is where I like to purchase my firearms. I've found the proprietor (Andy) and his staff to be very friendly and knowledgeable. I'm in Olympia so I only get out there if I'm in the market, since it is about an hour drive.

Lacey does have a Sportsman's Warehouse and Cabelas now too.

As for ranges, there are several, though I've really only been to the
Evergreen Sportsman's Club (at the moment the membership caters to trap shooters etc.) but everyone has been pretty friendly there.

 

[Mainsail]

If you move to the Oly area, you have a lot room for outdoor shooting. There are several shooting pits (not designated, just informal ranges) plus you can set up almost anywhere it’s safe to shoot in the Capitol Forest, Simpson lumber property, or the National Forests. For buying in the Tacoma area, nobody beats Mary’s Pistols; easily the best prices and service you will find.

 

[PaulBk]

- Where do you shoot? (And esp, in relation to where you live.) Are indoor ranges easy to find near (your city)?

I live in Maple Valley, shoot outdoors at Black Diamond GC (8 mi) and indoors at Champion Arms (8 mi). Sometimes indoors at Wade's (4 mi from my office). Plenty of ranges, probably 20+ within a 90 min drive from home or work, many indoor.

- Since gun sales are (with few exceptions) limited in this country to residents of the state where sold, I'm curious about the best gun shops in all parts of the state.

Too many to list.

- If you're happy with a particular part of the state, please let me know and tell me why Spokane seemed like a pretty nice city, the few times I passed through there and had lunch. Seattle, Bellingham, are both on my list. I've heard mostly catty insults to the city of Vancouver, WA, but it's near lovely Portland and the invincible Powell's bookstore.

Again, ambiguous is the best I can do. We are a soccer family and have traveled to every major city in WA and many, many minor ones. Every area has merit. Western WA, especially Seattle, is very liberal. East is different. More work in the west, much more room to spread out in the east. The penninsula is my favorite, but ferries are unpredictable, so I only go rarely now.

- Are there special clubs or groups you think are worth being part of? (I hope that if I *do* move out there again, I'll make it to next year's gathering of THR readers)

Pretty much depends on your interests. I like 4 wheeling (pretty active in a few places). For 2A stuff, there is a good yahoo group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wa-ccw/

- Do you hunt? I never have, and may never, but I am curious about the hunting culture out there. One day, I might want to go duck-hunting.

I don't (no time), but everyone I know does. Literally.

- Do you have any regrets about living in Washington, wrt gun issues at least?

Gun laws are generally OK, no real restrictions in my life. I regret that I need to live near the greater Seattle area for economic reasons. Congestion, yahoo politicians, etc.

- Basically, what would you tell someone with a firearms hobby who was planning to move there? Are there any stupid anti-gun movements afoot?

There are always stupid anti-gun movements going on. Our legislature is in session so anything is possible, but it looks like this won't be a particularly busy year, either way. See above link to yahoo group for details.

Cheers and good luck with your decision.

-Paul

 

[rickomatic]

I thought I heard you could open carry in most of the counties except King and one other one. I don't know where I heard that though.

Actually, Washington states preemption law prohibits localities to have gun laws more restrictive than state law. Therefore, it is legal to open carry anywhere (with obvious restrictions like schools, courthouses, etc.). The trick is that a LOT of LEOs are not aware of this, and you very well may get "hassled". Check out http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/ for more info.

Preemption having been mentioned, I am still contemplating retiring away from Western Washington in the next 15-20 years, to the East side of the state. The reasons are several. One is that there is much more open country where one can shoot. Another is the one party mindset of the Seattle area. That area is also stretching north and south, to pretty much incorporate the entire I-5 corridor. Plus....I hate the gloomy winters. Cold, I can take. It's the gray that drives me crazy....LOL.

 

[jrfoxx]

I lived in Oak Harbor/whidbey Island for 2 years.Nice area.Laid back.WA permits are cheap and easy to get.Several laces to shoot, even in a town as small as it was.Rains a lot though (not like Eugene,OR is much better though).

 

[Dave Workman]

Timothy:
Get hold of "WASHINGTON STATE GUN RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES" It explains the state gun laws on use of force, concealed and open carry.

 

[-terry]

Someone once said that living a winter in Western Washington was like living underneath a garbage can lid.

 

[Old Dog]

Someone once said that living a winter in Western Washington was like living underneath a garbage can lid.

I truly wish that everyone who would say something such as this, or feels this way, would quickly take the next bus out of town, then ... Western Washington is God's Country (and if we didn't have the silly folks in Seattle to poke fun at, life would just be too good, and everyone would want to live here).

 

[yhtomit]

Someone once said that living a winter in Western Washington was like living underneath a garbage can lid.

I suspect that this is backhanded praise, along the lines of Seattle-area bumperstickers that say "Seattle Sucks -- Tell Your Friends." Tastes vary, of course, but I can think of no state with overall more appealing weather. Genuine seasons, from sun to snow, and pine forests for the smell of Fall.

For a while I was essentially "commuting" by car (driving every several weeks) between El Paso and Seattle, and passed through the state many times. It really is beautiful in all the parts I saw, as well as the Western edge (where I've lived, too briefly) ... Grand Coulee Dam is something to see, and the mountains are fantastic. The green -- overwhelming.

One thing I have found nice in PA (whether or not I think they ought ideally exist) is that there are state-run ranges all over the place, so the all-important right under the 2d Amendment to eat venison is not abridged too much. Does Washington have any such ranges?

timothy

 

[Mainsail]

Yeah, Washington sucks, nobody else should come.

 

[M1 Shooter]

double tap, please delete

 

[M1 Shooter]

I live in the Grand Coulee Dam area, on the Colville Indian Reservation. I love it here, lot's of space to shoot, and lot's of outdoor recreation possibilities, hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, etc. If you have never seen the Grand Coulee Dam, you should come check it out, it really is a marvel of engineering. The best time to come is in the summer, so you can see the laser light show they put on, and on the 4th of July, they launch fireworks off the top of the dam.

I used to live in Spokane, it was ok I guess, but I'm not much of a city person. The nice thing about Spokane though is that it isn't that big of a city, and there are lots of outdoor activities available just minutes outside the city, in any direction. For gun shops in the Spokane area, I like Dave's Guns, All American Arms, and Northwest Pawn & Collector Arms. The White Elephant stores have some good deals on guns and ammo as well, but their customer service is lacking in my experience.

If you enjoy city life though, you might be happier on the west side in the Seattle area. But you should still come check out Grand Coulee Dam, and if you do, let me know, and maybe we could go do some shooting!

 

[BlindJustice]

I've lived in Wash. State since 1953 when I was 2 years of age my family moved to Central Wa. when the water came to the Columbia Basin. I grew up on a farm and guns were part of the fabric. Ok, I did do 6 years
'72-'78 in the USN, California/hawaii. I couldn't wait to get back
to E. Wash. with four seasons. I've lived in Pullman, Wa. for the
past 25 years. It's the home of Wash. State Univ. - I retired from there
end of '05 It's 80 miles south of Spokane. The nearest Indoor range
is 25 miles south, in Lewiston ID. $15 for 1 hour sessions for non-members
but $175 a year and no charge for sessions. There's also an outdoor range
for rifles outside of Lewiston. Most small towns have 'GUn CLub' ranges listed in the State FIsh & game list of ranges but a lot don't have any contact info.
so it helps to know the locals as to where to shoot in farmland areas.

Oh, I have a C.P.L. and fairly easy to get, $25 for 5 years, with a one time $35 fingerprint fee. No course to pass, just 30 day wait for the background check. Oregon doesn't reciprocal CPL/CCW but Idaho does, so
I have no problem traveling CCW to Idaho which is only 8 miles east.

Spokane - I have family there and have lived there in the past. It's not that big, and easy to get out of town and into the country. Sharpshooters is the indoor range in SPokane. I go up there semi-monthly for a VA Support group meeting volunteer work.

The Columbia Basin is a major fly way for DUcks Geese and the
pheasant hunting is great also. ALthough I haven't hunted in years I still
buy a hunting license to support F&G game management - many will
point to Wash. State haveing the most big game in the lower 48 but it's
pretty hard to get a tag for Goat and some other game.

I have lots of friends on the Wet side, SSeattle, Tacoma and N. of Seattle but every time I visti I have to remind myself because of traffic
I must really like them.

Oh, yah can't carry open during bow/blackpowder season and although
it isn't against the law these days if you're a stranger even in a small
town it would raise alarm - just the way it is. Oddly, it's up to individual
opost-secondary colleges/universities as to CCW on campus.
The rule at WSU is no for studentws, but anybody else can CCW. I know this because my shooting partner is employed there and his job well he reviewed
the rule with the auditor - a few years ago, we got a new A.G. from
the liberal wet side and she tried to change that rule. She almost lost her job.

I also played adult rec. league softball and basketball for a long time and
still know many of Pullman's as well as the Campus Police Finest. Good guys with a job that entails the usual college town stuff. We also get support or lend support to nearby Moscow ID with the University Of Idaho when SHTF.



My sh

 

[rainbowbob]

Rcw 9.41.270.(1)

Nice photos, Mainsail!

I've lived in Washington State for 50 of 56 years and I love it. I am, however, looking forward to moving out of Seattle soon. This town has definitely changed in those 50 years - and not for the better. I liked it when we weren't considered "world-class" - when the Huskies and high school sports and unlimited hydros and sailboats and fishing were the big sports stories. Don’t get me wrong…I’m a huge fan of the Mariners and the Seahawks. But I digress…(and probably contradict myself).

I am pretty new to concealed carry and wonder about the following quotes.

I thought I heard you could open carry in most of the counties except King and one other one. I don't know where I heard that though.

And rickomatic replied:

Actually, Washington states preemption law prohibits localities to have gun laws more restrictive than state law. Therefore, it is legal to open carry anywhere.

The way I read RCW 9.41.270.(1); open carry seems to be a matter of interpretation. How it is interpreted by the local public and local law enforcement depends entirely on where you are, and what the circumstances are. I don’t think King County, and particularly Seattle, interprets it to mean that open carry is allowed. Like I say, though, I'm from Seattle and there may be completely different interpretations in other parts of the state - even though the law is supposed to be uniform state-wide.

RCW 9.41.270.(1) (Unlawful carrying or handling of weapons) states (in condensed form):

It shall be unlawful for any person to carry, exhibit, display, or draw any firearm... in a manner, under circumstances, and at a time and place that either manifests an intent to intimidate another or that warrants alarm for the safety of other persons.

My understanding is that hiking in the wilderness with a .44 openly visible in a holster on my belt might be perfectly legal. But walking around my city neighborhood with the same rig might be considered manifesting “...an intent to intimidate another...” - or - "...warrant alarm for the safety of other persons." If so, I could be charged with a gross misdemeanor that will cost me my concealed pistol license.

As I said, I’m new. If anyone can further enlighten us on this point, please weigh in.