Washington state gun laws

H

Hiker 1

New member
Please advise. I am traveling to Washington state later this month and I am bringing my M&P 9mm. I'm checking it on my flight, which I've done several times.

We will be hiking and fishing, etc and from what I understand by reading handgunlaw.us, I can legally carry openly while engaged in these activities as my Colorado concealed permit in not valid in Wa state.

I also understand that I can't transport the pistol in my vehicle while it is loaded.

Is this accurate and what other factors should I take into consideration?

Thanks!
 
I see people here open carrying. It's because there's no law prohibiting open carry, so it's assumed to be legal by many. Take your chances. Some people you might meet on a washington hiking trail might not appreciate seeing you with a gun.... Maybe some portlandian types on the trails....


No loaded firearms in your car without permit.

You must research these laws on your own.

You can try to get a non-resident permit from a state that wa recognizes.

Also must be careful if you go on tribal lands

Either way, washington is a magic place... Enjoy your vacation.
I loved it so much I stayed.
 
Hiker 1

You are correct in your summary in your original post. I open carry every time I hike in WA (often). Unless I am out hunting, most established trails are well used in the summer time usually by people from the bigger cities. I always meet people open carrying... (seem to be more of the Seattlite types, based on vehicles with bumper stickers at trail heads, and other give-aways when you see them on the trail. These are usually the only type of people you see on established/maintained trails) I have never had an incident or reaction to a firearm. Once you get out of King/Pierce/Thurston/and South Snohomish county, nobody will probably give you a second look. WA actually has very gun friendly laws. The link listed above is a good resource. It seems to be correct with perhaps one minor exception that will not affect you.
 
None that I've heard of as far as capacity... I might look it up myself. Lol...

If you go into the national forests, target shooting is allowed in non protected areas.... As long as you don't put targets on trees and have some type of earth to shoot into...

If you go into one of the national forest headquarter, they will show you on a map the protected areas.... They have nice topo maps for donation.
I went to the Gifford Pinchot nf headquarters in vancouver when I moved here.... I'm not familiar with Olympic NF though.
 
No capacity limits, I take it?
Click to expand...

yes there are, your personal weight limit...

if you mean a legal limit on how many rounds your gun can hold, we haven't fallen quite that far, yet, despite the efforts of the Sea-Tac elitists.
 
Do drive Hwy 20 over the North Cascades, the American Alps. Do visit Mt. Rainier.

You can carry in National Parks, too, but must have a CWP. Check with NPS about the rules.
 
44 AMP
Not to be argumentative, but you CAN legally open carry in banks. There is no law against this. Have seen it done a few times. However, I would not recommend it and always carry concealed.

You CAN carry in places that serve alcohol so long as you do not sit in the "bar area", limit it to the normal restaurant seating.
 
Some clarifications on things about CC

Legal carry in restaurants where alcohol makes up less than 50% of sales (i.e. bar section as stated) which are usually posted as "21 and older". There is a Taco Time in Clarkston, WA (eastern WA) that posts "no carry because we serve alcohol" even though they don't have a "21 and older" section. If a business has a posted sign requesting no firearms I would suggest you respect their wishes, but you are not required to abide by the sign unless it is related to the 50% profit on alcohol.

Open carry is legal. Seattle may have some different restrictions so be sure to research the seattle statutes vs WA state statutes. (For example, Seattle restricts knife carry more than the state statutes do)

Transporting a firearm without a valid carry permit requires the firearm to be unloaded and in a separate container from the ammunition. As far as I know, neither container needs to be locked, so a zippered nylon case should work for the firearm. (Caveat: last time I checked was before I had my CPL, which means no restrictions for me)

No capacity limits, no feature limits, no "assault weapon" designations, bring what you feel is necessary. :)
 
Weedwacker,
I don't want to derail this thread with the CC laws, but I feel I need to point a few things out that you are mistaken about. There is no "50%" rule/law. The law only states (RCW 9.41.300) (d) That portion of an establishment classified by the state liquor control board as off-limits to persons under twenty-one years of age.

In regards to Seattle: The law states that no municipality can enact gun laws that are more restrictive than what the state constitution allows (RCW 9.41.290 - state preemption). So no, Seattle can not have any rules or laws of their own that are different than what is legal in the rest of the state. They have tried, but lost. This is in regards to gun laws. Knife laws are a different matter.

Transporting a firearm in a vehicle without a cpl requires it to be unloaded and concealed from view. There is not provision in the law for ammo to be in a separate container. You can have a loaded magazine next to the gun in the same container. It just can not be in the gun or have a round in the chamber. (RCW 9.41.010, RCW 9.41.050). This law applies only to those without a cpl.

Perhaps you are getting these mixed up with another state.
 
This is a great thread, it points out that perceptions sometimes differ from laws.

Many here are transplants from other states. It can be confusing as we are all exposed to a mixture of laws, viewpoints and perceptions.

I live on the Columbia, so I get info from oregon thrown into the mix. I'm not sure how to keep political views out of this, but simply smoking outside away from people can get you accosted by a do-gooder. There's a push along some communities to make gun ownership evil.
 
NINEX19

It's been almost 10 years since I've read most of the regs on transport without CPL, but this is good to refresh. :) Most of my carry is in Idaho as it is, anyway.

Re-read those regs on alcohol. I remember being mildly amused and angry at seeing that sign claiming the right and threat of police arrest for possessing firearms in an establishment that did not restrict entrance based upon age. A little search, however, has yielded that there have been comparisons for the purpose for reciprocity between states and the topic of alcohol comes up with the number 50% sales (namely a Florida comparison example)

RCW 9.41.300 states

(d) That portion of an establishment classified by the state liquor control board as off-limits to persons under twenty-one years of age;
Click to expand...

And that's it. No numbers. Yay internet.
 
if this is an annual trip its worth noting that Washington issues CHL permits to non-residents easily. All they require is a traditional background check and a fee (50 I think..) , no classroom requirement and its good for several years.
 
permits are issued through the county sheriffs...

ex:

Apply for a concealed weapons permit:
Clark County Sheriff Headquarters Bldg.,
707 W. 13th Street

Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Information: 397-2211
 
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