grylnsmn
Regular Member
As things are starting to get settled with our new house and baby, I'm starting to look for ways to get involved again with advancing the cause here, like I did in Virginia. I haven't been carrying lately, largely because I am waiting for my Washington permit to arrive (finally applied on 4/14/2016, but because I hadn't been a resident for 90 days, they have 60 days to issue it), so I don't have to constantly load and unload my firearm in the car.
Sound Transit, which provides regional bus service between Snohomish, King, and Pierce counties, as well as both the Sounder commuter trains (which I ride) and the Link light rail systems in both Seattle and Tacoma.
Today, I picked up a copy of the "Ride the Wave Transit Guide" for March-September 2016. On page 3 it includes the Sound Transit "Rules for riding", also available on their website here:
Punishment for violation of these rules can include suspension or expulsion from all Sound Transit facilities according to their Expulsion and Suspension Policy.
By my reading, a police officer who misinterprets the "unlawful weapons or firearms" rule as prohibiting all guns (or prohibiting open carry) can expel you from Sound Transit and impose a suspension of up to a year. That would be a clear violation of state preemption. Based on the composition of the review panel, I wouldn't expect them to overturn that sort of suspension.
That is simply not acceptable. I don't think that just emails or phone calls will work, although they will be the first step. We may need to show up at Board meetings and/or Citizen Oversight Panel meetings (which, unfortunately, all seem to occur during the day). We need to put pressure on them.
Contact information for Sound Transit:
Email: main@soundtransit.org
Phone: 888-889-6368
Police phone: 206-903-7676
Board Members (and contact information)
Records request link
Who's willing to join with me on this?
Sound Transit, which provides regional bus service between Snohomish, King, and Pierce counties, as well as both the Sounder commuter trains (which I ride) and the Link light rail systems in both Seattle and Tacoma.
Today, I picked up a copy of the "Ride the Wave Transit Guide" for March-September 2016. On page 3 it includes the Sound Transit "Rules for riding", also available on their website here:
Of the RCW citations given, 81.112.210-81.112.230 relate to fare enforcement. 9A.36.031 relates to assault on a bus driver, train operator, etc. That leaves only 9.91.025, and TMC 8.52.020 (part of the Tacoma Municipal Code and available on page 8-145 of this PDF), which largely mirrors 9.91.025. Neither grants any authority to regulate the carrying of firearms. In fact, both specifically state that nothing in those sections prevents a person from "carrying a firearm or ammunition in a way not otherwise prohibited by law".
Punishment for violation of these rules can include suspension or expulsion from all Sound Transit facilities according to their Expulsion and Suspension Policy.
They do provide an appeal process in section 6, but it provides very little detail other than that the review would be conducted by the Sound Transit Police chief, Operations Manager, and Customer Service Manager (or their designees). The review panel's decision is final.
By my reading, a police officer who misinterprets the "unlawful weapons or firearms" rule as prohibiting all guns (or prohibiting open carry) can expel you from Sound Transit and impose a suspension of up to a year. That would be a clear violation of state preemption. Based on the composition of the review panel, I wouldn't expect them to overturn that sort of suspension.
That is simply not acceptable. I don't think that just emails or phone calls will work, although they will be the first step. We may need to show up at Board meetings and/or Citizen Oversight Panel meetings (which, unfortunately, all seem to occur during the day). We need to put pressure on them.
Contact information for Sound Transit:
Email: main@soundtransit.org
Phone: 888-889-6368
Police phone: 206-903-7676
Board Members (and contact information)
Records request link
Who's willing to join with me on this?
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