• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

Open Carry in Seattle

armyhellion13

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
27
Location
, Washington, USA
imported post

I have been Open Carrying in Seattle now for the past few months on a regular basis (mainly the green lake, wallingford areas, but I have in Downtown and Queen Anne as well). I conduct all of my regular business and errands while carrying. Not one store has asked me to leave. Including the QFC, Hollywood Video, Primo Burgers, and Bartells in Green Lake. I have only had a couple of strange looks, from a couple of strange looking people haha. Never been stopped or questioned by local law enforcement. However I always carry a copy of the Washington State Gun Laws in my pocket just in case.
You can go here to print out a copy for your state http://www.nraila.org/GunLaws/#?st=WA
I should also add that I do not have a CPL (Concealed Pistol License) for Washington State, nor do intend on obtaining one. It's not that I would have trouble, I just do not see the point. If the NRA is right (I am a member) and Obama goes through with many of his anti-gun ideas and proposed legislation; all CLP holders will be suspect. I am an Armed Forces Military Police Veteran and don't believe in Obama's proposed "common sense gun laws."
 

Dr. Fresh

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2008
Messages
390
Location
, ,
imported post

Just be careful, carrying in a vehicle (buses included I believe) without a CPL is a crime.

Keep it up though! Seattle needs more OC.
 

armyhellion13

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
27
Location
, Washington, USA
imported post

Good point Dr. Fresh, I am glad you brought that up. You can carry open in a vehicle but it can not be loaded. If you have ammo, keep it locked in your trunk and your weapon holstered. You can not carry on the bus unless you have a CLP and it must be concealed, even though you normally don't have to carry concealed just because you have a CLP.
 

armyhellion13

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
27
Location
, Washington, USA
imported post

Ha Ha I just realized I kept typing CLP instead of CPL. My subconscious must be telling me I need to clean my weapons.

CLP (Cleaner Lubricant Protectant)
CPL (Concealed Pistol License)
 

joeroket

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2006
Messages
3,339
Location
Everett, Washington, USA
imported post

armyhellion13 wrote:
Good point Dr. Fresh, I am glad you brought that up. You can carry open in a vehicle but it can not be loaded. If you have ammo, keep it locked in your trunk and your weapon holstered. You can not carry on the bus unless you have a CLP and it must be concealed, even though you normally don't have to carry concealed just because you have a CLP.

Ammunition does not have to be locked in the trunk. It can be in your pocket and you are being lawful. You are just not allowed to have the magazine inserted into the action. As far as the bus goes you are not required to conceal.

A cpl never requires that you conceal. It simply gives you the ability to if you wish and also the ability to carry loaded in a vehicle.
 

kparker

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2006
Messages
1,326
Location
Tacoma, Washington, USA
imported post

You can not carry on the bus unless you have a CLP and it must be concealed [emphasis added]

Not so; I defy you to find anything, anywhere in the RCW's (whether pertaining to vehicles or not) that requires, rather than merely permits, concealed carry.

Perhaps you're confusing the requirement in RCW 9.41.280 (3)(f) that a loaded handgun left in an unattended vehicle on school grounds by a lawful possessor be "concealed from view".
 

shad0wfax

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2008
Messages
1,069
Location
Spokane, Washington, USA
imported post

kparker wrote:
You can not carry on the bus unless you have a CLP and it must be concealed [emphasis added]

Not so; I defy you to find anything, anywhere in the RCW's (whether pertaining to vehicles or not) that requires, rather than merely permits, concealed carry.

Perhaps you're confusing the requirement in RCW 9.41.280 (3)(f) that a loaded handgun left in an unattended vehicle on school grounds by a lawful possessor be "concealed from view".

That's correct. The CPL allows you to carry in a bus openly under the RCW's. However, the bus company may trespass you off of the bus if you carry openly with a CPL on a bus.

If the city has an ordinance against carrying openly on a bus with a CPL then they are in violation of state pre-emption law and you have a court case on your hands.
 

shad0wfax

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2008
Messages
1,069
Location
Spokane, Washington, USA
imported post

kparker wrote:
However, the bus company may trespass you off of the bus if you carry openly with a CPL on a bus.

Not if it's a municipal agency it can't (e.g. Metro, Pierce Transit, Sound Transit, etc.)

This is true, but they can '86 you for other reasons than the firearm, even though we both know it's really about the firearm. That's why I said now you have a court case on your hands. In practice, they can (and sometimes will) trespass you off of the bus because of the firearm, but not officially because of the firearm.
 

armyhellion13

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
27
Location
, Washington, USA
imported post

Thank you for clearing that up. That is what I was told by a LEO friend of mine (but as we all know they seem to be slightly misinformed when it comes to open carry laws ha ha). I also was told the same thing when I contacted the NRA. As a former LEO myself (not in wa) I would advise keeping the ammo in your trunk, regardless of the laws. I know all to well (as I am sure many of you do) that just because it is or is not a law does not mean that the courts will not use their own interpretation of them. Thanks for all of the useful information!
 

jchen012

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2006
Messages
144
Location
Bellevue, WA, ,
imported post

I thoughtthere was an incident a few years ago with a person without a CPL who was driving and was pulled over. He had a handgun in a belt holster and the handgun was unchambered and no magazine inserted. However he did have a loaded magazine in between his thighs. The man argued that he didn't need a CPL, but the trooper arrested him because of the proximity of the loaded magazine to the handgun. I remember he started a blog about his trial, but can't remember any more details. Anyone know what I'm talking about?
 

kparker

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2006
Messages
1,326
Location
Tacoma, Washington, USA
imported post

jchen012,

Yes, I remember, though perhaps you are conflating 2 separate incidents with the same person: the open-carry incident in Ellensburg, which he blogged about, and the Spokane-area pulled-over-while-unloaded incident you refer to here.

See here for some further discussion of these events here on ocdo.

[Edited to fix a completely mangled URL.]
 

fire suppressor

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2008
Messages
870
Location
Kitsap County
imported post

I took a look of that NRA link you sent for the WA state laws. 2 pages, you just fold them up and stick them in your back pocket? Seems like they wouls get in my way
 

armyhellion13

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
27
Location
, Washington, USA
imported post

Yeah, I fold the two pages into a square and keep them in my front chest pocket of my 5.11 "Off Duty" Jacket. You can't even tell they are there and I know it will come in handy.
 

heresolong

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
1,318
Location
Blaine, WA, ,
imported post

fire suppressor wrote:
I took a look of that NRA link you sent for the WA state laws. 2 pages, you just fold them up and stick them in your back pocket? Seems like they wouls get in my way
You should also (or instead) carry copies of the Washington Gun Laws as compiled by opencarry.org members. They are available here from NWCDL and are probably kept more up to date than the NRA materials. I also notice, doing a quick scan through the NRA bulletin, that they are missing some information. First of all, they don't mention that you can leave your firearm locked in your vehicle while at a school on business. So, for example, a teacher could keep their firearm in their vehicle even though they can't carry it into the classroom. Secondly, they don't deal with open carry at all.

(Disclaimer: Not NRA bashing, I am a life member, so don't take it that way. Sad that I even feel the need to include this.)
 

armyhellion13

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
27
Location
, Washington, USA
imported post

If you want to be hasseled all day that is fine. I salute you for it actually. I on the other hand, can not afford to be falsely arrested nor hassled. If I have a weapon in my car, I am on my way somehwere and would like to make it to my location. As a former LEO I also know the dangers for both an Officer and a Civilian when carrying ammo in your pockets and a gun on your hip without a CPL. In the mind of the"law," if you will, if you are a law abiding citizen you would have a CPL. And that is my method of "protest." I refuse to obtain a CPL; asking what is the point, even though I could easily obtain one.I am no longer a certified LEO therfore I am not covered by H.R. 218, but even if I was, I would carry openly. Just because it is not illegal does not mean you should do it. Use common sense. It might not be illegal in some places to walk on the guard rail over a bridge, but will the police stop you and detain you if they see you doing this? Yes. It is a stupid idea for multiple reasons? Yes. Is it your right to get accross the bridge? Yes. You just need to be smart aboutit.
 

armyhellion13

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
27
Location
, Washington, USA
imported post

It depends on how you interpret what they say...same goes for the laws, same goes for anything. It does not say anything against open carry, thus it is legal. Washington state "policy" in layman's termsis, if it is not covered as illegal, it is legal. Unless there is a law saying, "NO OPEN CARRY," you may open carry. I also carry a list of all the actual codes. I like the NRA printout because it is in my opinion clear and easy to read. It's not just to show active LEO's but anyone who may have questions about OC that I may encounter while out with my firearm. Rather than people on here always attempting to "correct" someone because they think they are "right" they should offer alternatives and provide sources. Not tear everyone else down or try to tell them they are wrong, unless of course it comes to actual facts. But when sharing opinions or providing suggestions...they are just that.
 
Top