RCW 9.41.171
Alien possession of firearms — Requirements — Penalty.

It is a class C felony for any person who is not a citizen of the United States to carry or possess any firearm, unless the person: (1) Is a lawful permanent resident; (2) has obtained a valid alien firearm license pursuant to RCW 9.41.173; or (3) meets the requirements of RCW 9.41.175.

RCW 9.41.175
Alien possession of firearms — Possession without license — Conditions.

(1) A nonimmigrant alien, who is not a resident of Washington or a citizen of Canada, may carry or possess any firearm without having first obtained an alien firearm license if the nonimmigrant alien possesses:

    (a) A valid passport and visa showing he or she is in the country legally;

    (b) If required under federal law, an approved United States department of justice ATF-6 NIA application and permit for temporary importation of firearms and ammunition by nonimmigrant aliens; and

    (c)(i) A valid hunting license issued by a state or territory of the United States; or

    (ii) An invitation to participate in a trade show or sport shooting event being conducted in this state, another state, or another country that is contiguous with this state.

    (2) A citizen of Canada may carry or possess any firearm so long as he or she possesses:

    (a) Valid documentation as required for entry into the United States;

    (b) If required under federal law, an approved United States department of justice ATF-6 NIA application and permit for temporary importation of firearms and ammunition by nonimmigrant aliens; and

    (c)(i) A valid hunting license issued by a state or territory of the United States; or

    (ii) An invitation to participate in a trade show or sport shooting event being conducted in this state, another state, or another country that is contiguous with this state.

    (3) For purposes of subsections (1) and (2) of this section, the firearms may only be possessed for the purpose of using them in the hunting of game while such persons are in the act of hunting, or while on a hunting trip, or while such persons are competing in a bona fide trap or skeet shoot or any other organized contest where rifles, pistols, or shotguns are used. Nothing in this section shall be construed to allow aliens to hunt or fish in this state without first having obtained a regular hunting or fishing license.

Quoted:
I wasnt aware that "possession" included rental guns on the rental range, under the supervision of the RO, or in the company and under the immediate supervision of the legal owner.

Quoted:


Yeah the state finally dumped the requirement, after a lawsuit I think, for resident aliens (green card holders) a few years ago because it was refusing to issue any at all.

Quoted:
I work at Bellevue Gun Club.  The way that we can work with RCW 9.41.175 is to invite non-citizen/non-resident shooters to a "formal shooting competition" that we have called the "International Challenge."  We conduct a brief class on marksmanship with the shooter's firearm of choice and then have a quick shooting test.  It costs an additional $12.00 because I have to have an RSO conduct the class and then coach the shooter through the shooting portion.  Depending on the abilities of the shooter, this can take some time.  We also cannot conduct the "International Challenge" on weekends due to our huge number of shooters on Saturdays and Sundays (we generally have well over 300 shooters check in to shoot on an average Saturday).  I can't pull one of my RSOs on our busiest days of the week for an indeterminate span of time to do the IC, so we encourage our international visitors to come back during the week.

That all said, my limited understanding is that RCW 9.41.175 is strange.  I don't--off the top of my head--know of other states that have similar laws.

Quoted:
Thanks Brett. Do you guys turn away many non-citizens? It seems like there is a good tourist range business in states like Nevada and Hawaii (go figure, one of most 2A unfriendly states in the Union).

I wonder if there would be any support for repealing this law from local ranges?

I've enquired about your International Challenge. I appreciate that you guys do it, but I want to take my visitors to the range on the weekend, to shoot my guns, on my own terms.