Howdy!

Do you have any good resources with info about WA state gun laws?  City ordinances (Bellevue area)?

Basics:  Regulations for transporting a firearm (pistol), ammo, etc.  Does it need to be in a locked container or just a trigger lock?  Ammo in a separate container?  Etc.. that type of stuff.

My lil bro is moving from Virginia to your fine state and I told him I'd check here if anyone had any pointers or suggestions.

Thanks in advance!!!

Top of the page has some helpful links.

Dave Workman has a great book that discusses WA gun laws; makes a great gift.

WA laws are very similar to VA.  Oddly, VA’s pistol permit is not honored in WA.

WA’s concealed Pistol License (CPL) has no training requirements.  Pay the man, wait the month or less, get the CPL in the mail.  Also, it applies only to pistols (handguns) and is NOT a permit to conceal other weapons.  Recent court cases have cast some doubt on knives, but unless he wants to be the pathfinder  through the legal system he should remember that his CPL only covers handguns.

WA has full preemption over almost all aspects of gun law; so nothing special about Bellevue there.

Open carry is lawful, and the police know it is lawful, so little drama if he does so.  
    Caveat:  There is no such thing as open carry in a “vehicle”, which currently includes motorcycles, busses, taxis, trollies, and such.  To carry a loaded handgun in a vehicle requires a CPL.  Without a CPL, he’ll need to unload his handgun before getting in/on.  There is no requirement to separate the magazine or ammo far away from the gun (like in the trunk); the magazine just needs to be out of the gun.

A loaded long gun (shotgun or rifle) in a vehicle is unlawful.

Concealed carry without a pistol license is also lawful IF going to, during, and returning from an outdoor activity such as hiking, fishing, hunting, etc.
    Caveat: If he’s going to claim this exception (say, if he got stopped and a concealed handgun was discovered) there must be some evidence he’s engaged in said outdoor activity; such as a fishing license, backpack full of hiking/backpacking gear, etc.

Some differences between VA and WA that jump out at me (by no means all-inclusive).

There is no prohibition for carry in a place of worship unless you have a “good and sufficient reason” as VA law states.  

Courthouses are similarly off-limits for carry, however in WA the courthouse is required by law to provide secure storage for your handgun while you are there.

Carry on school property is essentially similar to VA, EXCEPT the part about carry on school property for other-than-school functions.  WA has no such provision.

Lawful in WA to carry in the airport terminal, even openly.  You may not carry in the secure part of the airport (duh) and should not approach the security checkpoint while you’re carrying (the law is somewhat open to interpretation in these areas).

There are no prohibitions on carry in any of the various State parks and recreation areas, and no “named” areas like VA has.  

Like VA, he may carry in a restaurant that serves alcohol, however he must stay out of the ‘bar area’ if there is one.  The NO MINORS sign is his guide.  No minors = no guns.  Taverns are off limits to carry.  Again, the NO MINORS sign on the front door marks the boundary.  

There are currently no laws for magazine size or guns with a provision for suppressors- I really don’t understand the VA laws about this but I know WA doesn’t have them.

Awesome!  Thanks.  

my advice is dont do it ive been here a year and im bailing fuck these liberal fuck wads and comunist shit dicks im out

ETA have meet so cool folks out here but the lions share of king pierce and Snohomish counties can fuck off and die

WA is pretty 'good' with gun laws for a liberal state.

NFA is restricted (No MG or SBS - all else is OK), but the rest is permissive.

Concealed carry requires a $65/5-yr license & nothing else.
There is no 'sign law' granting private no-guns signs the force of state law, however if you are asked to leave private property by the owner/owner's-rep you have to do so unless you want a trespassing charge.

Some of the hunting laws are a bit odd - there's a minimum caliber for center-fire deer rifles... But nothing insane like 'Shotgun only'. 

Avoid I-405 in the mornings and evenings.  Renton to Bellevue takes about an hour to go 12 miles

Washington state has some laws about blackjacks, saps, asp type batons and similar things.  I don't think there is any prohibition against a couple of rolls of nickels in a leather pouch that is used for parking change though....  That law kind of rubbed me the wrong way so I used my leather working skills to make a few really sturdy parking change pouches.  They are even stamped "Parking Change" so there shouldn't be any misunderstandings.

I'm not aware of any such laws.  


There is RCW 9.41.270:
For this RCW to apply, all three conditions would need to be met: in a manner, under circumstances, and at a time and place that warrants alarm (not causes alarm or triggers alarm).  Your parking change sack would fall into this category if those conditions were met.

9.41.250 Dangerous weapons—Penalty. (1) Every person who:
(a) Manufactures, sells, or disposes of or possesses any instrument or weapon of the kind usually known as slung shot, sand club, or metal knuckles, or spring blade knife;

Because blackjacks and saps are in the same family of impact or bludgeoning weapons as slung, shot and sand clubs, that the above law applies to them. Where the law has a handy catch all is the term "of the kind" in the above description.   I suppose it could be one of those instances where if you asked 10 attorneys about it, you would get 10 different opinions.   Same possibility of getting different opinions or outcomes would apply to 10 different juries or 10 different judges.  I'm just not willing to be a test case for some over eager public servant...YMMV.

Although I would be very interested to learn about any test cases where someone was exonerated after being charged with possession of a blackjack or sap under this statute.   I'm pretty sure that different jurisdictions, and even different officers would enforce this statute differently.  Some SJW types think no citizen should possess anything that might be remotely dangerous, or useful as a weapon.  Different application of the law is where any court cases that have been adjudicated would be useful in determining whether the law has been rendered "toothless, and unenforceable", or whether it has been upheld.

Does that mean assisted opening knives are illegal in WA too? Oh well.

Edit:  I guess assisted opening is legal:

Oh and if you're a LEO/Mil once again you're above the rest of us peons and can play with automatic knives while you text and drive.

I was focusing on the ASP baton part of your post, partly because I have one within reach in my truck.  

I think the big problem with these laws is that they seem a bit vague, and subject to interpretation.  That is usually when the courts intervene to either throw out the law, or give the law some real teeth.  Until either of those things happen, we are subject to the interpretations by various law enforcement officers and other officials.  I'm just not interested in being a test case for the police.  

I really like asp batons, but have gone to a simple walking stick..well, one with a heavy brass doorknob handle on one end, and a spike on the other end for traction.