Continuing a gradual but steady increase for the first six months of the year, the number of active concealed pistol licenses in Washington State has once again climbed to a new record of 709,334 at the end of June, according to data from the state Department of Licensing.
Back on Dec. 31, the DOL reported 699,140 active CPLs closing out the year which saw the election of anti-gun Democrat Bob Ferguson elected governor and Democrats maintain a majority in the state Legislature. The rise represents a spike of just over 10,000 more carry licenses over the past six months, with numbers going up in both eastern and western Washington counties.
In King County—the state’s most populous and most liberal—June ended with 113,756 active CPLs, a jump of more than 600 since the end of May, and more than 1,450 new licenses since Dec. 31.
Neighboring Snohomish County to the north added almost 350 more licenses in June, and 1,684 during the past six months.
In Pierce County, another Democrat stronghold with a more blue collar population, June ended with 98,385 active CPLs, an increase of only 882 during the month, but 1,654 for the first six months of the year.
Spokane County at the east end of the state reported 49,153 at the end of June, actually down from the 49,499 at the end of May. However, since the first of the year, this county—which is decidedly more conservative and pro-gun than King County with Seattle at its core—has added 300 more CPLs.
So, what’s going on in a state which hasn’t elected a Republican to statewide office in the past two elections? Democrat policies have, say critics, allowed violent crime to increase while law enforcement has been unable to keep up. Washington remains a “sanctuary state” with gang-related crime increasing in some areas.
Long story short, people are arming up. This year’s legislative session saw passage of a permit-to-purchase bill which also includes a training requirement to obtain a CPL. The new law is scheduled to take effect in 2027, but between now and then, some legal action may occur.
Why the numbers are so important is that Washington has traditionally been in the “Top Ten” among states with licensed concealed carry. The current number includes roughly 20-22 percent of women. There are actually very few CPLs held by non-residents, and about one in 9 or 10 qualified adults in the state is licensed to carry. It translates to realizing that possibly one out of every ten people you pass on any given day is licensed to carry concealed, and may even be armed.
