With the number of active Washington State concealed pistol licenses hovering at just about 689,000 for the past two months, could it be that the state has reached its plateau for interest in being armed, or are there other factors involved?
Does it reflect a national trend? Maybe not, since more than half of the states have some form of permitless (aka “constitutional”) carry, and citizens in those states may simply opt out of the licensing process.
Washington’s three most populous—and politically blue—counties continue to boast the highest number of active CPL’s, and based on the most recent population figures of roughly 7.74 million, possibly one in nine qualified adults are licensed to carry. In King County, which encompasses Seattle—headquarters to the billionaire-backed gun control lobbying group Alliance for Gun Responsibility—there are 110,646 active CPLs, followed by neighboring Pierce County to the south—where Tacoma is located—with 94,113 CPLs and Snohomish County immediately to King’s north—encompassing Everett—where 73,956 people are licensed to carry.
That’s three counties with better than one-fifth of all the active CPLs in the state. In the more rural counties, it is more likely people feel less of a need to be armed because there are fewer crime problems, although Yakima County in east-central Washington has a noticeable drug problem according to the county sheriff. Yakima County has 25,636 active CPLs
Not surprisingly, roughly 20 percent of all the active licenses are held by women, suggesting concern for personal safety is just as high in all three counties.
Washington is an interesting state. Where voting over the past 30 years has become more dominated by Democrat politics, the interest in licensed concealed carry has been increasing strong over the past several years. In January 2013, the state had only 392,784 active CPLs. Over the past ten years, Washington has added more than 296,600 licenses.
Restrictions on law-abiding gun owners have increased dramatically, and so has the number of homicides. The restrictions do not appear to have had any deterrent effect on carrying and using guns by armed criminals.
The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of themselves or the state is protected by the state constitution, and that right may not be impaired.
Outside of the Puget Sound region, Washington remains a fairly rural state which is largely conservative. It is in the liberal conclaves where most of the violent crime occurs, which is likely another reason why so many citizens in the three most populous counties has a carry license.
A CPL in Washington is good for five years.
