By Dave Workman
The latest report on licensed concealed carry in Washington state reveals that the number of active concealed pistol licenses in King County—the state’s most populous county and the state’s Democrat stronghold—has quietly gone up again, while the number of CPLs statewide has slightly dropped.
At the end of September, according to the state Department of Licensing, Washington had 713,073 active licenses, down just over 200 from the report Aug. 31, which showed 713,294 CPLs in circulation.
The number is essentially static, but in liberal King County, which encompasses Seattle and is home to the Northwest’s most active billionaire-backed gun prohibition lobbying group, the number of CPLs climbed by more than 530, from 114,826 in August to 115,363 in September.
While it is not a milestone, it does provide an indication that many people living in the county are taking more responsibility for their personal safety.
In neighboring Snohomish County to the north, the number of active CPLs rose slightly, but in neighboring Pierce County to the south, the number actually dropped by about 300 licenses.
While Washington is the smallest of the mainland western states, and is politically “blue” in its recent voting trends, it also has one of the strongest state constitutional right-to-bear-arms provisions. It is an “open carry” state—upheld by court rulings—and it also has one of the oldest concealed carry laws in the country, dating back to the mid-1930s. Washington is one of the original “shall issue” states, and only recently did the Democrat-controlled legislature pass a bill that will require training in order to obtain a CPL, beginning in May 2027. At that time, it is very likely the law will be challenged in court, along with a new requirement—taking effect on the same day—that people wanting to purchase a firearm must first obtain a permit-to-purchase from the State Patrol. Whether the court will grant an injunction or restraining order at that time remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, in more conservative Spokane County, the number of active CPLs also climbed by about 400, from 51,422 in August to 51,820 last month. Likewise, in Yakima County, the number went up from 26,258 to 26,456.
As in the past, the breakdown shows about 20-22 percent of all active CPLs are held by women, with some variation in percentages from county to county.
Workman is editor-in-chief of TheGunMag.com
