Washington State Shooting Question

buffalo · November 1, 2009, 09:44 PM

I might be moving to Wash State in the next month or two for work and wanted to know how much acreage do you need to own to be able to shoot on your own property?. My wife and i will be buying a house in the next 6 months if we move and want to make sure we have enough land to make it legal. Thank's alot if anyone knows.

NavyLT · November 1, 2009, 11:10 PM

There are no state limitations specified. I don't know if different counties have any specific limitations or not. Counties may not regulate possession or carrying of firearms, but they can regulate the discharge of firearms. It would be at the county level that any limitation would be, if one existed.

The biggest requirement is an adequate backstop to prevent any bullets from leaving your property.

bshnt2015 · November 1, 2009, 11:40 PM

this is good to know, thanks.

ADIDAS69 · November 3, 2009, 09:58 PM

If you want to shoot on your own property aside from county regulations, you then have to look at city regulations. If you are anywhere inside King County i can Guarantee you that you will never be allowed to shoot on your own property. I am a member of The Interlake Sportsman's Association our members are regularly involved in trying to get more gun ranges open and keep the ones in existence open as well. Each day it is harder to do, mostly because annexation laws have been recently turned from a vote of those people on county land being annexed to an "asked and answered" policy that allows counties to annex properties they no longer want to take care of to be automatically annexed into any city that wants them.

If you let me know which county you are headed to i will see what info i can dig up.

Powderman · November 4, 2009, 04:43 AM

Good posts above.

The main thing is to ensure that you don't have people living close enough to you to complain about it. You'll also want to live out in the unincorporated area of whatever county it is.

IMHO, the best area to buy a good piece of shooting property on is across the mountains to the east. I go with a friend on occasion who owns property in Kittitas County--we routinely shoot long range with no problems.

Buzzcook · November 5, 2009, 12:27 AM

As long as you're away from the I5 corridor and outside city limits you should be ok.

JuanCarlos · November 5, 2009, 02:54 PM

Quote:

As long as you're away from the I5 corridor and outside city limits you should be ok.

You may run into the odd county ordinance, though. For instance, apparently you can't shoot on the range I go to after certain hours due to some noise ordinance. Not particularly restrictive, just pointing out that sometimes being outside city limits isn't enough.

RAnb · November 5, 2009, 03:20 PM

Depending on what you own, you may find WA to a less gun friendly than FL. Machine guns, SBS and SBR were made contraband in 1994. The only way to have them in WA was to prove they were registered by 1994 or earlier. Silencers are allowed, but use is a gross misdemeanor. WA is the only state that allows silencer possession and bans use. AOW's and DD's are allowed.

Ranb

buffalo · November 5, 2009, 09:33 PM

Thank's for the replies guys,at the moment i am talking to a few different companies all in different counties so once i know where exactly i'll post up. One company is in King county but from the research i have done i will NOT be buying any property there. I don't have any suppressors so the very weird WA law about those won't affect me.

ADIDAS69 · November 5, 2009, 09:48 PM

Silencers are most easily obtained through a trust set up, though lately local law enforcement is requiring that the trust paperwork be notarized.

I live in Seattle and you would definitely be wise to steer clear, I catch crap from my neighbors for the size of my truck despite the fact the local transit refuses to stop by the lumber yards i need to go to. They also won't let me bring full sheets of plywood on the bus

RAnb · November 6, 2009, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Silencers are most easily obtained through a trust set up, though lately local law enforcement is requiring that the trust paperwork be notarized.

The local police require that trust paperwork be notarized? I have never heard of this before. Is there some law that allows the police to require NFA trusts to be notarized? I'm sure that the ATF will not recognize any trust that is not properly notarized, but the reason most people (including myself) get a trust is to ensure the police are never involved with our title 2 weapons collections.

Ranb

ADIDAS69 · November 6, 2009, 12:31 AM

I don't think its a matter of "law enforcement" being able to legally require the notarization i think it is an easy way for them to slow down anyone getting a silencer. To argue with them would take longer than just getting the notarization.

RAnb · November 6, 2009, 11:19 AM

But why do you involve the local police at all when using a trust? That is one of the reason for using a trust. You never have to tell them anything at all about your silencer collection. As far as I know, Seattle does not have any law requiring that a person notify the police when making or buying a silencer on a trust. There is no state or city law requiring me to do so in Belfair.

Do you actually tell the police that you are buying silencers on a trust when you are not required to?

Ranb

November 1, 2009, 09:44 PM	#1
buffalo Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2009 Location: SW Florida Posts: 103	Washington State Shooting Question I might be moving to Wash State in the next month or two for work and wanted to know how much acreage do you need to own to be able to shoot on your own property?. My wife and i will be buying a house in the next 6 months if we move and want to make sure we have enough land to make it legal. Thank's alot if anyone knows.

November 3, 2009, 09:58 PM	#4
ADIDAS69 Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2009 Location: Seattle Posts: 381	bshnt2015 If you want to shoot on your own property aside from county regulations, you then have to look at city regulations. If you are anywhere inside King County i can Guarantee you that you will never be allowed to shoot on your own property. I am a member of The Interlake Sportsman's Association our members are regularly involved in trying to get more gun ranges open and keep the ones in existence open as well. Each day it is harder to do, mostly because annexation laws have been recently turned from a vote of those people on county land being annexed to an "asked and answered" policy that allows counties to annex properties they no longer want to take care of to be automatically annexed into any city that wants them. If you let me know which county you are headed to i will see what info i can dig up.

November 4, 2009, 04:43 AM	#5
Powderman Senior Member Join Date: September 7, 2001 Location: Washington State Posts: 2,166	Good posts above. The main thing is to ensure that you don't have people living close enough to you to complain about it. You'll also want to live out in the unincorporated area of whatever county it is. IMHO, the best area to buy a good piece of shooting property on is across the mountains to the east. I go with a friend on occasion who owns property in Kittitas County--we routinely shoot long range with no problems. __________________ Hiding in plain sight...

November 5, 2009, 09:48 PM	#10
ADIDAS69 Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2009 Location: Seattle Posts: 381	side bar Silencers are most easily obtained through a trust set up, though lately local law enforcement is requiring that the trust paperwork be notarized. I live in Seattle and you would definitely be wise to steer clear, I catch crap from my neighbors for the size of my truck despite the fact the local transit refuses to stop by the lumber yards i need to go to. They also won't let me bring full sheets of plywood on the bus

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November 1, 2009, 11:10 PM	#2
NavyLT Junior member Join Date: January 25, 2006 Location: Oak Harbor, WA Posts: 1,719	There are no state limitations specified. I don't know if different counties have any specific limitations or not. Counties may not regulate possession or carrying of firearms, but they can regulate the discharge of firearms. It would be at the county level that any limitation would be, if one existed. The biggest requirement is an adequate backstop to prevent any bullets from leaving your property.

November 1, 2009, 11:40 PM	#3
bshnt2015 Member Join Date: December 14, 2008 Location: CA & WA Posts: 22	this is good to know, thanks.

November 5, 2009, 12:27 AM	#6
Buzzcook Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2007 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 6,126	As long as you're away from the I5 corridor and outside city limits you should be ok.

November 5, 2009, 03:20 PM	#8
RAnb Junior member Join Date: July 20, 2008 Location: WA, USA Posts: 447	Depending on what you own, you may find WA to a less gun friendly than FL. Machine guns, SBS and SBR were made contraband in 1994. The only way to have them in WA was to prove they were registered by 1994 or earlier. Silencers are allowed, but use is a gross misdemeanor. WA is the only state that allows silencer possession and bans use. AOW's and DD's are allowed. Ranb

November 5, 2009, 09:33 PM	#9
buffalo Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2009 Location: SW Florida Posts: 103	Thank's for the replies guys,at the moment i am talking to a few different companies all in different counties so once i know where exactly i'll post up. One company is in King county but from the research i have done i will NOT be buying any property there. I don't have any suppressors so the very weird WA law about those won't affect me.

November 6, 2009, 12:31 AM	#12
ADIDAS69 Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2009 Location: Seattle Posts: 381	I don't think its a matter of "law enforcement" being able to legally require the notarization i think it is an easy way for them to slow down anyone getting a silencer. To argue with them would take longer than just getting the notarization.

November 6, 2009, 11:19 AM	#13
RAnb Junior member Join Date: July 20, 2008 Location: WA, USA Posts: 447	But why do you involve the local police at all when using a trust? That is one of the reason for using a trust. You never have to tell them anything at all about your silencer collection. As far as I know, Seattle does not have any law requiring that a person notify the police when making or buying a silencer on a trust. There is no state or city law requiring me to do so in Belfair. Do you actually tell the police that you are buying silencers on a trust when you are not required to? Ranb