Quote:
|
WA is a mix between environmentally friendly folks (which I agree with) and pro-gun folks
|
If you're going to be a lawyer, I suggest you consider the implications of that statement. There are a lot of us who are pro-gun AND environmentally friendly. We just aren't fanatically wedded to the hands off (no use) concept as the best / only way to "preserve" our environment the way many anti-gun "environmentally friendly" folks are.
WA is essentially two states, divided by the mountains and attitudes. The wet side has as high a concentration of "environmentally friendly" gun hating socialist leaning liberal wackjobs as any of the worst places in the country.
The "dry" side is much more conservative in general, and quite gun friendly.
Getting your concealed carry license is easy, but does require you to show up in person to get the application and be fingerprinted (a one time thing). Renewels also require you to show up at a sherrif's office to get the paperwork,(and pay the fee) every 5 years. Turn in the paperwork and you get your permit in the mail in about two weeks or so.
Yes, WA does have a waiting period for handguns, and had one before the Brady law. Having a CPL waives the waiting period requirement. Have a WA permit, go to the shop (or the gun show) pay the man, (pass the Fed phone call check) and go home with your pistol. That's the main reason I have a permit.
WA does allow silencers (and thanks to a recent bill, you can now even legally put them on guns), but does NOT allow machineguns. There are no mag capacity laws (other than for hunting), nor any of the other "Assault weapon" (note the specific term) crap.
WA does have a sales tax, but no income tax. OR doesn't have a sales tax, but they do have an income tax.
The I-5 corridor (Seattle/Tacoma, etc) is a heavily populated metro area, where liberal politics dominate. Even so, there are a lot of nice people over there. The rest of the state is not as "progressive", politically speaking.
I've lived on the dry side since 1979. It's a good place, with many good people. To me, the worst thing is the number of people who don't/can't/won't speak English or get a driver's license and auto insurance.
There is a bit of a gang problem (again, mostly in the meto areas, and centered around the drug trade), but that is true in a lot of the country.