On Friday, February 12th, the rule banning firearms in Seattle parks was tossed out by King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Shaffer. The judge said the city cannot pre-empt state law. Washington State laws RCW 9.41.290 and RCW 9.41.300 say that there are certain places that cities can enact local laws to prohibit possession of firearms, but City property and parks are not included in that list.
On February 16, the issues was brought up at the city council meeting by a Mountlake Terrace resident. The man had noticed that the dog park has sign prohibiting firearms as well as other things such as food and smoking. Mountlake Terrace city code currently prohibits possession of firearms in the dog park.
A total of 2 Off Leash Dog Park rules and regulations signs are located at the entrance areas to the park and references prohibiting “firearms” have since been removed from the signs. The next step will be to amend the city code to remove the references to “firearms.”
UPDATE 3/11 12:00PM: Today a federal judge upheld the ban (the judge actually only said the ban was constitutional, the city still cannot regulate firearms more restrictively than the State does) on firearms in Seattle parks and community centers. It is unknown if this will have any affect on the City’s decision to remove the ban on firearms in the dog park. I have a question in to the City and will update this when I hear back.
UPDATE 3/11 3PM: Here is a quote by Mountlake Terrace City Manager John Caulfield on the isse:
It is anticipated that the parties in this case will be appealing to higher courts and once all appeals have been exhausted and case law has been established, we’ll be able to take action to ensure we are compliant with whatever the courts determine.John CaulfieldCity Manager
[image courtesy Mykl Roventine]
the ban in seattle is back on, just today.
https://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011329010_gunban13m.html
Thanks Daivd. I’ve added a note to the article and have a question in to the City.
I wonder what the rules are. I mean, if you bring a pitbull, are you required to bring an AK-47 or AR-15?
Well Patrick, Washington IS an ‘open-carry’ state, so as long as your AR-15 or AK-47 isn’t pointing at someone, you can legally carry it into the dog park (provided, of course, that it’s fully auto-matic capability has been removed). 🙂
And yes, it is ENTIRELY legal to walk down 52nd Avenue with a shotgun on your shoulder even without a permit. Doesn’t mean you won’t get some serious hassle, but it IS legal.
While I’m a liberal, I firmly believe in the 2nd Amendment, and our rights to carry arms in these places. However, I think more stringent checks and process is required in this day in age. I’m happy for this… although I don’t plan on walking in with dual Glock 9s in my concealed shoulder holsters anytime soon… I’m happy our rights are preserved.
I thought the story was funny. That in conjunction with some breeds of dogs apparently very aggresive.