By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Despite the stranglehold anti-gun Democrats have on Washington state’s Legislature, the governor’s office and the attorney general’s post, citizens in the Evergreen State are continuing to show a defiant attitude when it comes to disarming.
Data from the state Department of Licensing, supplied monthly to TGM, shows a new record was reached at the end of July for active concealed pistol licenses. July ended with a total of 713,195 active CPLs, more than 12,000 more than were reported at the end of July 2024, and just over 20,000 more than the licensing agency reported at the end of 2023.
For a state which has become something of a breeding ground for anti-gun politics, thanks to the billionaire-backed gun prohibition lobby’s base in Seattle, the number of legally-armed citizens across the state suggests that not everyone is subscribing to the philosophy of citizen disarmament.
This year, the rise in active CPLs has been steady. At the end of 2024, there were 699,140 active licenses, a dip from the July 2024 level. But the numbers have rebounded, and there does not appear to be any slowdown on the horizon.
Washington Democrats rammed through a new law, effective May 1, 2027, which will require CPL applicants to show proof of having taken a state-approved firearms safety course. The class will include a live fire exercise with a minimum of 50 rounds fired.
Washington has never before required such a course, possibly because of the language in the state constitution’s right-to-bear-arms provision: “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”
Mandating a course and test just might be considered an “impairment.” That will be up to the courts to decide.
The situation in Washington may be troublesome for the gun control crowd for one interesting reason. While the number of CPLs has climbed, the latest report on crime from the Washington Association of Sheriff’s and Police Chiefs (WASPC) shows violent crime declined last year. According to the report:
- In 2024, Violent Crimes showed a decrease of 7.6% with 29,036 offenses reported; compared to 31,441 offenses reported in 2023.
- There were 312 murders in 2024; this is a decrease of 18.8% compared to 384 murders in 2023.
Evidently, more guns do not necessarily translate to more crime, which is an argument the gun prohibition lobby has been making for several years. The subject was discussed in an Ammoland article published recently.
The number of active CPLs indicates roughly one in 9 or 10 qualified adults in the state is licensed to carry. The total state population is just over 8 million, according to the WASPC crime report. Subtract the number of children and the number of people with disqualifying criminal backgrounds, and one comes up with the rough estimate of licensed carry.
Washington has always been an open carry state.
Looking back, there were 689,436 active CPLs at the end of July 2023—a difference of 23,759—and at the end of July 2022, there were 653,967 licenses in circulation, a difference of 59,228 from the present. TGM has kept Washington CPL data since early 2013.
