Open carry on the ferry

[charros93]

Has anyone ever open carried on a WA state ferry? Gone upstairs and grabbed some Ivars clam chowder with your trusty 1911 on your hip perhaps? If open carry is okay on the boat, would you be allowed to get a cheeseburger since they serve beer and wine. Do you think the ferry staff would freak out? I have often wondered but have never had the balls to see for myself..

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[deen_ad]

They follow WA law on carrying: here

Nothing mentioned about open carry though. I wouldn't want to be a test case though!

 

[Nwcid]

would you be allowed to get a cheeseburger since they serve beer and wine.

As a WA firearms carrier this is something you REALLY should know. Can you go to the grocery store, they have alcohol. Can you go in to Applebee's and have dinner, they serve alcohol? The answer to both is yes. The presence of alcohol or serving is NOT what determines if you can legally carry. There is NO liquor severed in a liquor store and you can NOT take you gun in there.

Here is all the WA gun laws, Chapter 9.41 RCW: Firearms and dangerous weapons

Here is the part that applies to your question, RCW 9.41.300: Weapons prohibited in certain places (d) That portion of an establishment classified by the state liquor control board as off-limits to persons under twenty-one years of age

 

[Redcap]

As a WA firearms carrier this is something you REALLY should know. Can you go to the grocery store, they have alcohol. Can you go in to Applebee's and have dinner, they serve alcohol? The answer to both is yes. The presence of alcohol or serving is NOT what determines if you can legally carry. There is NO liquor severed in a liquor store and you can NOT take you gun in there.

Here is all the WA gun laws, Chapter 9.41 RCW: Firearms and dangerous weapons

Here is the part that applies to your question, RCW 9.41.300: Weapons prohibited in certain places (d) That portion of an establishment classified by the state liquor control board as off-limits to persons under twenty-one years of age

I carry in the liquor store multiple times a week.

 

[Phather]

From their website, it looks like they allow open carry, as they state "WSF follows Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 9.41.050 for carrying firearms."

WSDOT - Washington State Ferries FAQs - Security

 

[Nwcid]

I carry in the liquor store multiple times a week.

Your right. I corrected that myself about a month ago while searching another issue. The State run store here use to have a "off limits to persons under 21" signage. I forgot after years of "knowing" that.

 

[charros93]

So i can open carry at the applebees and have a few beers as long as im not in the "bar" area and not be breaking and WA state laws. Hypothetically speaking of course..

 

[badclam]

I carry in the liquor store multiple times a week.

Nothin' like hard liquor and hand guns to get a party started!

 

[Nwcid]

So i can open carry at the applebees and have a few beers as long as im not in the "bar" area and not be breaking and WA state laws. Hypothetically speaking of course..

Correct. The easy way to figure this part out in WA is if you 10 year old child can be in there so can you gun.

 

[deen_ad]

I carry in the liquor store multiple times a week.

Well, when we used to have liquor stores in WA I carried into them also. BTW, did you know it's legal for a minor to buy liquor if they're acting as an agent for an adult?

 

[deen_ad]

So i can open carry at the applebees and have a few beers as long as I'm not in the "bar" area and not be breaking any WA state laws? Hypothetically speaking of course..

Yes, and I make sure I stay out of the designated bar area even when walking to the rest room. I'll go clear around the bar area rather than go between the kitchen and bar area.

 

[SonicBlue03]

I carry in the liquor store multiple times a week.

That sounds less like a carry problem and more like a drinking problem.

 

[mjbskwim]

I would guess the riders could freak,since half of them are Seattlites.
But I don't see what laws you would be breaking.And they would have to let you know what the crime was.

Now a buddy was in line at the Edmonds dock,when the Stater and her dog came up and the dog alerted.
"Do you have firearms in there?"
Well yes,as a matter of fact we do,since we are on our way hunting
I believe she checked it out and decided it was OK

 

[mjbskwim]

That sounds less like a carry problem and more like a drinking problem.

Doesn't sound like a problem if he remembers where the store is.:drunk:

 

[joeroket]

Has anyone ever open carried on a WA state ferry? Gone upstairs and grabbed some Ivars clam chowder with your trusty 1911 on your hip perhaps? If open carry is okay on the boat, would you be allowed to get a cheeseburger since they serve beer and wine. Do you think the ferry staff would freak out? I have often wondered but have never had the balls to see for myself..

To answer the question, Yes you can OC on a Wa. State Ferry. The boat itself is an extension of the highway system and not considered a vehicle. There are guys who do it rather regularly so the ferry staff is aware that it happens and acts accordingly. The policy of the ferry system is that no unlawful firearms are allowed.

 

[charros93]

Thank you, it's nice to know the staff is accustomed to this and wouldn't feel alarmed in any sort of way. Also if the staff was informed by a uneducated citizen that "someone has a gun", they would have the skills and the knowledge to inform that person that O.C. is legal and quite common.
Sounds like a great way to get people used to seeing law abiding citizens openly displaying our rights and liberty as protectors of ourselves and others.
Heck it might even encourage others to do the same..

 

[badclam]

Thank you, it's nice to know the staff is accustomed to this and wouldn't feel alarmed in any sort of way. Also if the staff was informed by a uneducated citizen that "someone has a gun", they would have the skills and the knowledge to inform that person that O.C. is legal and quite common.
Sounds like a great way to get people used to seeing law abiding citizens openly displaying our rights and liberty as protectors of ourselves and others.
Heck it might even encourage others to do the same..

To those of you that like to open carry in places where you know it is going to make people nervous and force bad feelings toward gun ownership, I have a few questions. Open carry in places like the ferry is only going to inspire the anti-gun left to voice there concern to there elected representatives. This can not possibly help our cause even if you are within the law. It will only encourage people to get the laws changed so it is no longer lawful. Why can't you just get a CPL and protect yourself without stirring up the lefts? What exactly are you trying to accomplish by open carrying on the ferry?

I ask this because I really want to know if exercising your OC rights are important enough to you to loose them? It seems to me common sense and discretion should be used when open carrying. In these times we live in diplomacy seems more appropriate to me than shoving our views in their faces just to get a predictable negative reaction.

Please tell me your reasoning. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I don't have all the facts.

 

[mjbskwim]

I don't care what you say,there is NO tactical advantage to open carry
And in most situations it will draw more negative than positive,when doing it in King County.Or Pierce
And thank you badclam,for your post.

 

[hermannr]

Yes, I have carried on the WA ferry. Only requirement, if loaded in ANY vehicle (the WA ferry is considered a vehicle for RCW 9.41 purposes) you need a CPL. If you do not have a CPL, yes, you can OC on the ferry, your pistol just cannot be (legally) loaded.

The odds of being questioned depends on how you handle yourself. Proper holster, acting as if you were doning nothing out of the normal...chance is about 0 you will be even noticed. Act like a nervous Nelly, chances are probably 50% someone will notice, and 50% of them may talk to the purser.

The law is: if an area is restricted by the liquor control board to 21 and over only, you cannot carry. CC, OC, CPL or not.

Mjbskwim: You CC I'll OC. The chances I will have need of my carry is probably >1% of the chances you will need to use your. Like a fire extinguisher,,,I want my carry, I do not want to need to used it. An informed person with criminal intent will generally seek easier prey and will just leave me alone.

 

[charros93]

Personally I CC most all the time and OC every once in a while. Honestly I'm just exploring the idea of OC. I would like to believe that a shift in the perception of firearms in the hands of responsible citizens, is currently underway. With firearms more mainstream than ever, (i.e. on the discovery channel, history channel etc) and with the world getting crazier by the day, I think more and more people are supporting the 2nd amendment. My ideas about OC is not to put fear in people or to be an intimidating presence, but rather to relieve some of those possible fears by setting a good example, and contributing to a positive change in peoples perception of firearms and those of us who carry them.

Like I said just kicking around ideas.