Courts throw out gun ban in
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Courts throw out gun ban in city parks throughout state

Washington state gun owners can once again carry concealed weapons on city
park property, after the Washington State Supreme Court decided not to hear the
case on Seattle's gun ban in city parks.

Photo Illustration by Keegan Strandness

Posted: Friday, March 30, 2012 12:00 am |
Updated: 7:44 am, Fri
Oct 5, 2012.

Courts throw out gun ban in city parks throughout state Jameson
Hawn The
Western Front | 0 comments

park property, after the Washington State Supreme Court decided not to hear the
case on Seattle's gun ban in city parks.

The court's refusal to hear the case upholds two lower court decisions
stating the ban violates the state law.

The ruling affects all cities that have enacted similar city park gun
bans.

Former city mayor Greg Nickels enacted Seattle’s gun ban for parks in 2008,
in an effort to curb the number of firearms in areas where children may be
present.

Bellingham had previously enacted a similar law, however it was removed once
the ban ended up in court, said Marvin Harris, Bellingham city parks maintenance
manager.

Bellingham City Parks removed the no gun policy rule from several large park
reader signs about two years ago, Harris said.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn released a statement about the Supreme Court
decision not to hear the city appeal.

“A park is no place for a gun,” McGinn said. “We are facing a public safety
emergency fueled by gun violence.”

Recent Western graduate and former Students for Concealed Carry on Campus
club president Karl Rollin agreed with the original lower court ruling.

“The ban was illegal from day one,” Rollin said. “It’s actually illegal for
municipalities to overrule state law.”

Parks, like a college campus, are a very safe place to be, Rollin said. They
are open environments, which allow a wide variety of people to pass through
daily, he said.

Anyone who is licensed to carry a concealed weapon should be able to carry it
where they want to, Rollin said.

Local police or sheriff departments can grant a concealed weapon permit after
an applicant passes an extensive background check, Rollin said. The permit costs
$60 and can take up to 30 days to receive.

While it is legal to carry a concealed weapon in a city park, owners are not
allowed to discharge a firearm within city limits.

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Posted in News on Friday,
March 30, 2012 12:00 am. Updated: 7:44 am.

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