The left side of the state is infested with those damned dirty hippies, just like Oregon. They passed laws restricting class III weapons in the 90's as part of the Clinton Gun Grab program.
Currently, you can own a silencer but it is illegal to attach it to a gun and shoot it. No SBR's and no full auto unless it was grandfathered. CCW's are not really a problem.
There is of course the Spokane Rifle Club, which has been around in some form since 1913.(I used to be on the board and got all the uninteresting tidbits) They have a very nice indoor range, 25 yd pistol, 100 and 200 yd rifle lines, The Spokane Gun Club (shotgun shooting in the east valley), There is shooting south of town at Mica. I think Joel wants five bucks and avoids membership. They used to have a club but it's president made a living stealing dues for his own use. Over in Idaho there is a club above Fernan Lake and the Coeur d'Alene Rifle Club. The CDA club is inexpensive and has an indoor range for 22 caliber only.
There are two commerical indoor ranges, Sharp Shooting in Spokane and Center Target Sports in Post Falls. Both have an array of matches and stores with plenty of overpriced stuff. They have some IDPA stuff and Glock matches.
As far as the distain for california socialists and the like. They move here, all of them complaining about how bad life and government is cali is. Then they all start demanding california government.
We have a california commie who moved in by Farragaut state park and sued them to close their ranges(which have been there since WWII). He claims the, "bullets whiz by his house", which is nearly two miles from the range. So him and the califags sue and sue. To no one's suprise he has recently revealed he is trying to develope a large tract of land for other califags and the rifle range may drive them away.
In Spokane, we had some socialists move to town riding the Obama wave and they tried to use ballot measures to force the city ro provide FREE medical insurance, some sort of "job" and housing to all who wanted it. That failed and they vowed to try again and again until they find a way to give worthless parasites the quality of life the would have if they stopped smoking weed and got jobs.
There is of course the anti-hunting movement that came up from california. Banning trapping, banning hunting with dogs, banning lead bullets to save of all things the california condor. (nevermind it does not live in Washington state), banning assault rifles and after the police shootings in Tacoma a renewed desire to ban hi-cap magazines and polymer pistols(nevermind the one shooter used a revolver).
A couple of years ago, I was looking at a 29 acre tract west of town, it had one cali neighbor who actually owned property nearly a mile away. He stopped me as I was walking down the road and told me of his plans to sue me if I tried to hunt or shoot on my own property, just like he did the farmers near him. Apparently, enjoying your property effects his "quality of life". He was despised by his neighbors and even mentioning his name in a favorable light would end a conversation. I bought my piece of the dirt elsewhere. He was pestering a neighbor whose family owns over 5000 acres of farm and ranch land because he didn't like cows and he bought 40 acres next to him.
Fifteen years ago you could write a conservative letter to the editor in the local paper. They went hard left several years ago and post almost nothing but the party line. They supported a winter pistol league for sixty years and a winter trap league for 75 years, when they went left they refused to publish the scores in their Sunday sporting section. When questioned they said their "readers" did not like seeing gun related articles that put guns in a positive light. It also offended them that there were dozens of teams all over the west and that they got FREE advertizing and name recoginition all over the west. This from a guy named Chris Peck who was their editor. He is one of those "pro-gun if it is a shotgun" guys. I have not bought a paper in years and have no plans to buy one til it is their final edition.
Nothing personal, but there have not been a lot of positives in the migration from the socialist south to the northwest. A recent trip to Missoula MT was an eye opener, it has moved from cowboys and ranchers to dreadlock hippies and gay couples. You can't put a boat in CDA lake these days it is so crowded and everywhere they move they start bitching about hunting, shooting and sue any nearby range.
If you are coming up, welcome to here. If folks are not glad to see you don't be suprised. Others have come before you and made a bad impression that sticks. Starting a conversation with a statement on how much better it was in cali might end interest in what you have to say quickly. You might want to hurry and get here before the snow flies. If you move up here in the winter, it may take a few days for the sun to shine, thats not "global warming" up here we call it "winter time". There is plenty of competitive shooting around, now that you are retired you can enjoy as much of it as you can stand.
but for the most part no one cares. And the cops will freaking shoot you if they even consider you might be a threat.
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