Washington State's new liquor law & CCW

[dmazur]

Washington State recently passed a law which essentially takes the State out of the liquor business and closes the State liquor stores.

Grocery stores with > 10,000 sqft are allowed to apply for a license to sell liquor. Existing stores < 10,000 sqft which had a liquor license will be grandfathered.

A local store has recently posted a notice which states firearms are not permitted on the premises.

RCW 9.41.300 lists, among several prohibited locations,

"(d) That portion of an establishment classified by the state liquor control board as off-limits to persons under twenty-one years of age..."

The State liquor stores were not posted. In fact, I believe I read they could not be posted, as they were public facilities not enumerated as prohibited places.

With restaurants with a bar area, the restaurant is open to CCW but the bar is not. To help patrons comply with RCW 9.41.300, owners posted the entrances to the bar as defining the area which was off-limits to CCW.

But with the new liquor stores, there is no such defined area. The whole store is supposedly off-limits to underage customers, so marking the store as a prohibited area would be proper.

I have not seen how the larger grocery stores are going to handle this. I believe they intend to have a "liquor counter" and locked cabinets behind the counter. Whether they sign this area in accordance with RCW 9.41.300 remains to be seen.

My question is related to intent. I thought the intent of RCW 9.41.300 was prohibiting CCW in areas where liquor is consumed. All liquor in Washington State was sold at State stores, where liquor was not allowed to be consumed on the premises and the stores were not considered prohibited locations.

Is anyone pursuing this new "gun free zone", which appears to have been created as an unintended consequence of the new law?

 

[hermannr]

You can ask the store why they posted..which posting actually means nothing, you have to verbally and personally be requested to leave...There is no state law that says they must restrict OC or CC, license or not.

My little village had a contract liquor store before the law change...never was a problem. Walmat sells liquor, WalMart allows carry in all of the stores in WA.

Like I said, ask them why they are posted. If they posted because they are a private business and that is what they want to do...Ok, just tell them you will be purchasing your supplies elsewhere...and do so.

If they are restricting carry because they think state law makes them do so, point out that there is no such law, and then point to Wal-Mart as an example of a place that sells liquor, but does not restrict. Also point out that it is the liquor control board that posts an establishment as 21 or over as bars because of on premises consumption, not because of sales, but because of percentage of sales that is alcohol consumed on premises.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Just because a store posts a sign does not mean that sign is required by law or accurately reflects what the law says. That applies to the no guns sign as well as the no one under 21 permitted sign.

 

[dmazur]

Thanks.

I believe they are misinformed and think they have to display the sign. The sign refers to the RCW section I referenced above.

As they are not a bar, they are complying with a requirement which does not apply to them.

I will make an effort to politely inform the owner that I am taking my business across the parking lot, to the QFC...

(I suppose it won't provide an opportunity for him to correct his actions if I do so without explanation.)