By Dave Workman
Are taxes and increasingly left-leaning political policies driving people out of Washington state, a gem of the Pacific Northwest known for coastal beaches, Olympic and Cascade mountain splendor and agricultural production of apples, vineyards and wheat?
That must might be the case, as social media posts from people who are fleeing or have already departed the Evergreen State for lower costs of living, more moderate and conservative politics and, important to a growing legion of ex-pat gun owners, more reasonable firearms laws. This week, TheGunMag.com reported that the number of active concealed pistol licenses in Washington State slid by more than 5,000 during the month of August, and now some gun rights activists in the state are speculating about the reason—or reasons—why.
According to the state Department of Licensing, August ended with 686,832 active CPLs, which was down 5,349 licenses from the number reported at the end of July, 692,181.
This revelation comes simultaneously to another sorry notification now floating around social media. According to this post, “Only about 36.8% of eligible Washington voters participated in the August primary. That means more than 6 out of every 10 eligible voters did not vote.”
The individual responsible for the post queried, “Why do you think so many Washington voters are sitting elections out? Is it because they do not trust the candidates, do not believe their vote matters or just do not pay attention until the presidential election?”
It is no secret that many conservatives, including gun owners, have been literally fleeing the Evergreen State to escape the high cost of living, including the egregiously high cost of gasoline due to the Democrat-passed Climate Change tax pushed through by former Gov. Jay Inslee. Earlier this year, Democrats—without a single Republican joining them—passed the so-called “millionaire” income tax, which will be on the November ballot by citizen initiative.
One of the state’s most active Second Amendment proponents is Dan Mitchell, proprietor at Sporting Systems in Vancouver, right on the Columbia River bordering Oregon. Via email, he told TGM, “I suspect there is a net migration of gun owners.”
Social media posts, on platforms such as Facebook and X, appear to bear this out. There is even a Facebook page titled “Escape Washington State,” which is devoted to those who have left or are looking to flee. Former Seattle radio conservative talk host Kirby Wilbur fled the state a few years ago and is now selling real estate in Texas, while inviting other Washingtonians to join the migration.
But is that going to help straighten out the Evergreen State? What about those who are staying, anchored by jobs and families?
Activist Jane Milhans is among the most vocal of these individuals, and she spends much time at the Capitol in Olympia, fighting gun control proposals.
She tells TGM that the decline in CPLs could be due to “several factors.”
“I think the main reason (for the decline) is that person who left Washington State over the past 5 years and decided not to renew.”
CPLs are renewable every five years. People who have decided to pack up and leave before a new gun control law takes effect next May 1, she suggests, would have no reason to renew if they’re not going to be living in the state. Beginning next May, new CPL applicants and those renewing their licenses must show they have taken a firearms course which will also be required of anyone seeking a permit-to-purchase a firearm. That law is certain to be challenged at both the state and federal levels.
It is always possible that this drop in CPL activity is only temporary. The numbers have rebounded before, which doesn’t make gun prohibitionists very happy. Workman is editor-in-chief at TheGunMag.com
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