Bellingham to consider banning ‘open carry’ firearms at City Hall, athletic stadiums

Bellingham is considering a ban on firearms, except for people who are licensed to carry a concealed pistol, at City Hall and at sports facilities such as the Civic Athletic Complex.

Mayor Seth Fleetwood said he was seeking that ordinance because of an incident at a Bellingham high school graduation ceremony in June, where police disarmed a teenage boy as he was reaching for a pistol during a fight.

“Possession of firearms is already generally prohibited by state law,” Fleetwood told the City Council during a committee meeting Monday.

The measure would apply only to rifles, pistols and shotguns carried openly, City Attorney Alan Marriner said.

“It is state law as far as firearms in City Hall, as long as we’ve properly noticed and the mayor gave that direction,” he told the council.

Fleetwood was asking the council to “adopt state law by reference” into municipal code, allowing prosecution of such offenses in Bellingham Municipal Court.

Consideration of the ordinance could come as early as Sept. 11, the City Council’s next regularly scheduled meeting.

“I’ll put my neck out and support it,” Councilwoman Lisa Anderson said.

“I imagine that it’ll be a raucous meeting when we consider it.”

Concealed carry permits

“This ordinance would apply just to open carry and not to individuals who have a (concealed pistol license),” Marriner said.

A total of 15,919 Whatcom County residents had a concealed pistol license from the state Department of Licensing in 2021, according to data released to The Bellingham Herald under a public records request.

Officials at the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office were approving about 2,400 such permits annually, and Bellingham Police were issuing slightly fewer than 100 licenses a year, according to Herald reporting in 2021.

Anyone can apply for a concealed pistol license for $36, after passing a background check and submitting their fingerprints. according to state law.

City Hall confrontation

Tempers flared over a perceived threat to firearms possession in March 2020 as the Bellingham City Council updated a measure that grants special powers to the mayor in an emergency.

In that incident, anti-tax activist Tim Eyman appeared at City Hall with several dozen supporters, falsely claiming that the measure would violate the Second Amendment.

A confrontation inside the Council Chambers delayed the start of that meeting for several minutes.

State gun laws

Washington state has enacted several measures regulating firearms over the past decade:

• In 2016, voters approved a “red flag” law by 70%, allowing someone’s guns to be confiscated in certain circumstances.

• In 2018, a voter initiative that drew 60% of the vote requires safe storage of guns.

• In 2021, the Legislature banned open carry of firearms at the state Capitol and at public meetings and permitted rallies.

• In 2022, the state banned so-called “ghost guns” and ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.

• In April, state lawmakers passed sweeping firearms regulations, including a ban on more than 50 kinds of semiautomatic rifles, including the popular AR-15 and AK-47 platforms.