Open carry of a rifle in washington?

[slamhouse]

The law seems to be very vague and my google-fu isn't quite what it used to be.

Where could i find the washington state rcw's on the open carry of a loaded rifle in washington state?

I'm sure I know the answer to this but some positive re-inforcement would be much appreciated(cough*NavyLCDR*cough).

Thanks,
Cory

 

[Mainsail]

Yes, it’s perfectly legal and as long as it’s slung (in other words; not carried ‘at the ready’) the police cannot detain you for doing so. See State vs Casad for the unpublished ruling.

http://www.impsec.org/~jhardin/gunstuff/legal/State_v_Casad_(unpublished).pdf

 

[NavyLCDR]

What Mainsail said. Open carry of a rifle is basically no different than open carry of a handgun in Washington. If you are doing the same thing that everyone else is doing and it can be reasonably expected that a person would be doing that activity at that location and time and you are not actively threatening anyone with the firearm, there is no basis for a legal detention by police.

Shopping at Wal Mart during business hours, engaging in normal outdoor activities in a park during hours the park is open, and attending a rally on the capitol grounds are activities that should be good Heck, even attending a regularly scheduled city council meeting.

Examples that will get you detained, and most likely be a legal detainment: standing in an empty parking lot after a business is closed or walking back and forth in a park muttering to yourself.

An example of where open carry of a rifle did not go so well for the defendant is State v. Spencer:
http://www.impsec.org/~jhardin/gunstuff/legal/State_v_Spencer.pdf

Also, Washington hunting regulations make it illegal to possess a loaded rifle or shotgun inside a vehicle, with very few exceptions:
RCW 77.15.460: Loaded rifle or shotgun in vehicle ? Unlawful use or possession ? Unlawful use of a loaded firearm ? Penalty.

Therefore your most expected time for a problem would be when loading the rifle after exiting the vehicle.