Ahead of permit to purchase, WA experiencing a surge in concealed pistol licenses

(The Center Square) – The Washington State Department of Licensing is seeing a surge in applications for concealed carry permits for firearms.

“At the end of June 2025, there were 709,334 Washington residents with an active concealed pistol license,” noted DOL Communications Consultant Rob Wieman in an email to The Center Square. “That represents a month-over-month increase of 1,410 statewide.”

Wieman said the one-month increase is the largest seen to date.

“It’s not unusual for numbers to rise from one month to the next. It’s also not unusual for them to go down,” he explained. “Numbers historically fluctuate and stagnate at various points in time.”

At the end of 2024, the DOL reported that there were 700,623 active CPLs in the state. That means more than 8,700 people in Washington obtained a concealed carry permit in the first six months of 2025.

“That is an indication to me that there's a lot of concern out there about personal safety,” said Dave Workman, editor-in-chief of TheGunMag.com. “We see stories almost daily about violent crime. We don't have a gun problem in this state; we have got a gang problem, and I'm not too sure that the authorities are able to handle that or keep it under control.”

Workman told The Center Square he believes the passage of House Bill 1163, which requires a permit to purchase a firearm in Washington, is a significant factor in the recent surge in CPLs. Washington’s permit-to-purchase a firearm law goes into effect May 1, 2027.

Proponents of the firearm permit-to-purchase law defend it primarily based on the grounds of public safety and reducing gun violence.

“I think that may have a lot to do with it, and while I'm convinced that a permit to purchase is unconstitutional as hell, until it actually becomes law, you're probably not going to see any legal challenge for a restraining order or a permanent injunction against enforcement, because until that time nobody will have actually been damaged by the law,” he said.

As reported by The Center Square, when HB 1163 kicks in, “any state resident wishing to purchase a gun must first apply for a permit, then pay a fee, and show documentation of completing a safety training program – including live-fire shooting – within five years.”

Potential gun buyers must obtain a five-year permit through the Washington State Patrol. At the point of purchase, buyers must undergo another background check and wait 10 days before taking possession of the firearm. 

“Criminals don't obey the law. They're not going to obey this law. They're going to look at this and they're going to laugh because they're going to get their hands on guns illegally,” Workman observed. “They're not going to waste their time applying for a concealed pistol license because they know they won't be able to get it.”

DOL statistics for CPLs in Washington go back to 2020.  

In December 2020, 628,287 Washington residents held a concealed carry permit. That number grew to 696,438 in December 2022. It dipped to 693,188 by December 2023 and was just over 700,000 at the end of 2024.

“We've got one of the highest levels of resident concealed pistol licenses in the west. I think more people are realizing that it's their own responsibility to protect themselves from crime,” Workman said.

According to Washington CeaseFire, in 2017, 10% of adults in Washington had a concealed carry permit.

Concealed pistol license applications are processed by local law enforcement agencies across the state. Due to the surge in interest, many agencies have lengthy waits to make appointments for fingerprinting, which begins the process.

To obtain a CPL, one must be 21 years of age or older and a citizen of the United States or a permanent resident. Other requirements include having a current driver’s license or state-issued identification. Passports or military identifications are not accepted in lieu of a state-issued identification.

An original CPL typically costs around $45, depending on the issuing agency, and is valid for five years from the issue date.

According to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, “there are nearly 22.9 million concealed carry permit holders nationwide as of 2023. That number doesn’t take into account the people who are not required to obtain a permit to carry in the 29 states that have adopted some form of permitless carry, also known as constitutional carry. The actual number of armed citizens is likely higher than reported.”

According to USCCA, 27.8% of Alabama residents are concealed carry permit holders, the highest percentage in the nation, while 11.63% of eligible Washington residents had concealed carry permits as of 2023. Washington ranks No. 10.