BELLINGHAM — 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.”
“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.
