Washington Lt. Gov. Skips Governor's Speech Because People with Concealed Carry Permits Could Attend

Shouldn't he be avoiding most of the whole state of Washington?

The Everett Daily Herald (Jerry Cornfield) reports (see also this AP story):

Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib did not preside at the governor's address to a joint session of the Legislature on Tuesday because he felt vulnerable in the House chamber, where people can carry concealed weapons in the public galleries.

"There is no specific threat to me. There is no specific threat we know of, period," he said before the governor's speech. "It's about the policy."

But, wait: Washington lets people who have concealed carry licenses carry in most public places, such as sidewalks, parks, and the like. That's the policy in about 40 states (including the several that don't even require a license to carry in public). Indeed, Washington has apparently had this "shall-issue" policy since 1961, well before most states shifted to it. Maybe the Lieutenant Governor should continue his political career in a state where he will feel less "vulnerable."