Washington has passed seven major firearm laws since 2022, and all of them are in effect right now. The new gun laws in Washington State cover what you can buy, how long you wait to buy it, where you can carry, what you have to report, and what happens to untraceable weapons already in circulation. Here is what each law does and what it means for you as an owner or buyer.
Assault Weapon Sales Are Banned
House Bill 1240, signed April 25, 2023 and effective immediately, prohibits the manufacture, import, distribution, and sale of firearms classified as assault weapons in Washington.1Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 9.41.390 The ban names models like the AR-15 and AK-47 in all configurations, and it also captures semi-automatic centerfire rifles that accept a detachable magazine and carry features such as a thumbhole stock, folding or telescoping stock, or flash suppressor.2Washington State Legislature. House Bill 1240 Certain semi-automatic pistols and shotguns meeting similar criteria are covered too.
If you already owned a covered firearm before the law took effect, you can keep it. Passing it to another Washington resident is another matter. Legal transfers are limited to a sale or surrender to a licensed dealer, service by a federally licensed gunsmith, delivery to law enforcement, or inheritance on your death. An heir who receives one is bound by the same restrictions and cannot resell it inside the state to a private buyer.1Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 9.41.390
Courts have declined to block the law. As of early 2025, four separate rulings in state and federal court have rejected requests for injunctions, and the ban remains fully in force.3Washington State Office of the Attorney General. AG Ferguson Successfully Defends Against Another Attempt to Block Washingtons Ban
Large Capacity Magazines Cannot Be Sold
Washington bans the manufacture, import, distribution, and sale of ammunition feeding devices holding more than ten rounds. Violating the ban is a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to 364 days in jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.4Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 9.41.370 – Large Capacity Magazines
The prohibition targets commercial activity, not possession. If you legally owned a large capacity magazine before the ban, you can keep it. Sales to military branches and law enforcement agencies are exempt, and dealers may sell to out-of-state residents whose home state allows them to possess the magazine.4Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 9.41.370 – Large Capacity Magazines
Every Purchase Now Requires Training and a Ten-Day Wait
House Bill 1143 took effect January 1, 2024 and added two steps to every firearm purchase in the state. First, before a dealer can start processing your sale, you have to show proof of completing a recognized firearms safety training program within the previous five years.5Washington State Legislature. Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1143
The required curriculum covers basic safety rules, secure storage, suicide prevention, state and federal firearms laws, and techniques for avoiding violent confrontations.5Washington State Legislature. Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1143 Course prices generally run from $75 to $350 depending on the provider and format, and your certificate stays valid for five years.
Once training is on file, a ten-day clock starts running from the date the dealer requests a background check through the Washington State Patrol Firearms Background Check Program. The dealer cannot release the firearm until those ten days have passed and the background check comes back clear. Even if the check clears on day two, you wait until day ten.6Washington State Legislature. House Bill Report HB 1143
Weapons Are Banned in More Public Places
Senate Bill 5444, effective June 6, 2024, added new locations where knowingly carrying a weapon is a crime. Public libraries, zoos, aquariums, and transit stations and facilities are all off-limits, and transit facilities include bus shelters and stops.7Washington State Legislature. SB 5444 Senate Bill Report Municipal parks where children are likely present can be designated as weapon-free zones as long as the local government posts appropriate signage.
There is one meaningful carve-out. If you hold a valid concealed pistol license, you may still carry a concealed pistol in these locations. The ban applies to everyone else, whether the weapon is open or concealed. Law enforcement and authorized security personnel are also exempt.8Washington State Legislature. SB 5444 – 2023-24
A violation is a gross misdemeanor, carrying up to 364 days in jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.7Washington State Legislature. SB 5444 Senate Bill Report It is easy to walk into a library or a bus shelter without thinking about it, and the penalty for doing so armed is not minor.
You Have 24 Hours to Report a Lost or Stolen Firearm
Under RCW 9.41.368, if a firearm you own or lawfully possess is lost or stolen, you have 24 hours from discovery to report it to the local law enforcement agency where the loss or theft happened. The report has to include the make, model, caliber, manufacturer, serial number, and the circumstances of what occurred.9Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 9.41.368
The 24-hour deadline includes a good-cause exception for situations that genuinely prevent a timely report. Without a valid reason, failing to report is a civil infraction with a penalty of up to $1,000. If several firearms disappear in a single event, the penalty applies once for the event, not per gun.9Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 9.41.368
Ghost Guns and Unserialized Parts Are Restricted
House Bill 1705 targets untraceable firearms assembled from kits or 3D-printed parts that lack the serial numbers found on commercially manufactured weapons. Washington now prohibits the sale, manufacture, and possession of these untraceable firearms and of the unfinished frames and receivers used to build them.10Washington State Legislature. House Bill Report HB 1705
If you already have one, there is a compliance path. Take it to a federally licensed dealer or other authorized licensee to have a serial number imprinted. Once serialized, the firearm is no longer untraceable and no longer prohibited.11Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 9.41.326
Penalties escalate with each offense:
- First violation: a civil infraction with a $500 fine.
- Second violation: a misdemeanor.
- Third or subsequent violation: a gross misdemeanor. Possessing three or more untraceable firearms at the same time is a gross misdemeanor on its own, even for a first offense.
Manufacturers and Dealers Face New Liability
Senate Bill 5078, the Firearm Industry Responsibility and Gun Violence Victims’ Access to Justice Act, is aimed at businesses rather than individual owners, but it changes the legal environment around guns in the state. The statute treats a firearm industry member’s failure to adopt reasonable business controls as a public nuisance.12Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 7.48.330
Reasonable controls include steps to prevent sales to straw purchasers, prohibited persons, and traffickers, along with marketing practices and supply chain oversight. A company does not have to intend the harm; if the harm is a reasonably foreseeable result of the company’s conduct, that is enough, even when a third party’s criminal act intervenes.12Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 7.48.330 The Attorney General can bring civil suits for monetary penalties and injunctions, and individuals harmed by a violation may also have grounds to sue.