Buying a gun in Washington State means going through a federally licensed dealer, passing a background check, meeting the state’s age and eligibility rules, and waiting at least 10 business days before the dealer can hand over the firearm. If you’re buying a semi-automatic rifle, you also need proof that you completed a certified safety course within the last five years. A new permit-to-purchase requirement takes effect May 1, 2027, and will apply to every firearm type.
Who Can Legally Buy a Firearm
You must be at least 21 to buy a pistol or any semi-automatic rifle. Voters set that floor through Initiative 1639 in 2018.1Washington State: Office of the Attorney General. Initiative 1639 FAQ Washington’s definition of “semiautomatic assault rifle” is broader than the name suggests: it covers any rifle that fires one round per trigger pull and automatically chambers the next, which excludes bolt-action, pump-action, lever-action, and slide-action rifles.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.010 – Definitions For traditional bolt-action rifles, pump shotguns, and similar manually operated long guns, the minimum age is 18.
Separate from age, state and federal law list several conditions that disqualify you from buying or possessing a firearm. You cannot purchase a gun if you:
- Have a felony conviction, or a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity for a serious offense, in any state
- Have certain domestic violence convictions, including misdemeanor assault, stalking, or coercion against a family or household member
- Are subject to a protective order or court injunction involving firearms
- Have been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility
- Have an outstanding warrant for a felony or for a misdemeanor that would make you ineligible to possess firearms
These prohibitions appear in RCW 9.41.040, which treats unlawful possession as either a first-degree or second-degree offense depending on the underlying conviction.3Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.040 – Unlawful Possession of Firearms – Penalties
What Happens at the Dealer
Every firearm sale in Washington runs through a federally licensed firearms dealer, including private sales. If you’re buying from someone you found online or through a friend, both of you have to go to a licensed dealer, who processes the transfer the same way they would a retail sale.4Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.113 – Firearm Sales or Transfers – Background Checks – Requirements – Exceptions
At the counter you fill out ATF Form 4473, the federal Firearms Transaction Record. Bring a valid Washington driver’s license or state ID showing your current residential address. The dealer submits your information to the Washington State Patrol’s firearms background check program, which searches national, state, and local databases covering criminal history, mental health records, and protective orders. The system assigns a NICS Transaction Number that tracks your check.5eCFR. Subpart A – The National Instant Criminal Background Check System
Then you wait. A dealer cannot release any firearm until at least 10 business days have passed since the background check was initiated and law enforcement has approved the transfer.6Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.090 – Dealer Deliveries Regulated The 10-day wait applies to pistols, rifles, and shotguns alike. Holding a Concealed Pistol License doesn’t let you skip it. If there’s an open charge, an outstanding warrant, or ambiguity in your records, the background check program can delay the release further while it confirms eligibility.
Every handgun sale from a licensed dealer also comes with a child safety lock or secure storage device, which federal law requires.
Safety Training for Semi-Automatic Rifles
If the gun you’re buying is a semi-automatic rifle, the dealer can’t release it until you show proof that you completed a certified firearm safety course within the past five years. The course has to cover basic safety rules, secure storage, keeping firearms away from children, suicide prevention, safe handling, and relevant state and federal firearms laws.1Washington State: Office of the Attorney General. Initiative 1639 FAQ You sign a certification under penalty of perjury confirming completion. Many local gun shops and ranges offer qualifying courses, and online options exist. Expect to pay roughly $40 to $150 depending on the provider.
No state training requirement currently applies to purchases of pistols, bolt-action rifles, or shotguns. That changes in 2027 under the permit-to-purchase system described below.
Private Sales and Family Transfers
Most private transfers must go through a dealer and a background check, but Washington law carves out a handful of exceptions where no dealer is required:
- Gifts or loans between immediate family members, including spouses, domestic partners, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, first cousins, aunts, and uncles
- Antique firearms
- Emergency transfers to prevent imminent death or serious injury, lasting only as long as the emergency
- Transfers to prevent suicide, lasting only as long as reasonably necessary
- Temporary transfers at an established shooting range, during organized competitions, or while hunting legally under direct supervision
- Transfers where the firearm stays in the owner’s presence at all times
Even under these exceptions, the person receiving the firearm must still be legally eligible to possess one. Transferring to someone you know is prohibited is a separate offense.7Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.113 – Firearm Sales or Transfers – Background Checks – Requirements – Exceptions
What You Can’t Buy in Washington
A dealer won’t sell you certain firearms and accessories no matter how clean your background check comes back.
Assault Weapons
Since April 25, 2023, the sale, manufacture, and import of firearms Washington classifies as “assault weapons” has been banned.8Washington State Legislature. HB 1240 – Establishing Firearms-Related Safety Measures to Increase Public Safety A semi-automatic centerfire rifle with a detachable magazine qualifies if it has any of these features: a pistol grip or thumbhole stock, a folding or telescoping stock, or a threaded barrel. Semi-automatic centerfire rifles with a fixed magazine over 10 rounds are covered, as are those with an overall length under 30 inches. Semi-automatic pistols with a detachable magazine outside the pistol grip or a threaded barrel are prohibited, along with semi-automatic shotguns carrying features like a pistol grip or a fixed magazine over seven rounds. Dozens of specific models are banned by name. The law doesn’t force you to give up firearms you legally owned before the ban, but you can’t sell them within the state.
Magazines Over 10 Rounds
Since July 1, 2022, it has been illegal to sell, manufacture, or distribute any magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds in Washington.9Washington State Office of the Attorney General. Firearms – Section: High-Capacity Magazine Restrictions You can still possess magazines you owned before that date, but you can’t buy new ones or bring them in from out of state. In May 2025, the Washington Supreme Court upheld the ban in a 7-2 ruling, finding that large-capacity magazines are a firearm component rather than protected “arms.”
Untraceable Firearms
Washington prohibits manufacturing, possessing, selling, or transporting firearms without a serial number. A first violation is a civil infraction with a $500 penalty; repeat violations escalate to misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor charges. Possessing three or more untraceable firearms at once is automatically a gross misdemeanor.10Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.326 – Untraceable Firearms – Exceptions – Penalties Antique firearms, those made before 1968, and untraceable firearms that have been properly serialized by a licensed dealer are exempt.
If Your Background Check Is Denied
If your check comes back denied and you believe the result is wrong, you can challenge it through the FBI. The preferred method is electronic: go to the FBI’s CJIS portal at edo.cjis.gov, select the option to challenge a NICS-related denial, and provide your NICS Transaction Number or State Transaction Number, which the dealer can give you. Upload identifying information along with any supporting documents, such as proof that a record was expunged or that rights were restored.11Federal Bureau of Investigation. Challenges / Appeals – Requesting Reason for and/or Challenging a NICS-Related Denial
The FBI is required to respond within 60 calendar days with a decision sustaining or overturning the denial. A successful challenge doesn’t automatically restart the sale; you’ll need to initiate a new transaction with the dealer.
What Changes on May 1, 2027
Washington has enacted a permit-to-purchase requirement that takes effect May 1, 2027. After that date, no dealer may deliver any firearm unless you present a valid permit issued by the Washington State Patrol. The permit lasts five years and can be renewed within 90 days before or after expiration.12Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.121 – Firearms – Permit to Purchase Application
To get the permit, you submit an application to the State Patrol’s background check program along with a full set of fingerprints taken at your local law enforcement agency, a certificate from a certified firearms safety course completed within the past five years, and a fee. The safety training requirement, which today applies only to semi-automatic rifle purchases, will extend to every firearm type. The State Patrol has 30 days to issue the permit, or 60 days if you lack a valid state ID.
A permit will be denied if you’re prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law, are subject to a qualifying protective order, have an outstanding arrest warrant for a disqualifying offense, or can’t document the required safety training.12Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.121 – Firearms – Permit to Purchase Application If you already hold a valid permit when applying for a Concealed Pistol License, you can skip the duplicate fingerprinting. The law also directs the Department of Licensing to keep transfer records for all firearm types, not just pistols and semi-automatic rifles.