In Washington, you can carry a gun with more than 10 rounds if you legally owned the magazine before July 1, 2022, and you meet every other rule that governs carrying a firearm in the state. Washington bans the sale, manufacture, import, and distribution of magazines holding more than 10 rounds, but it does not ban possessing them, and it does not add a separate penalty for loading a lawfully owned pre-ban magazine into the gun you carry.
What Washington’s Magazine Law Actually Prohibits
RCW 9.41.370 makes it illegal to manufacture, import, distribute, sell, or offer for sale any large-capacity magazine in Washington. The statute defines that as any ammunition feeding device that accepts more than 10 rounds, including conversion kits and parts that could be assembled into one if the same person controls all the pieces.1Washington State Attorney General. Firearms FAQ The ban took effect July 1, 2022.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.370 – Large Capacity Magazines Exceptions Penalty
Possession is not on that list. If you owned the magazine before the cutoff, you can keep it, load it, and carry it in a firearm you’re lawfully carrying.1Washington State Attorney General. Firearms FAQ What you cannot do is acquire a new one in Washington, or transfer one to another Washington resident. The word “distribute” reaches private transfers, not just commercial sales, so handing a friend a spare 15-round magazine violates the statute even if no money changes hands.
A companion statute, RCW 9.41.375, treats facilitating the online sale, distribution, or transfer of a large-capacity magazine as an unfair or deceptive trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act.3Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.375 – Large Capacity Magazines Unfair Method of Competition That means civil enforcement can stack on top of any criminal charge.
Proving Your Magazine Is Pre-Ban
The statute does not put the burden on you to prove when you acquired a magazine. The state has to prove it was manufactured, imported, distributed, or sold in violation of the ban. Still, magazines are not stamped with purchase dates, and if the question ever comes up during a stop or an investigation, having something on hand helps. Receipts, dated photographs, or purchase records from before July 2022 are worth keeping.
Inheritance sits in an unclear spot. The legislative history behind the ban suggests lawmakers meant to allow pre-ban magazines to pass to heirs, but the statute itself does not spell out an inheritance exemption, and the prohibition on distributing or transferring still reads broadly.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.370 – Large Capacity Magazines Exceptions Penalty If you’re planning an estate that includes firearms and accessories, talk to a Washington firearms attorney before assuming a transfer will be legal.
The Carry Rules Still Apply
Nothing in the magazine statute changes the ordinary rules for carrying a firearm. If your magazine is lawful for you to own, loading it and carrying the gun is legal, provided you’re otherwise authorized to carry.
Washington requires a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) to carry a concealed handgun on your person or to keep a loaded pistol in a vehicle. Open carry of a loaded handgun is generally legal in most public places without a CPL, but the moment a jacket goes over the holster or the gun goes into the car, the license is required. To qualify for a CPL, you must be at least 21, not prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law, and have completed a certified concealed carry safety training course within the last five years.4Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.070 – Concealed Pistol License Application Fee
Places You Still Can’t Bring the Firearm
A valid CPL and a lawful magazine do not open every door. RCW 9.41.300 lists several categories where firearms are off-limits regardless of capacity:
- Restricted-access areas of jails, detention facilities, and law enforcement buildings.
- Courtrooms, jury rooms, judges’ chambers, and corridors adjacent to areas used for court proceedings.
- Restricted-access areas of public mental health facilities licensed for inpatient care and state institutions for the mentally ill.
- Any portion of an establishment classified by the state liquor and cannabis board as off-limits to people under 21.
- Restricted areas of commercial airports beyond the passenger screening checkpoint.5Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.300 – Weapons Prohibited in Certain Places Local Laws and Ordinances Exceptions Penalty
Public and private elementary and secondary schools are also off-limits, with narrow exceptions such as CPL holders picking up or dropping off students. Federal buildings, including post offices, federal courthouses, Social Security offices, and VA facilities, are separately governed by 18 U.S.C. § 930 and carry their own penalties.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities Your state CPL and the legality of your magazine make no difference on federal property.
What a Violation Costs
A violation of RCW 9.41.370 is a gross misdemeanor.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.370 – Large Capacity Magazines Exceptions Penalty Under Washington’s sentencing rules, that carries up to 364 days in county jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.7Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9A.20.021 – Maximum Sentences for Crimes Committed July 1, 1984 Facilitating online sales adds potential civil liability under the Consumer Protection Act, with its own fines and injunctive relief.3Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.375 – Large Capacity Magazines Unfair Method of Competition A conviction also creates a record that can affect employment, housing, and your ability to hold a CPL.
Traveling Through Washington With Higher-Capacity Magazines
Drivers passing through Washington from one legal state to another often assume the federal Firearm Owners Protection Act shields their magazines. It may not. FOPA’s safe-passage provision, 18 U.S.C. § 926A, protects the interstate transportation of a firearm and its ammunition when the gun is unloaded and neither the firearm nor ammunition is readily accessible from the passenger compartment.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms The statute references firearms and ammunition, not magazines, and several states have taken the position that FOPA does not cover prohibited magazines being moved through their territory. Counting on it in Washington is a risk most firearms attorneys would tell you to avoid.
Whether the Ban Will Hold Up
In May 2025, the Washington Supreme Court ruled 7–2 in Washington v. Gator’s Custom Guns that large-capacity magazines are not “arms” under either the state or federal constitution, and that the ability to purchase them is not necessary to the core right of self-defense. That decision reversed a lower court ruling that had struck down the ban. Federal appeals courts are split on similar bans after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision, and as of early 2026, petitions asking the Court to take up the magazine question have been relisted without a grant. For now, Washington’s ban stands, which means the answer for anyone carrying in the state comes down to the same line: possession of a pre-ban magazine is legal, acquiring a new one is not.