The waiting period to buy a gun in Washington State is 10 business days, and it applies to every firearm purchased through a licensed dealer: pistols, revolvers, shotguns, semi-automatic rifles, and everything else. A dealer cannot hand over the firearm until two things are both true: the Washington State Patrol’s background check has come back clear, and at least 10 business days have passed since the dealer submitted that check.1Washington State Legislature. RCW 9.41.092 – Licensed Dealer Deliveries, Background Checks If the check takes longer than 10 days, the wait extends until it clears. There is no point at which the dealer can release the gun just because time has passed.
The universal 10-day wait took effect on January 1, 2024, under House Bill 1143. Before that, a valid Concealed Pistol License let buyers skip the wait on pistol purchases. That shortcut is gone. Every buyer waits the full 10 business days regardless of any license held.2Washington State Legislature. House Bill Report E2SHB 1143 As Passed Legislature
How the 10 Business Days Are Counted
The clock starts the day the dealer submits your background check request to the Washington State Patrol, not the day you paid or signed paperwork. Business days exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and Washington’s legal holidays.3Washington State Legislature. RCW 1.16.050 – Legal Holidays and Legislatively Recognized Days Washington recognizes 12: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Native American Heritage Day (the Friday after Thanksgiving), and Christmas. A holiday landing on Saturday is observed the Friday before; one landing on Sunday is observed the Monday after.
In practice, a purchase started on a normal Monday with no holidays in the way puts the earliest possible pickup about two calendar weeks out. Starting near a holiday week can push it to three weeks or more.
What Has to Happen Alongside the Wait
The 10 days run at the same time as the rest of the process, not before or after it. Three things have to line up before the dealer can complete the sale.
Background Check
You complete ATF Form 4473 and show a valid government-issued photo ID with your name, date of birth, and current address. A driver’s license works. If the ID doesn’t show your current address, bring a second government-issued document that does. The dealer sends your information to the Washington State Patrol’s Firearms Background Check Program, which runs it through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System and additional state databases. The check looks for felony convictions, domestic violence misdemeanor convictions, active protection orders, outstanding warrants, involuntary mental health commitments, and any voluntary waiver of firearm rights on file.4Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 43.43.580 – Firearms Background Checks
Proof of Safety Training
Before the dealer even starts the background check, you have to show a certificate proving you completed a certified firearm safety training course within the past five years.5Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.090 – Dealer Deliveries Regulated, Hold on Delivery, Fees Authorized No certificate, no sale. The course must cover safe handling, secure storage, suicide prevention, state and federal firearms law, conflict avoidance, and live-fire exercises. Private vendors offer qualifying courses across the state.
A few buyers are exempt: Washington peace officers with arrest authority who carry a firearm on duty, specially commissioned and federal peace officers, and active-duty military members with a valid armed forces ID.6Washington State Legislature. House Bill Report HB 1143 Retired military and veterans no longer on active duty are not currently exempt.
Age
To purchase a pistol or a semi-automatic rifle (what Washington calls a “semiautomatic assault rifle”), you have to be at least 21. Someone between 18 and 20 can possess one of those firearms only in narrow situations such as at a shooting range, while hunting, at their own home, or in the presence of a parent or guardian. Violating those limits is a misdemeanor.7Washington State Legislature. Washington Code Chapter 9.41 – RCW 9.41.240 Possession of Pistol or Semiautomatic Assault Rifle by Person From Eighteen to Twenty-One For non-semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, the federal minimum purchase age of 18 applies. People under 18 generally cannot possess a firearm at all, with narrow exceptions for supervised range use and licensed hunting.
Private Sales and Transfers Between Family
The 10-day wait isn’t limited to what you buy off a dealer’s shelf. Washington requires a background check on virtually all firearm transfers. If neither person in the transaction holds a dealer’s license, they have to route the transfer through a licensed dealer, who runs the same background check and charges a fee to facilitate.8Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.113 – Firearm Sales or Transfers, Background Checks, Requirements, Exceptions The 10-business-day waiting period applies to those dealer-facilitated private transfers the same way it applies to a direct purchase.
A narrow exception covers genuine gifts and loans between immediate family. Washington defines immediate family broadly for this purpose: spouses, domestic partners, parents, parents-in-law, children, siblings, siblings-in-law, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, first cousins, aunts, and uncles. A cash sale to a family member does not qualify. Inherited firearms are also exempt, though a person who inherits a pistol must either lawfully transfer it or notify the Department of Licensing within 60 days.
If the Background Check Comes Back Denied
A denial doesn’t always mean you’re actually prohibited from owning a firearm. Outdated records, clerical errors, and mistaken identity account for a meaningful share of denials, and Washington provides a formal appeal.
You have three years from the date of the original check to file a state-level appeal with the Washington State Patrol’s Firearms Background Division. The appeal form has to be notarized and submitted with a copy of your ID by email or mail.9Washington State Legislature. WAC 446-09-010 – Right to Appeal The State Patrol then tells you the specific reason for the denial. If it was based on an incorrect or outdated record, you’ll need to have the underlying record corrected at the court or agency that holds it, then send proof back. The appeal is a records review, not a hearing.
If the denial came from the FBI’s NICS system rather than a state database, you can challenge it at the FBI’s Electronic Departmental Order site (edo.cjis.gov). The process identifies the specific reason and the agency holding the record, and it lets you upload supporting documents.10Federal Bureau of Investigation. Requesting Reason for and/or Challenging a NICS-Related Denial The FBI must respond within 60 calendar days. If administrative channels don’t resolve it, federal law allows a civil suit under 18 U.S.C. 925A.
What Changes in 2027
Washington signed E2SHB 1163 into law on May 20, 2025, with an effective date of May 1, 2027.11Washington State Legislature. HB 1163 Bill Summary – Enhancing Requirements Relating to the Purchase, Transfer, and Possession of Firearms Once it takes effect, buyers will need a purchase permit before buying any firearm. Getting the permit will require fingerprinting through local law enforcement, a background check, and completion of the safety training program. Permits will be valid for five years and renewable. The active-duty military training exemption will be simplified to require only a valid military ID. Until May 2027, the 10-business-day waiting period and the rest of the current process described here remain in effect.