Washington Gun Laws: Who Can Own, Buy, Carry, and Store

Washington gun laws require a background check, completed safety training, and a 10-business-day waiting period on every firearm transfer, ban assault-style weapons and magazines holding more than 10 rounds, and require a Concealed Pistol License to carry a handgun concealed. Those rules apply statewide: cities and counties cannot add their own gun restrictions on top.

Who Is Barred From Owning a Firearm

Unlawful possession is split into two tiers under RCW 9.41.040. First-degree unlawful possession is a Class B felony and applies to anyone convicted of, or found not guilty by reason of insanity for, a “serious offense” under the statute — a category that covers most violent felonies. It carries up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.¹²

Mental Health Commitments

Involuntary commitment for mental health treatment ends firearm rights immediately, and getting them back requires a court petition. A not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity verdict triggers the same prohibition.³ A facility that detains someone for 120 hours or more for mental health treatment must give that person written notice of the firearm prohibition and report it to the Department of Licensing.⁴

Extreme Risk Protection Orders

Family members, household members, or law enforcement can petition a court for an Extreme Risk Protection Order when a person poses a danger to themselves or others. The process is civil. An ERPO lasts one year, can be renewed, and requires the person to surrender firearms and any CPL for its duration.⁵

Age

No one under 18 may possess a firearm, with narrow exceptions for supervised hunting and target shooting. People 18 to 20 face additional restrictions on pistols and on semiautomatic rifles classified as assault weapons under state law, and federal law blocks licensed dealers from selling handguns to anyone under 21.⁶

What You Can No Longer Buy

Assault Weapons

Since SHB 1240 took effect in 2023, it is illegal to manufacture, import, distribute, or sell firearms classified as assault weapons in Washington. The ban names dozens of models, including all AR-15, AK-47, and M16 variants, and also uses a feature test: a semiautomatic rifle with a detachable magazine falls under the ban if it has even one of a list of features such as a pistol grip, a folding or telescoping stock, a flash suppressor, a muzzle brake, a threaded barrel, or a forward handgrip. Violating the ban is a gross misdemeanor and also an unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act.⁷ A gross misdemeanor carries up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.² If you owned one of these firearms before the law took effect, you can keep it, but you cannot sell or transfer it within the state.

Magazines Over 10 Rounds

ESSB 5078 prohibits manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling, or transferring any magazine holding more than 10 rounds. Violation is a gross misdemeanor. Owners of pre-ban magazines may keep them but cannot transfer them to anyone in Washington except a licensed dealer, a federally licensed gunsmith for repair, or law enforcement for surrender.⁸

How Buying a Firearm Works

Safety Training

Since January 1, 2024, no dealer may hand over any firearm unless the buyer has completed a recognized safety training course within the past five years. HB 1143 expanded what had previously applied only to semiautomatic rifles. The course has to cover basic safety rules, firearms and children, suicide prevention, secure storage, safe handling, and relevant state and federal law.⁹ Bring proof when you buy.

Background Check and the 10-Day Wait

Every firearm transfer, dealer or private, requires a background check. The buyer fills out an application listing name, address, date and place of birth, physical description, and a statement of legal eligibility.¹⁰ The dealer cannot release the firearm until two things happen: the background check clears, and at least 10 business days have passed since the check was requested. If the check hasn’t come back by the 10th business day, the dealer may release the firearm provided the buyer is not otherwise prohibited.¹¹ The Department of Licensing charges $18 for the background check.

Extra Scrutiny for Buyers Under 21

Under the federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, NICS examiners handling buyers under 21 reach out to state juvenile justice agencies, mental health repositories, and local law enforcement for disqualifying records that may not show up in standard federal databases. The expanded search can run up to 10 business days beyond the normal three-day federal window.¹² For a Washington buyer under 21, the state’s 10-business-day wait is usually the binding timeline, with the federal check running alongside it.

Carrying a Gun in Public

Concealed Pistol License

To carry a concealed handgun in Washington you need a Concealed Pistol License issued under RCW 9.41.070. The application takes fingerprints and costs $49.25, which covers the CPL fee and fingerprinting; additional FBI processing fees may be charged on top. The issuing authority has 30 days to process a Washington resident’s application and 60 days for a non-resident. The license is good for five years, and renewal is $32.¹³ A CPL covers pistols only. It does not authorize concealed carry of a rifle, shotgun, or anything else.

Open Carry

Washington requires no permit to openly carry a firearm, so open carry is legal for anyone not otherwise prohibited. The main exception: open carry is banned at any permitted demonstration, and openly carrying within 250 feet of one after being told to leave by law enforcement is a gross misdemeanor.¹⁴ A CPL holder carrying concealed is not caught by that restriction.

In a Vehicle

Carrying a loaded pistol in a vehicle without a CPL is a misdemeanor. Even with a CPL, the pistol must be on your person, or you must stay in the vehicle with it, or it must be locked in the vehicle and hidden from outside view when you step away.¹⁵ Dropping a loaded handgun in the glove box and walking into a store is illegal regardless of permit status.

Places Where Guns Are Not Allowed

RCW 9.41.300 bars weapons from certain locations, and the ban applies to CPL holders too:

Grounds of any public or private elementary or secondary school.
Any area used for court proceedings, including courtrooms, jury rooms, judges’ chambers, and administrative offices.
Restricted-access areas of any jail, detention center, or law enforcement building.
Restricted-access areas of commercial airports, as designated by TSA-approved security plans.
Any building on the state capitol grounds.
Any portion of a business classified by the Liquor and Cannabis Board as off-limits to people under 21.

Violation is a gross misdemeanor.¹⁴

Storage and Who Can Access Your Gun

Washington’s safe storage law does not dictate a container or a location. RCW 9.41.360 imposes criminal liability when you store a firearm somewhere you know or should know a prohibited person could access it, that person does get hold of it, and something harmful follows.¹⁶

The offense comes in two degrees:

First degree is a Class C felony: a prohibited person gets the gun and causes personal injury or death. Up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.¹⁶
Second degree is a gross misdemeanor: a prohibited person gets the gun and discharges it, displays it threateningly in public, or uses it during a crime. Up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.¹⁶

You’re protected from liability if the firearm was in a locked container or had a trigger lock, if the prohibited person used it in lawful self-defense, or if the gun was stolen through unlawful entry and you reported the theft within five days of discovering it.¹⁶ A safe, cabinet, or trigger lock meets the safe harbor. Lock your guns.

No Local Variations

State law fully preempts firearms regulation. Cities, towns, and counties cannot pass gun rules more restrictive than or inconsistent with state law, and any local ordinance that tries is void regardless of home rule or other authority.¹⁷ The rules in Seattle are the rules in Spokane.

Where Federal Law Overrides

Marijuana Use

Recreational marijuana is legal in Washington, but federal law still bars any “unlawful user of” a controlled substance from buying or possessing firearms, and the ATF’s Form 4473 asks about it directly at every dealer purchase. As of mid-2026, marijuana rescheduling from Schedule I to Schedule III has been proposed but not completed.¹⁸ Even after rescheduling, recreational use would remain federally unlawful, because Schedule III substances require a lawful prescription and dispensary products don’t qualify. Lying on Form 4473 is a federal felony, so this is a direct state-federal collision.

NFA Items

Short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and suppressors are regulated under the National Firearms Act and require ATF registration through a Form 1 or Form 4. As of January 1, 2026, the $200 federal tax stamp was eliminated, but registration and approval are still required. Washington’s assault weapons ban may independently bar certain short-barreled configurations that meet the state feature test, even with ATF paperwork in order.

Driving Through Other States

Federal law gives a transport safe harbor. Under 18 U.S.C. § 926A you can carry a firearm through a state where you otherwise couldn’t possess it, provided the gun is legal at your origin and destination, it’s unloaded, and neither the gun nor ammunition is accessible from the passenger compartment. In a vehicle without a separate trunk, the gun must be in a locked container other than the glove box or center console.¹⁹ The protection covers transit; overnight stops or significant route deviations weaken it.

Flying With a Firearm

TSA requires firearms to be unloaded, locked in a hard-sided container, and declared at the airline ticket counter when you check in. Firearms and ammunition are never allowed in carry-on. Ammunition must be securely packaged in checked luggage and may travel in the same locked case as the unloaded firearm.²⁰

1
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.040 – Unlawful Possession of Firearms, Penalties
2
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9A.20.021 – Maximum Sentences for Crimes Committed
3
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.047 – Persons Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity and Others, Possession Rights
4
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 71.05.182 – Detention for Mental Health Treatment, Notice to Firearm Owner
5
Washington State Courts. Extreme Risk Protection Orders
6
Washington State Attorney General. Firearms FAQ
7
Washington State Legislature. House Bill 1240 – Establishing Firearms-Related Safety Measures
8
Washington State Legislature. Senate Bill Report SB 5078
9
Washington State Legislature. HB 1143 – Concerning Requirements for the Purchase or Transfer of Firearms
10
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.090 – Dealer Deliveries Regulated, Hold on Delivery, Fees Authorized
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Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.092 – Waiting Period for Firearms
12
Federal Bureau of Investigation. NICS Enhanced Background Checks for Under-21 Gun Buyers Showing Results
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Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.070 – Concealed Pistol License, Application, Fee, Renewal
14
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.300 – Weapons Prohibited in Certain Places
15
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.050 – Carrying Firearms
16
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.360 – Unsafe Storage of a Firearm
17
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.290 – State Preemption
18
Library of Congress. Rescheduling Marijuana – Implications for Criminal and Collateral Consequences
19
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms
20
Transportation Security Administration. Firearms and Ammunition