Washington State Gun Storage Laws: Requirements and Penalties

Washington state gun storage laws don’t tell you exactly where or how to keep your firearms, but they hold you criminally responsible if poor storage lets a prohibited person get one and someone gets hurt. Under RCW 9.41.360, leaving a gun where a person who can’t legally possess it could reach it can lead to charges from a gross misdemeanor up to a Class C felony, depending on what that person does with the weapon.¹ The statute is built around definitions and exceptions, so knowing what counts as “secure” is what keeps you out of trouble.

What Counts as Secure Storage

RCW 9.41.010 defines “secure gun storage” as a locked box, gun safe, or other locked storage space designed to prevent unauthorized use or discharge, with the firearm stored unloaded inside.² A nightstand drawer or an unlocked closet doesn’t qualify, even if you live alone.

A trigger lock or similar device is a recognized alternative. It has to be built for firearm security and must physically attach to the weapon in a way that actually prevents the trigger from being pulled or the action from cycling.¹ A generic padlock looped through a trigger guard doesn’t count if it doesn’t stop the trigger. Make sure any lock you buy is compatible with your firearm’s make and model.

One detail throws people off: the statute explicitly says “nothing in this section mandates how or where a firearm must be stored.”¹ You are not required to own a safe or install a lock as a condition of gun ownership. But if you skip those precautions and a prohibited person gets your firearm, the absence of secure storage strips away the defenses the statute would otherwise give you.

Penalties When Unsafe Storage Leads to Harm

RCW 9.41.360 creates two tiers of charges. Both require the same starting condition: you stored or left the firearm somewhere you knew, or reasonably should have known, a prohibited person could get it.¹ What separates the felony from the misdemeanor is what the prohibited person does next.

Community Endangerment in the First Degree

If a prohibited person obtains the firearm and causes personal injury or death, the owner faces community endangerment in the first degree. This is a Class C felony carrying up to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.¹³ Liability turns on the outcome, not the owner’s intent.

Community Endangerment in the Second Degree

If the prohibited person gets the firearm and the situation is serious but nobody is physically hurt, the owner faces second-degree charges. That’s a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in county jail and a $5,000 fine.³ Second-degree liability triggers when the prohibited person does any of the following:

Causes the firearm to discharge.
Displays the firearm in public in a way that shows intent to intimidate or reasonably alarms others.
Uses the firearm to commit a crime.

There is a gap between the two charges. If a prohibited person simply possesses the firearm and does none of those things, neither charge applies to the owner. The statute punishes negligent storage only when it leads to a concrete dangerous outcome.¹

Who Counts as a Prohibited Person

The statute defines a prohibited person broadly as anyone barred from possessing a firearm under state or federal law.¹ That category includes minors under 18, people with certain felony or domestic violence convictions, individuals subject to qualifying protection orders, and people who have been involuntarily committed or found incompetent due to mental health issues. If you live with or regularly host someone in one of these categories, the storage law applies to you with real teeth.

Exceptions That Protect You From Charges

The unsafe storage law has four built-in exceptions. If any one of them applies, you are not guilty even if a prohibited person ends up with your firearm.¹

You stored the firearm in a locked box, gun safe, or other secure locked storage space, or you had a trigger lock or similar device attached. This is the defense the legislature clearly wants owners to rely on.
A person under 18 accessed the firearm with lawful parental or guardian permission and adult supervision, or in circumstances permitted under RCW 9.41.042, which covers minors at shooting ranges, in hunter education, and similar supervised activities.
The prohibited person obtained or used the firearm in a lawful act of self-defense or defense of another person.
The prohibited person got the firearm through a break-in or burglary, and you reported the theft to local law enforcement within five days of discovering it.

The unlawful-entry exception catches people off guard. If someone breaks in and steals your gun, you are protected from unsafe-storage charges only if you report the theft within five days. Miss that window and you lose the defense. Five days feels generous until you consider owners who don’t notice a firearm is missing right away.

Reporting a Lost or Stolen Firearm

RCW 9.41.368 requires you to report a lost or stolen firearm to local law enforcement within 24 hours of discovering it is missing. The report must include the caliber, make, model, manufacturer, serial number, and the circumstances of the loss or theft.⁴ If multiple firearms are lost or stolen in a single event, only one penalty applies rather than a separate fine for each gun.

Missing the 24-hour window is a civil infraction with a monetary penalty of up to $1,000.⁴ The clock starts when you knew or should have known the firearm was gone, with a possible exception for good cause shown.

After a theft, you effectively face two deadlines. Report within 24 hours to avoid the civil fine. Report within five days to preserve your defense against unsafe-storage charges if the stolen firearm later gets used to hurt someone.¹ The 24-hour report handles both.

What Dealers Must Offer and the Safe Tax Break

Under RCW 9.41.365, every licensed firearms dealer must offer to sell or give each buyer a holster, gun case, lock, or other device designed to prevent unauthorized access or use.⁵ The key word is “offer.” The law requires dealers to make a storage device available, not necessarily to include one with every purchase. Many dealers bundle a cable lock or trigger lock with the sale, but verify that what you receive actually meets the secure-storage definition rather than assuming it does.

Dealers must also post a conspicuous warning that reads: “WARNING: YOU MAY FACE CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AND IMPRISONMENT IF YOU FAIL TO STORE A FIREARM SECURELY.”⁵ That sign is formal notice: the legal duty attaches the moment you walk out the door with a firearm.

Washington exempts gun safes from both retail sales tax and use tax under RCW 82.08.832 and RCW 82.12.832.⁶ With a state sales tax rate of 6.5 percent before local additions, the exemption can save real money on a quality safe. It applies at the register with no special paperwork. If a retailer charges you sales tax on a gun safe, point them to the statute.

1
Washington State Legislature. RCW 9.41.360 – Unsafe Storage of a Firearm
2
Washington State Legislature. RCW 9.41.010 – Definitions
3
Washington State Legislature. RCW 9A.20.021 – Maximum Sentences for Crimes Committed
4
Washington State Legislature. RCW 9.41.368 – Firearm Security and Storage Loss or Theft Owner or Other Person
5
Washington State Legislature. RCW 9.41.365 – Firearm Security and Storage Requirements for Dealers
6
FindLaw. Washington Code 82.12.832 – Exemptions Gun Safes