Washington Gun Laws
Gun Laws Overview
RIFLES & SHOTGUNS | HANDGUNS | |
---|---|---|
Permit to Purchase | No* | No* |
Registration of Firearms | No* | No* |
Licensing of Owners | No* | No* |
Permit to Carry | No | Yes |
* A police and Department of Licensing record is made of purchases and transfers of handguns and "semiautomatic assault rifles." The list and map below are included as a tool to assist you in validating your information. We have made every effort to report the information correctly, however reciprocity and recognition agreements are subject to frequent change. The information is not intended as legal advice or a restatement of law and does not include: restrictions that may be placed on non-resident permits, individuals under the age of 21, qualifying permit classes, and/or any other factor which may limit reciprocity and/or recognition. For any particular situation, a licensed local attorney must be consulted for an accurate interpretation. YOU MUST ABIDE WITH ALL LAWS: STATE, FEDERAL AND LOCAL. RECIPROCITY NOTES: Washington’s reciprocity law requires that the other state not issue licenses to persons under the age of 21. Washington honors only the ENHANCED permit for Idaho and South Dakota and the CLASS 1 permit for North Dakota: http://www.atg.wa.gov/concealed-weapon-reciprocity. Michigan recognizes Washington’s RESIDENT permit only.
|
STATE STATUS | |
---|---|
Castle Doctrine | No Law |
No-Net Loss | No Legislation |
Right to Carry Confidentiality | Provisions Enacted |
Right to Carry in Restaurants | Partial Ban |
Right To Carry Laws | Shall Issue |
Right To Carry Reciprocity and Recognition | Conditional Recognition |
Right to Keep & Bear Arms State Constitutional Provisions | With Provisions |
Laws on Purchase, Possession and Carrying of Firearms
Antiques and Replicas
Washington State law defines an antique firearm as “a firearm or replica of a firearm not designed or redesigned for using rim fire or conventional center fire ignition with fixed ammunition and manufactured in or before 1898, including any matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap, or similar type of ignition system and also any firearm using fixed ammunition manufactured in or before 1898, for which ammunition is no longer manufactured in the United States and is not readily available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade.” Wash. Rev. Code § 9.41.010(1). MORE |
Possession
There are no state licensing requirements for the possession of rifles, shotguns or handguns. MORE |
Purchase and Transfer
Washington State has no laws requiring a license to purchase a firearm. It has no laws regulating sales or purchases of multiple guns, or regulating gun shows. MORE |
Carrying
It is a crime to carry a handgun concealed on the person without a license to carry a concealed weapon, although a person may carry concealed without a license in his or her place of abode or fixed place of business. Wash. Rev. Code § 9.41.050(1). MORE |
Assault Weapons, Machine Guns, Magazines, Ammunition, etc.
Under a law enacted by ballot initiative (Initiative Measure No. 1639), as of 2019 new restrictions apply to the sale, transfer and possession of so-called “semiautomatic assault rifles.” A “semiautomatic assault rifle” means “any rifle which utilizes a portion of the energy of a firing cartridge to extract the fired cartridge case and chamber the next round, and which requires a separate pull of the trigger to fire each cartridge,” but excluding an antique firearm, any firearm that has been made permanently inoperable, or any firearm that is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action. Wash. Rev. Code § 9.41.010(27). MORE |
"Safe Storage" Laws
Wash. Rev. Code § 9.41.360, imposed as a result of a ballot initiative and effective in July 2019, creates the crimes of “community endangerment” due to storage of a firearm. MORE |
Preemption
The state firearm preemption law is Wash. Rev. Code § 9.41.290. MORE |
Restoration of Rights
Washington State has a process to allow restoration of firearm rights for persons under a mental health-based firearm disability. Gun rights lost due to criminal convictions may be restored by application to a court or by pardon. MORE |
Range Protection
As of June 2020, there is no law in effect to protect shooting ranges. Hawaii and Washington are the only two states without a range protection law. A proposed law, HB 1508 (2012), would have ensured that existing ranges are protected against civil liability and criminal charges related to noise pollution, and benefitted the public-at-large by providing gun owners with safe places to shoot. The bill, however, was not enacted. |
Miscellaneous
It is unlawful to change, alter, remove, or obliterate the name of the maker, model, manufacturer’s number, or other mark of identification on any firearm. Possession of a firearm with its marks altered creates a legal presumption that the possessor committed the offense. This section does not apply if the changes do not make the firearm illegal for the person to possess under state or federal law, or to replacement barrels in old firearms, where the replacement is produced by current manufacturers and does not have the barrel markings of the original manufacturers no longer in business. Wash. Rev. Code § 9.41.140. MORE |
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
As a result of an in-depth debate between the National Rifle Association and the Washington Alliance for Gun ...
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Between 2005 and 2012, the number of state residents receiving new concealed-carry permits tripled to 62,939. Now some ...
Monday, May 12, 2014
Tonight, a state anti-gun group called Washington Ceasefire will be holding a “gun reform” panel where the public is invited ...
Friday, May 9, 2014
Earlier this year, Governor Jay Inslee (D) created a Blue Ribbon Task Force on Parks and Outdoor Recreation ...
Monday, March 10, 2014
On Friday, March 7, Senate Bill 5956 passed in the Washington House of Representatives by a 95 to ...
Friday, January 31, 2014
On Wednesday, January 29, the Washington Senate Law & Justice Committee held a hearing on Initiative-594, that would, ...
Friday, January 31, 2014
A pair of initiatives on gun control had their second and likely last hearing Wednesday, with supporters and ...
Thursday, January 23, 2014
On Tuesday, January 28, Washington citizens will get their first opportunity to testify on Initiative-594, a major gun ...
Thursday, January 23, 2014
A 63-year-old homeowner and his wife had just returned to their home in Olympia, Wash. when the couple ...
Monday, January 13, 2014
Today, the Washington Legislature convened its 2014 legislative session. The most significant issue to be addressed by the ...