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Washington regulates several categories of National Firearms Act (NFA) items more strictly than federal law. The controlling state statute is RCW...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
Washington regulates several categories of National Firearms Act (NFA) items more strictly than federal law. The controlling state statute is RCW 9.41.190 (Unlawful firearms - Exceptions), which flatly bans machine guns, bump-fire stocks, short-barreled shotguns, undetectable firearms, and certain untraceable firearms, while allowing short-barreled rifles only when the owner is in compliance with federal law. Federal NFA rules under 26 U.S.C. Chapter 53 and 27 CFR Part 479 still apply on top of state law. Where state law bans an item outright, federal registration does not make it lawful to possess in Washington.
This page covers the firearms commonly described as NFA or "Title II" items. Before relying on it, confirm the current statute text, because RCW 9.41.190 and the definitions in RCW 9.41.010 carry noted 2026 amendments (see the Pending Changes section below).
Under RCW 9.41.190(1), it is unlawful for any person to manufacture, own, buy, sell, loan, furnish, transport, or have in possession or under control any of the following:
The same statute also makes it unlawful to manufacture, own, buy, sell, transport, or possess any part designed and intended solely and exclusively for use in one of these items or for converting a weapon into one (RCW 9.41.190(1)(b)), and to assemble or repair any such item (RCW 9.41.190(1)(c)).
Separately, RCW 9.41.190(1)(d) makes it unlawful to manufacture, cause to be manufactured, assemble, or cause to be assembled an untraceable firearm with the intent to sell it. An "untraceable firearm" is one manufactured after July 1, 2019, that is not an antique and cannot be traced by a serial number affixed under federal law (RCW 9.41.010(52)).
Penalty: Any violation of RCW 9.41.190 is a class C felony (RCW 9.41.190(5)).
Items in these categories that are illegally held or possessed are declared contraband and must be seized by any peace officer or member of the armed forces of the United States or of Washington wherever and whenever found (RCW 9.41.220). (Note: this is RCW 9.41.220, the correct contraband section.)
Short-barreled rifles are treated differently from short-barreled shotguns. A short-barreled rifle is a rifle with one or more barrels less than 16 inches in length, or any weapon made from a rifle by modification with an overall length of less than 26 inches (RCW 9.41.010(44)).
RCW 9.41.190(2) provides that it is not unlawful for a person to manufacture, own, buy, sell, loan, furnish, transport, assemble, repair, or possess a short-barreled rifle, or any part designed solely for a short-barreled rifle, "if the person is in compliance with applicable federal law."
In practice this means a short-barreled rifle is lawful in Washington only if the owner has completed the federal NFA process: ATF Form 1 (making) or Form 4 (transfer), the tax payment, the background check, and chief law enforcement officer notification. A short-barreled rifle that is not federally registered is unlawful under RCW 9.41.190(1).
Peace officers and military (RCW 9.41.190(3)(a)): The prohibition does not apply to a peace officer in the discharge of official duty or traveling to or from official duty, or to an officer or member of the armed forces of the United States or of Washington in the discharge of, or traveling to or from, official duty.
Licensed manufacturers (RCW 9.41.190(3)(b)): The prohibition does not apply to a person (or an employee who has undergone fingerprinting and a background check) who is exempt from or licensed under federal law and engaged in producing, manufacturing, repairing, or testing machine guns, bump-fire stocks, short-barreled shotguns, or short-barreled rifles for use or purchase by the U.S. armed forces, for federal, state, county, or municipal law enforcement agencies, or for exportation in compliance with federal law.
Grandfathered machine guns and short-barreled shotguns (RCW 9.41.190(4)): It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under this section that the machine gun or short-barreled shotgun was acquired prior to July 1, 1994, and is possessed in compliance with federal law. This affirmative defense applies only to machine guns and short-barreled shotguns. It does not extend to bump-fire stocks or undetectable firearms.
Suppressors are regulated as NFA items under federal law (defined at 26 U.S.C. 5845(a)) but are not listed among the items prohibited by RCW 9.41.190. A Washington resident may lawfully possess a suppressor if it is properly registered under the federal NFA.
One state-law caveat: a sound suppressor or silencer is one of the listed features in Washington's "assault weapon" definition. A semiautomatic, center-fire rifle that accepts a detachable magazine and has a sound suppressor or silencer (or a threaded barrel designed to attach one), and a semiautomatic pistol with a threaded barrel capable of accepting a silencer, fall within the assault weapon definition at RCW 9.41.010(2)(a) and are therefore subject to the manufacture, import, distribution, and sale ban in RCW 9.41.390 (discussed below). This applies to the rifle or pistol configured with those features, not to a stand-alone suppressor.
Destructive devices (explosives, incendiaries, poison-gas devices, and firearms with a bore diameter over one-half inch) and "any other weapons" (AOW) are not separately listed in RCW 9.41.190. They are governed by federal NFA rules under 26 U.S.C. Chapter 53 and 27 CFR Part 479. Other Washington statutes outside chapter 9.41 RCW, including those covering explosives, may apply to specific destructive devices. Confirm the applicable provisions before acquiring or transporting such an item.
Under RCW 9.41.225, it is unlawful, in the commission or furtherance of a felony other than a violation of RCW 9.41.190 itself, to discharge a machine gun, to menace or threaten another person with a machine gun, or to do the same with a firearm containing a bump-fire stock. A violation is punished as a class A felony under chapter 9A.20 RCW (RCW 9.41.225(3)). (Note: this offense is RCW 9.41.225, not 9.41.193.)
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) administers the NFA. For NFA items that are lawful in Washington (most commonly a federally registered short-barreled rifle, or a suppressor), the standard federal steps apply:
NFA tax change: Under Public Law 119-21, the federal making and transfer tax is $200 for a machine gun or destructive device and $0 for all other NFA firearms (including short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and suppressors). This change applies to calendar quarters beginning more than 90 days after July 4, 2025, with the first qualifying quarter starting January 1, 2026. ATF general web pages may still display the older $200 figure for all items; the statutory change is the controlling authority.
Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO) notification (per Washington Attorney General guidance): Each responsible person must notify the CLEO with jurisdiction where the person is located of a proposed making or acquisition. If you live within city limits, send the NFA form to your city police department. If you live outside city limits, send it to your county sheriff's office. Do not send NFA forms to the Washington Attorney General's Office; that office will return them to you for submission to the correct agency.
Interstate transport of registered NFA weapons: A non-licensee generally must obtain ATF approval before transporting a machine gun, short-barreled rifle, short-barreled shotgun, or destructive device across state lines, consistent with 18 U.S.C. 922(a)(4). ATF Form 5320.20 is used to request that approval.
Assault weapons (RCW 9.41.390): Washington prohibits manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling, or offering for sale any defined assault weapon. The ban took effect April 25, 2023 (2023 c 162, enacting Substitute House Bill 1240). It is a prospective sale-and-supply ban: existing lawful owners may keep assault weapons they already own, and the statute carries narrow exceptions for sales to the military or law enforcement, transfers to nonresidents through a licensed dealer, and receipt by operation of law on the death of the prior owner (RCW 9.41.390(2)). A violation is a gross misdemeanor (RCW 9.41.390(4)), and the conduct is also an unfair or deceptive act under the Consumer Protection Act, chapter 19.86 RCW (RCW 9.41.395).
Large capacity magazines (RCW 9.41.370): Washington prohibits manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling, or offering for sale any magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds (a "large capacity magazine" as defined in RCW 9.41.010(25)). This is a ban on supply and sale, not on simple possession. A violation is a gross misdemeanor punishable under chapter 9A.20 RCW (RCW 9.41.370(3)). Facilitating the online sale, distribution, or transfer of a large capacity magazine is separately an unfair or deceptive act under the Consumer Protection Act (RCW 9.41.375). The magazine restriction has been the subject of ongoing litigation (including Gator's Custom Guns v. Ferguson); confirm its current enforcement status before relying on it.
The displayed text of RCW 9.41.190 and of the definitions in RCW 9.41.010 carry noted 2026 amendments on the official RCW site (referencing 2025-26 session laws 2320-S.SL and 2632.SL). Because subsection numbering and item definitions can shift when these amendments take effect, verify the current statute text on app.leg.wa.gov before acting on any specific subsection cite in this guide.
| Item | Federal status | Washington status |
|---|---|---|
| Machine guns | Restricted (registered; new civilian transfers closed after 1986) | Banned under RCW 9.41.190; affirmative defense if acquired before July 1, 1994, and federally compliant |
| Short-barreled rifles | NFA registration required | Lawful if in compliance with federal law (RCW 9.41.190(2)) |
| Short-barreled shotguns | NFA registration required | Banned under RCW 9.41.190; affirmative defense if acquired before July 1, 1994, and federally compliant |
| Suppressors / silencers | NFA registration required | Lawful with federal NFA registration; no separate state ban (but counts as an assault-weapon feature) |
| Bump-fire stocks | Restricted under federal rule | Banned under RCW 9.41.190 (no affirmative defense) |
| Undetectable firearms | Prohibited federally | Banned under RCW 9.41.190 |
| Destructive devices | NFA registration required | No separate listing in RCW 9.41.190; federal NFA and other state statutes may apply |
| Any other weapons (AOW) | NFA registration required | No separate listing in RCW 9.41.190; federal NFA applies |
This page covers one part of our Washington concealed carry guide.
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