Washington Firearm Laws: Other Topics

The Headline

This section covers Washington firearm rules that do not fit cleanly into the other parts of this guide: private sales and the universal background check (RCW 9.41.113), the dealer-delivery process and the ten-business-day waiting period (RCW 9.41.090, RCW 9.41.092), the buyer training requirement (RCW 9.41.090, RCW 9.41.1132), the future permit-to-purchase requirement (RCW 9.41.121, effective May 1, 2027), juvenile possession (RCW 9.41.040, RCW 9.41.042), domestic-violence prohibitors, ammunition and magazine rules, antique and curio categories, the hunting-regulation overlay, tribal-land jurisdiction, the self-defense reimbursement statute (RCW 9A.16.110), and the federal framework that sits underneath all of it.

Washington is a heavily regulated firearms state. Most of what lands in this catch-all is regulated at the state level, often more strictly than the federal floor. Where another section of this guide owns the operative text (for example PROHIBITED_PLACES for RCW 9.41.300, or NFA_ITEMS for the state machine-gun and short-barreled-shotgun rules), this section cross-references that section rather than duplicating it.

Private firearm sales and the universal background check

Washington requires a background check on nearly all firearm transfers, including private sales between residents. Initiative 594 (approved November 2014, codified at RCW 9.41.113) routed private transfers through a licensed dealer who runs the federal NICS check and applies state requirements.

Operative rule (RCW 9.41.113): all firearm sales or transfers, in whole or part in this state, are subject to background checks unless specifically exempted. Where neither party is a licensed dealer, the parties must complete the transfer through a licensed dealer, who conducts the background check and meets all federal and state recordkeeping requirements. The dealer may charge a fee reflecting the fair market value of its administrative costs.

Exceptions in RCW 9.41.113(4) include:

• A transfer between immediate family members that is a bona fide gift or loan. The statute limits "immediate family" to spouses, domestic partners, parents, parents-in-law, children, siblings, siblings-in-law, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, first cousins, aunts, and uncles.
• The sale or transfer of an antique firearm.
• A temporary transfer necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm, lasting only as long as immediately necessary, to a person not prohibited from possessing firearms.
• A temporary transfer intended to prevent suicide or self-inflicted great bodily harm.
• Any law enforcement or corrections agency or officer, United States marshal, member of the armed forces or national guard, or federal official acting within the scope of official duties.
• A federally licensed gunsmith receiving a firearm solely for service or repair.
• Certain temporary transfers: between spouses or domestic partners; at an authorized shooting range; at a lawful organized competition or while practicing for an organized performance using firearms; to a person under 18 for lawful hunting, sporting, or educational purposes under the direct supervision of a responsible adult; while the firearm remains in the transferor's presence; or while hunting where the hunting is legal and the recipient holds all required licenses.
• Acquisition by operation of law on the death of the former owner (with a 60-day window and a department-of-licensing notification requirement for a pistol).
• A sale or transfer to a licensed collector where the firearm is a curio or relic.
• A transfer, loan, gift, or bequest to or from a museum or historical society.

Penalty: a knowing violation of RCW 9.41.113 is a gross misdemeanor for the first offense and a class C felony for a second or subsequent knowing violation. A separate offense is charged for each firearm sold or transferred without complying with the background-check requirement. These penalties are set out in RCW 9.41.115, not in RCW 9.41.113 itself.

Federal overlay on top of the state rule:

• 18 U.S.C. 922(d) makes it a federal felony to transfer a firearm or ammunition to a person the transferor knows or has reasonable cause to believe is prohibited (felon, fugitive, unlawful drug user, person adjudicated mentally defective or committed, certain immigration categories, person under a qualifying restraining order, person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence).
• 18 U.S.C. 922(a)(5) generally bars firearm transfers between residents of different states except through a federal licensee.
• 18 U.S.C. 922(t) requires a NICS check for transfers through a federally licensed dealer.
• 18 U.S.C. 922(x) bars transfer of a handgun or handgun ammunition to a juvenile under 18, with narrow enumerated exceptions.

Buyer training requirement

Effective January 1, 2024, Washington requires proof of firearm safety training before a dealer may deliver a firearm. The requirement comes from House Bill 1143 (2023 c 161) and is enforced through RCW 9.41.090, with the program standards set out in RCW 9.41.1132. The training requirement is separate from the Concealed Pistol License; it gates every dealer firearm purchase, not just concealed carry.

Operative rule (RCW 9.41.090(1)(a)): a dealer may not deliver a firearm until the purchaser provides proof of completion of a recognized firearm safety training program within the last five years that complies with RCW 9.41.1132, or proof of exemption.

Under the version of RCW 9.41.1132 in effect now (until May 1, 2027), the training must, at a minimum, cover:

• Basic firearm safety rules.
• Firearms and children, including secure gun storage and talking to children about gun safety.
• Firearms and suicide prevention.
• Secure gun storage to prevent unauthorized access and use.
• Safe handling of firearms.
• State and federal firearms laws, including prohibited transfers and locations where firearms are prohibited.
• State law on the use of deadly force for self-defense.
• Techniques for avoiding a criminal attack and managing a violent confrontation, including conflict resolution.

The training must be sponsored by a federal, state, county, or municipal law enforcement agency, a college or university, a nationally recognized organization that customarily offers firearms training, or a firearms training school whose instructors are certified by such an organization. The current statute does not set a minimum number of hours and does not require a live-fire component (a live-fire requirement is added in the version of RCW 9.41.1132 that takes effect May 1, 2027). Proof of training is a certification made under penalty of perjury.

Exemptions (RCW 9.41.1132(4)) cover Washington general, limited, and specially commissioned peace officers and federal peace officers who carry a firearm as a normal part of their duties, and active members of the armed forces, national guard, or reserves who completed qualifying firearms training within the last five years. There is no general exemption for CPL holders. Confirm exemption status with the dealer at the point of sale.

The ten-business-day waiting period

The waiting period lives in RCW 9.41.092, not in RCW 9.41.090. Except as otherwise provided in the chapter, a licensed dealer may not deliver any firearm to a purchaser or transferee until (1) all required background checks are complete and the purchaser is not prohibited and has no voluntary waiver of firearm rights in effect, and (2) ten business days have elapsed from the date the dealer requested the background check.

Practical effects:

• A buyer cannot complete a background check and leave with a firearm the same day.
• The ten-business-day clock runs from the dealer's background-check request, not from payment.
• House Bill 1143 (2023) extended the ten-business-day waiting period to all firearm purchases. Before that, the longer waiting period applied to pistols and, under Initiative 1639 (2018), to semiautomatic assault rifles.
• The waiting period does not apply to sales to licensed dealers for resale or to antique firearms (RCW 9.41.090(6)).

Permit to purchase (effective May 1, 2027)

Washington enacted a permit-to-purchase requirement in 2025 (House Bill 1163, 2025 c 370). It is not yet in effect. The permit-to-purchase system, codified at RCW 9.41.121, takes effect May 1, 2027. As of that date, a dealer may not deliver a firearm until the purchaser produces a valid permit to purchase issued by the Washington State Patrol firearms background check program. The permit application requires fingerprints, a certificate of completion of a certified firearms safety training program (the post-2027 version of RCW 9.41.1132 adds a live-fire component), and an application fee. Until May 1, 2027, the training-plus-waiting-period framework above governs; do not assume a purchase permit is required before that date.

Juveniles and firearms

Under RCW 9.41.040(2)(a)(v), a person under 18 may not possess a firearm except as provided in RCW 9.41.042. Unlawful possession of a firearm by a juvenile is generally unlawful possession in the second degree, a class C felony.

RCW 9.41.042 lists the situations in which a person under 18 may possess a firearm, including:

• Attendance at a hunter safety or firearm safety course.
• Practice or target shooting at an authorized range or in an area where discharge is not prohibited.
• An organized competition or an organized performance that uses firearms.
• Hunting or trapping under a valid Title 77 license.
• In an area where discharge is permitted, while not trespassing, if the minor is at least 14, holds a hunter safety certificate, and is using a lawful firearm other than a pistol, or is under the supervision of a parent, guardian, or approved adult.
• Traveling with an unloaded firearm to or from any of the above activities.
• On real property under the control of a parent, relative, or legal guardian, with permission.
• At the minor's residence, with parental permission, for the self-defense purposes recognized in RCW 9A.16.020(3).
• Service as a member of the armed forces, national guard, or organized reserves, when on duty.

Of these, only the travel exception requires the firearm to be unloaded by its terms.

Separately, a person under 21 may not purchase a pistol or a semiautomatic assault rifle, and a person 18 to 20 may possess a pistol or semiautomatic assault rifle only in limited places and circumstances (RCW 9.41.240). The age-21 rule for semiautomatic assault rifles came from Initiative 1639 (2018).

Federal overlay: 18 U.S.C. 922(x) bars the transfer of a handgun or handgun ammunition to a person under 18 except in narrow enumerated cases.

Domestic-violence prohibitors

Washington layers state and federal prohibitors on domestic-violence convictions and protection orders.

• Unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree (RCW 9.41.040(1)) is a class B felony and applies to a person previously convicted, or found not guilty by reason of insanity, of any "serious offense."
• Unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree (RCW 9.41.040(2)) is a class C felony. It applies to other felonies and to a list of misdemeanor and gross-misdemeanor domestic-violence-related crimes (including fourth-degree assault, harassment, stalking, and the broader list of crimes committed on or after July 23, 2023 in RCW 9.41.040(2)(a)(i)(D)).
• It also applies to possession while the person is subject to a qualifying protection order, no-contact order, or restraining order described in RCW 9.41.040(2)(a)(ii), including an order under RCW 9.41.800.
• RCW 9.41.800 authorizes a court to order a person to surrender firearms and concealed pistol licenses and prohibits future possession while the order is in effect. Possessing a firearm in violation of such an order is itself unlawful possession of a firearm under RCW 9.41.040(2)(a)(ii).
• Federal 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(8) bars possession by a person subject to a qualifying domestic-violence protection order.
• Federal 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(9) bars possession by a person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

The U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Rahimi (2024) upheld 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(8) against a Second Amendment challenge, so the federal protection-order prohibitor remains good law after Bruen.

Ammunition and magazine rules

Washington imposes no permit, registration, or background-check requirement on the purchase of ordinary ammunition. Federal 18 U.S.C. 922(d) still prohibits selling ammunition to a prohibited person.

Magazine-capacity restriction (RCW 9.41.370): no person may manufacture, import, distribute, sell, or offer for sale any "large capacity magazine," defined in RCW 9.41.010 as an ammunition feeding device with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds. The ban targets the commercial chain, not mere continued possession of a magazine already owned. A violation is a gross misdemeanor. The statute took effect July 1, 2022 (2022 c 104).

Litigation status: the Washington Supreme Court upheld the magazine ban in State v. Gator's Custom Guns (decided May 8, 2025), in a 7-2 decision holding that magazines over 10 rounds are not protected "arms." The gun shop petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for review; confirm the current status of that petition before relying on the ban being final. See RESTRICTIONS for the full magazine framework.

Antique firearms and curios

Federal 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(16) defines an antique firearm as one manufactured in or before 1898, plus certain muzzleloaders and replicas. Washington follows the federal antique definition for most purposes. As a result, antique firearms typically:

• Are exempt from the universal background check (RCW 9.41.113(4)(b)).
• Are exempt from the dealer-delivery process and the ten-business-day waiting period (RCW 9.41.090(6)).
• Remain subject to the felon-in-possession bars under RCW 9.41.040 and federal 18 U.S.C. 922(g) in many circumstances. The federal "firearm" definition for prohibited-persons purposes excludes antiques, but state law can apply more broadly, so confirm with counsel in any case involving a prohibited person and an antique.

Curios and relics are ordinary firearms for state and most federal purposes. The collector (C&R) designation primarily affects how a licensed collector acquires and transfers firearms, not state carry or possession rules. RCW 9.41.113(4)(i) exempts a sale of a curio or relic to a licensed collector from the universal background check.

NFA items and Washington state law

NFA items (suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, machine guns, destructive devices, and any other weapons) are covered in detail in NFA_ITEMS. The short version for Washington:

• Suppressors are not listed among the weapons prohibited by RCW 9.41.190 and are lawful to possess if registered under federal law.
• Short-barreled rifles are lawful in Washington if the person is in compliance with applicable federal law (RCW 9.41.190(2)).
• Machine guns, short-barreled shotguns, bump-fire stocks, and undetectable firearms remain prohibited under RCW 9.41.190; a violation is a class C felony, and these items are declared contraband under RCW 9.41.220. The statute provides an affirmative defense for a machine gun or short-barreled shotgun acquired before July 1, 1994 and possessed in compliance with federal law.
• Federal NFA tax: under Public Law 119-21, the making and transfer tax is $200 for a machinegun or destructive device and $0 for other NFA items (including suppressors, SBRs, and short-barreled shotguns), effective for calendar quarters beginning more than 90 days after July 4, 2025, with the first qualifying quarter beginning January 1, 2026. The federal tax change does not override Washington's state-law bans on machine guns and short-barreled shotguns. Some ATF pages may still display the old $200 figure.

State preemption (RCW 9.41.290) prevents local jurisdictions from adding their own NFA-specific restrictions.

Self-defense reimbursement

RCW 9A.16.110 provides that when a person charged with a violent crime is found not guilty by reason of self-defense, the state reimburses the defendant for reasonable costs, including legal fees, loss of time, and other defense expenses. The trier of fact must find that the self-defense claim was sustained by a preponderance of the evidence, and the judge then sets the award. The provision is unusual nationally and reflects a deliberate Washington policy choice. See USE_OF_FORCE for the full self-defense framework.

Washington does not have a pretrial criminal-immunity statute on the Florida model. Self-defense is an affirmative defense raised at trial, not a basis for early dismissal. A criminal acquittal does not automatically bar a related civil suit.

Hunting overlay

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife regulates hunting under RCW Title 77. Firearms used in hunting are subject to species-specific equipment rules that are independent of RCW Title 9.41. Key points:

• RCW 77.15.460 makes it a misdemeanor to possess a loaded rifle or shotgun in a motor vehicle or on an off-road vehicle, and to negligently discharge a firearm from, across, or along the maintained portion of a public highway or from within a moving vehicle. A rifle or shotgun is not "loaded" for this purpose if the detachable magazine is not inserted. See VEHICLE_CARRY.
• A hunting license does not authorize concealed carry. A Concealed Pistol License under RCW 9.41.070, or one of the exceptions in RCW 9.41.060, is needed for that.
• Hunting on private land requires landowner permission; hunting on tribal land requires tribal authorization.

Tribal lands

Tribal nations in Washington may regulate firearms within their reservation boundaries. State firearms law generally applies to non-Indian persons on fee-patent land within a reservation, while tribal law governs tribal members and certain on-reservation conduct. The interplay is fact-specific. A person carrying through a reservation should:

• Check the specific tribe's regulations. Some tribal codes mirror state law; others add restrictions.
• Treat tribal gaming facilities as posted private property where firearms are typically prohibited regardless of CPL status.
• Recognize that tribal police may detain and refer to state or federal authorities for prosecution.

Federal framework and preemption

Federal firearms law sets a floor that no state can fall below, and Washington consistently legislates above that floor (universal background check, ten-business-day wait, magazine cap, assault-weapon manufacture-and-sale ban, buyer training). On substantive carry, possession, and transfer rules, Washington's stricter framework governs in-state conduct.

Two federal statutes come up often:

• 18 U.S.C. 926A (the Firearms Owners Protection Act safe-transport provision) protects interstate transport of an unloaded firearm in a locked container, with ammunition stored separately, when the person may lawfully possess the firearm at both the origin and the destination. It is an affirmative defense, not pretrial immunity. See TRANSPORT.
• The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, 18 U.S.C. 926B (active officers) and 18 U.S.C. 926C (qualified retired officers), authorizes qualified current and retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed nationwide, subject to the statute's conditions. LEOSA does not override every Washington location restriction; the prohibited-places rules in RCW 9.41.300 still apply where LEOSA does not preempt them.

If the OTHER section ever discusses secured-area airport or aircraft carry, the controlling federal statute is 49 U.S.C. 46505 (carrying a weapon or explosive aboard aircraft), not the general firearm provisions of 18 U.S.C. 924.

Recent and pending legislation worth tracking

• House Bill 1143 (2023 c 161): buyer training requirement and the ten-business-day waiting period for all firearms, effective January 1, 2024 (RCW 9.41.090, RCW 9.41.1132, RCW 9.41.092).
• Substitute House Bill 1240 (2023 c 162): assault weapon manufacture, import, distribution, and sale ban, effective April 25, 2023 (RCW 9.41.390), a gross misdemeanor.
• Senate Bill 5078 (2022 c 104): large-capacity magazine ban, effective July 1, 2022 (RCW 9.41.370).
• House Bill 1163 (2025 c 370): permit-to-purchase requirement, effective May 1, 2027 (RCW 9.41.121).
• Initiative 1639 (2018): enhanced background check, age-21 requirement and secure-storage rules for semiautomatic assault rifles, and a training-certification framework.

Where to look next

• Washington State Legislature, app.leg.wa.gov, for current RCW text. Search Chapter 9.41 RCW and Chapter 7.105 RCW directly.
• Washington Attorney General's office, atg.wa.gov, for opinions and advisories.
• Washington Department of Licensing, dol.wa.gov, for concealed pistol license information.
• Washington State Patrol firearms background check program for purchase and waiting-period mechanics.
• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, wdfw.wa.gov, for hunting-overlay rules.
• Washington Courts, courts.wa.gov, for case law on RCW 9.41.

This catch-all reflects Washington law as of June 2026. Magazine-ban and assault-weapon-ban litigation, and the rollout of the 2027 permit-to-purchase system, continue to evolve. Confirm current status before relying on any provision affected by pending appellate review or pending rulemaking.