Buying a gun in Washington State means clearing a background check through a federally licensed dealer, meeting the minimum age for the firearm you want, and waiting at least 10 business days before the dealer can hand it to you. Semi-automatic rifles come with an extra step: proof of a certified safety course completed in the last five years. A statewide permit-to-purchase system takes effect on May 1, 2027, and will add fingerprinting and a State Patrol–issued permit to every firearm sale.
Age Requirements by Firearm Type
You must be at least 21 to buy a pistol or any semi-automatic rifle. Voters set that floor through Initiative 1639 in 2018, raising the minimum from 18 for both handguns and what Washington law calls “semiautomatic assault rifles.”1Washington State: Office of the Attorney General. Initiative 1639 FAQ The category is broader than the name suggests. Under state definitions, a semiautomatic assault rifle is any rifle that fires one round per trigger pull and automatically chambers the next, excluding bolt-action, pump-action, lever-action, and slide-action rifles.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.010 – Definitions
For traditional bolt-action rifles, pump shotguns, and other manually operated long guns, the minimum age is 18.
Who Cannot Buy a Firearm
State and federal law bar several categories of people from purchasing or possessing firearms in Washington. You are disqualified if you:
- Have a felony conviction, or a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity for a serious offense, in any state
- Have certain domestic violence convictions, including misdemeanor assault, stalking, or coercion against a family or household member
- Are subject to a protective order or court injunction involving firearms
- Have been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility
- Have an outstanding arrest warrant for a felony or for a misdemeanor that would make you ineligible to possess firearms
These prohibitions appear in RCW 9.41.040, which classifies unlawful possession as either first- or second-degree depending on the underlying conviction.3Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.040 – Unlawful Possession of Firearms – Penalties
The Purchase Process
Every firearm sale in Washington runs through a federally licensed firearms dealer (FFL), including private sales between individuals. If you are buying from someone who isn’t a dealer, both parties bring the gun to a licensed shop and the dealer processes the transfer as though it were a retail sale.4Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.113 – Firearm Sales or Transfers – Background Checks – Requirements – Exceptions
Paperwork and Background Check
At the counter, you fill out ATF Form 4473, the federal Firearms Transaction Record. Bring a valid Washington driver’s license or state ID that shows your current residential address. The dealer sends your information to the Washington State Patrol’s firearms background check program, which searches national, state, and local databases for criminal history, mental health records, and protective orders. The system assigns a NICS Transaction Number to track the check.5eCFR. Subpart A – The National Instant Criminal Background Check System
The dealer keeps your Form 4473 on file for at least 20 years after a completed sale. Denied sales are retained for at least five years.6ATF eRegulations. Record Retention
The 10-Day Waiting Period
A dealer cannot release any firearm until at least 10 business days have passed since the background check was initiated, and only after law enforcement has approved the transfer.7Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.090 – Dealer Deliveries Regulated This applies uniformly to pistols, rifles, and shotguns. A Concealed Pistol License does not shorten the wait. Outstanding warrants or open criminal charges will trigger a delay while the background check program confirms your eligibility, which can push the timeline further.
Safety Training for Semi-Automatic Rifles
If you are buying a semi-automatic rifle, you must show proof of a certified firearm safety course completed within the past five years before the dealer can release the gun. The curriculum has to cover basic safety, secure storage, keeping firearms away from children, suicide prevention, safe handling, and relevant state and federal firearms laws.1Washington State: Office of the Attorney General. Initiative 1639 FAQ You give the dealer a signed certification under penalty of perjury. Local gun shops and ranges commonly offer qualifying courses, and online options exist. Expect to pay roughly $40 to $150.
No state training requirement currently applies to pistols, bolt-action rifles, or shotguns. That expands in 2027 under the permit-to-purchase system. Every handgun sale from a licensed dealer must also include a child safety lock or secure storage device under federal law.
Private Sales and Family Transfers
Most private transfers must go through a dealer, but Washington law recognizes a handful of exceptions. You do not need a dealer for:
- Gifts or loans between immediate family members, including spouses, domestic partners, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, first cousins, aunts, and uncles
- Antique firearms
- Emergency transfers to prevent imminent death or serious injury, lasting only as long as the emergency
- Transfers to prevent suicide, lasting only as long as reasonably necessary
- Temporary transfers at an established shooting range, during organized competitions, or while hunting legally under direct supervision
- Transfers where the firearm stays in the owner’s presence at all times
Even under an exception, the person receiving the firearm still has to be legally eligible to possess one. Transferring to someone you know is prohibited is a separate offense.8Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.113 – Firearm Sales or Transfers – Background Checks – Requirements – Exceptions
What You Cannot Buy
Assault Weapons
Washington banned the sale, manufacture, and import of firearms classified as “assault weapons” effective April 25, 2023.9Washington State Legislature. HB 1240 – Establishing Firearms-Related Safety Measures to Increase Public Safety A semi-automatic centerfire rifle with a detachable magazine qualifies if it also has a pistol grip or thumbhole stock, a folding or telescoping stock, or a threaded barrel. Rifles with a fixed magazine holding more than 10 rounds, and semi-automatic rifles with an overall length under 30 inches, are also covered.
The ban extends to semi-automatic pistols with a detachable magazine outside the pistol grip or a threaded barrel, and to semi-automatic shotguns with features like a pistol grip or a fixed magazine capacity above seven rounds. Dozens of specific models are banned by name. The law does not require surrender of firearms you legally owned before it took effect, but you cannot sell them within the state.
Large-Capacity Magazines
Since July 1, 2022, it has been illegal to sell, manufacture, or distribute any ammunition magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds.10Washington State Office of the Attorney General. Firearms – Section: High-Capacity Magazine Restrictions Magazines you owned before that date are still legal to possess, but you cannot buy new ones or bring them in from out of state.
Untraceable Firearms
Washington prohibits manufacturing, possessing, selling, or transporting firearms without a serial number. A first violation is a civil infraction carrying a $500 penalty. Repeat violations escalate to misdemeanor and then gross misdemeanor charges, and possessing three or more untraceable firearms at once is automatically a gross misdemeanor.11Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.326 – Untraceable Firearms – Exceptions – Penalties Antique firearms and those manufactured before 1968 are exempt, as are untraceable firearms that have been properly serialized by a licensed dealer.
If Your Background Check Is Denied
You can challenge a denial through the FBI. The preferred route is electronic: go to the FBI’s CJIS portal at edo.cjis.gov, select the option to challenge a NICS-related denial, and provide your NICS Transaction Number or State Transaction Number, which the dealer who ran the check can give you. Upload identifying information and any supporting documents, such as proof that a record was expunged or that your rights were restored.12Federal Bureau of Investigation. Challenges / Appeals – Requesting Reason for and/or Challenging a NICS-Related Denial
The FBI is required to respond within 60 calendar days. If you are cleared, the challenge does not automatically restart the sale; you have to begin a new transaction with the dealer.
If a common name or similar identifying information causes false denials, you can apply for a Voluntary Appeal File (VAF) number. Once approved, you receive a Unique Personal Identification Number (UPIN) to enter on future Form 4473s so the system can distinguish you from people with similar records.13FBI. Voluntary Appeal File
What Changes on May 1, 2027
Washington has enacted a permit-to-purchase requirement that takes effect May 1, 2027. Starting that day, no dealer may deliver any firearm unless the buyer presents a valid permit issued by the Washington State Patrol. The permit is good for five years and can be renewed within 90 days before or after expiration.14Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.121 – Firearms – Permit to Purchase Application
To get the permit, you submit an application to the State Patrol’s background check program along with a full set of fingerprints taken at your local law enforcement agency, a certificate from a certified firearms safety training course completed within the past five years, and a fee. The safety training requirement, which today applies only to semi-automatic rifle purchases, will extend to all firearm types. The State Patrol must issue the permit within 30 days, or 60 days if you don’t have a valid state ID.
A permit will be denied if you are prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law, are subject to a qualifying protective order, have an outstanding arrest warrant for a disqualifying offense, or cannot show proof of the required safety training.14Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.121 – Firearms – Permit to Purchase Application If you already hold a valid permit when you later apply for a Concealed Pistol License, you can skip the duplicate fingerprinting. The law also directs the Department of Licensing to maintain transfer records for all firearm types, not just pistols and semi-automatic rifles as under the current system.