◆ WASHINGTON · CARRY LAW
Washington.
Information, not legal advice. Confirm with the state before you carry.
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◆ THE SHORT ANSWEREvery tile below is one of the answers further down this page, with its citation.
Concealed, no permit
No
Open, no permit
Yes
In a vehicle, no permit
No
Getting a permit
Yes, shall-issue
- You must produce your permit if an officer asks for it.
- Magazine capacity is capped here.
- This state has an extreme-risk protective order law.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What Washington requires
The state's permit is the Concealed Pistol License, issued by your city police chief or county sheriff.
Carrying without a permit3
Can I carry concealed here without a permit?
Permitless or "constitutional" carry. "Limited" means some adults qualify and others do not. Read the qualifier.
No
You need a license. Carrying a pistol concealed without one is an offense anywhere but your home or your fixed place of business.
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
Yes
Open carry needs no license if you are 21 or older. It is lawful because the offense reaches only CONCEALED carry, but the moment the pistol goes in a car loaded, you need the license.
Wash. Rev. Code §§ 9.41.050(1)(a), 9.41.240(2)Read at the Washington Legislature ↗Checked 11 days ago
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
No
No. A LOADED pistol in a vehicle requires the license, hidden or not. Unloaded, it must be locked in the vehicle and out of sight from outside.
Permits and age3
If I want this state's permit, will they issue one?
Shall-issue means the state must issue to any qualified applicant. May-issue leaves it to an official's discretion.
Yes, shall-issue
The police chief or sheriff SHALL issue within 30 days, for five years. The statute puts it as a right: your “constitutional right to bear arms shall not be denied” unless a listed disqualifier applies.
Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?
Yes
Yes. Washington issues to non-residents; the application simply takes up to 60 days instead of 30.
How old do I have to be to carry here?
The floor for the least restrictive lawful route. Where permitless and permit ages differ, the qualifier says so.
21
21. Washington is stricter than most here: an 18-to-20-year-old may possess a pistol only at home, at their fixed business, or on property they control.
If an officer stops you1
Do I have to tell an officer I am armed?
"Required" means you must volunteer it on contact. "On request" means only when asked.
Only if asked
You do not have to volunteer it, but you must have the license on you whenever you are carrying and show it to an officer on demand.
Buying and owning2
Do I need a state-issued card just to own or buy a firearm here?
Illinois' FOID is the main example. Distinct from a carry permit.
Not required
Not yet, and this one has a date on it. Washington enacted a permit to purchase in 2025 that takes effect 1 MAY 2027. Until then no permit, but every sale, including private ones, runs a background check.
Wash. Rev. Code § 9.41.113; HB 1163 (2025), eff. 2027-05-01Read at the Washington Legislature ↗Checked 11 days ago
Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
Only in some cases
10 rounds, but read this carefully. Washington bans SELLING, importing and distributing larger magazines, not owning them. A magazine you already have is not contraband, and neither is one you bring with you.
How the state governs guns2
Can a city here write its own gun rules on top of the state's?
Full preemption means state law is the only law. Partial means some cities may go further. Check locally.
No, state law is the only law
The state “fully occupies and preempts the entire field”. A city may only pass what state law specifically authorizes, and anything more restrictive is preempted and repealed.
Does this state have a red-flag law?
An extreme risk protection order lets a court order firearms surrendered temporarily.
Yes, this state has one
Yes. A court may issue an extreme risk protection order requiring firearms to be surrendered.
◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits Washington honors
If you are visiting Washington, this is whether your permit counts here.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored4
Honored, with a condition2
Not honored48
◆ RECIPROCITY, THE OTHER WAY
Where Washington permits are honored
If you live in Washington, this is where your permit travels.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored31
Honored, with a condition1
Not honored21
Not settled1
◆ NFA ITEMS
Suppressors and NFA legality
Federal registration is required everywhere these are legal. A state can prohibit them regardless, and several do.
Can I possess a suppressor here?
Federal NFA registration is required everywhere it is legal. State law can prohibit it regardless.
Legal
Lawful if registered and possessed under federal law. Washington says so in the same sentence that makes using an unregistered one a gross misdemeanor.
Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Legal
Lawful if you are in compliance with federal law. Washington carved short-barreled RIFLES out of its prohibited list. Short-barreled shotguns did not get the same treatment.
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Prohibited
Prohibited. Federal registration does NOT save it. The exception Washington wrote covers short-barreled rifles only. A class C felony.
Can I possess a machine gun here?
Federally, civilian possession is limited to pre-1986 registered transferables.
Prohibited
Prohibited. The exemptions run to police, the military, and licensed manufacturers supplying them or exporting. A private owner is not on the list, whatever the federal paperwork says. Bump stocks are banned too.
Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
No any-other-weapon provision in Wash. Rev. Code § 9.41.190Read at the Washington Legislature ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read § 9.41.190(1) on 2026-09-07 and searched it for “cane gun”, “pen gun”, “wallet gun”, “zip gun” and “any other weapon”. None appears; the only catch-all in the subsection is the separately-defined undetectable firearm.◆ SOURCES
Where this comes from
This is information, not legal advice. Gun law changes often and the penalty for getting it wrong is criminal. Confirm every answer with the state before you carry there.
- The authority
- your city police chief or county sheriff ↗
- ATF’s index
- Washington firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)