The following persons are prohibited from owning and purchasing a firearm in the state of Washington:^[2]

• A person, whether an adult or juvenile, is guilty of the crime of unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree if the person owns, accesses, has in the person’s custody, control, or possession, or receives any firearm after having previously been convicted or found not guilty because of insanity in Washington or elsewhere of any serious offense.
• A person, whether an adult or juvenile, is guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree if the person does not qualify for the crime of unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree. The person owns, accesses, has in the person’s custody, control, or possession, or receives any firearm:
  • After having previously been convicted or found not guilty because of insanity in Washington or elsewhere of:
    • Any felony not explicitly listed as prohibiting firearm possession;
    • Any of the following crimes when committed by one family or household member against another or by one intimate partner against another, as those terms are defined by the statutes in effect at the time of the commission of the crime, committed on or after July 1, 1993: Assault in the fourth degree, coercion, stalking, reckless endangerment, criminal trespass in the first degree, or violation of the provisions of a protection order or no-contact order restraining the person or excluding the person from a residence;
    • Harassment when committed by one family or household member against another or by one intimate partner against another, as the statutes in effect define those terms at the time of the commission of the crime, committed on or after June 7, 2018;
    • Any of the following misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor crimes: Domestic violence; stalking; cyberstalking; cyber harassment that contains threatening language or is made repeatedly or anonymously; harassment; aiming or discharging a firearm unlawfully; unlawful carrying or handling of a firearm; animal cruelty in the second degree; or any prior drug or alcohol offense committed within seven years of a conviction for any other prior drug or alcohol offense;
    • A violation of the provisions of a protection order restraining the person or excluding the person from a residence, when committed by one family or household member against another or by one intimate partner against another, committed on or after July 1, 2022, or
    • A violation of the provisions of an order to surrender and prohibit weapons, an extreme risk protection order, or the provisions of any other protection order or no-contact order restraining the person or excluding the person from a residence, committed on or after July 23, 2023;
  • During any period that the person is subject to a protection order, no-contact order, or restraining order by a court that:
    • Was issued after a hearing for which the person received actual notice and at which the person had an opportunity to participate, whether the court then issues an entire order or reissues a temporary order;
    • Restrains the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening the person protected under the order or child of the person or protected person, or others identified in the order, or engaging in other conduct that would place the protected person in reasonable fear of bodily injury to the protected person or child or others identified in the order; and
    • Includes a finding that the person represents a credible threat to the physical safety of the protected person or child or others identified in the order, or by its terms explicitly prohibits the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the protected person or child or other persons that would reasonably be expected to cause bodily injury; or
    • Includes an order requiring the person to surrender all firearms and prohibiting the person from accessing, having in their custody or control, possessing, purchasing, receiving, or attempting to purchase or receive firearms or
    • After having previously been involuntarily committed based on a mental disorder, unless their right to possess a firearm has been restored;
  • After having previously been involuntarily committed for mental health treatment, unless their right to possess a firearm has been restored;
  • After the dismissal of criminal charges based on incompetency to stand trial when the court has made a finding indicating that the defendant has a history of one or more violent acts unless their right to possess a firearm has been restored;
  • If the person is under eighteen years of age and
  • If the person is free on bond or personal recognizance pending trial, appeal, or sentencing for a serious offense.

How to Apply

An applicant for a Concealed Pistol License must be a minimum of 21 years of age.^[4]

1. Obtain a Concealed Pistol License Application from the applicant’s Local Education Agency.
2. Complete the application and attach the following:
   1. One color passport-style photograph of the applicant and
   2. One complete set of fingerprints.
3. Submit the application to the applicant’s local municipality or county sheriff’s office.
4. Pay the $36 application fee.^[5]
5. Pass a federal background check.
6. The issuing authority will approve or deny the application within 30 days of receiving it.^[6]

Reciprocity

Washington recognizes the concealed carry permit of any state that acknowledges Washington’s in return. The following states have permits that Washington does not recognize: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode, Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.^[7]