Gun Trace Requests – Annual Dealer Reporting

A state law that went into effect on July 1, 2025, requires retail gun dealers to provide annual reports to the Attorney General’s Office concerning trace requests. The reporting requirement applies to retail dealers with a sales volume exceeding $1,000 per month on average over the preceding twelve months.

The office has created a form for firearms dealers to annually submit reports of trace requests. This form must be submitted by March 15 of each year for the preceding calendar year. When March 15 falls on a weekend, the form must be submitted by the following business day.

High-Capacity Magazine Restrictions

On July 1, 2022, a law prohibiting the sale, attempted sale, manufacture and distribution of high-capacity magazines that hold more than 10 rounds went into effect in Washington. The law does not prohibit the possession of high-capacity magazines. Washington joined nine states that already restricted high-capacity magazines. With Washington’s legislation in place, more than 100 million people live in states that block the sale of magazines with more than 10 rounds.

HB 1240

AN ACT Relating to establishing firearms-related safety measures to increase public safety by prohibiting the manufacture, importation, distribution, selling, and offering for sale of "assault weapons", and by providing limited exemptions applicable to licensed firearm manufacturers and dealers for purposes of sale to armed forces Branches and law enforcement agencies and for purposes of Sale or transfer outside the state, and to inheritors; reenacting and amending RCW 9.41.010; adding new sections to chapter 9.41 RCW;  creating a new section; prescribing penalties; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

Ban on the Sale of Assault Weapons

Effective April 25, 2023, Washington prohibits the sale, manufacture, and import of assault weapons in Washington state while allowing reasonable exemptions for manufacture and sale to law enforcement and the military. The legislation does not prohibit the possession of assault weapons. Washington joined nine other states to adopt similar legislation banning these weapons.

Concealed Pistol License Reciprocity

The Attorney General’s Office periodically reviews the laws of other states to determine whether those laws meet the requirements for Washington to recognize a concealed pistol license issued by those states. The Attorney General is required by law to publish a list of states that Washington has reciprocity with.

Legislation Reforming Firearms Laws

The Office of the Attorney General is committed to taking steps to reduce firearms fatalities and injuries in Washington, with a goal towards making our homes and communities safer. As part of this commitment, the Office of the Attorney General’s legislative agenda has consistently included common sense and meaningful changes to Washington’s firearms laws.

Attorney General’s Office White Paper: Firearms Access in Washington

Though the Attorney General does not have general authority to regulate firearms access in Washington, in 2016 at the request of Governor Inslee, the Office of the Attorney General prepared and submitted a White Paper on the subject. The White Paper makes findings and recommendations for administrative improvements and legislative changes that Washington policy makers could consider or should take to improve Washington’s laws and policies related to access to firearms in our state. Some of the recommendations in the White Paper have been adopted by policymakers at the state or local level, others continue to be considered.