Washington concealed carry laws and reciprocity

A license holder must have the license in their immediate possession whenever a license is required and display it on demand to any police officer (RCW 9.41.050); there is no requirement to volunteer it.

A loaded pistol may be carried in a vehicle only by a concealed pistol license holder, and only if it is on the licensee's person, the licensee is in the vehicle, or it is locked inside and hidden from view (RCW 9.41.050). Without a license, a person 18 or older may leave an unloaded pistol in a vehicle only if it is locked inside and concealed from view.

RCW 9.41.050 prohibits carrying a concealed pistol without a concealed pistol license outside one's home or fixed place of business.

Under RCW 9.41.070 the local police chief or sheriff shall issue a license to an eligible applicant 21 or older within 30 days (up to 60 days for applicants without a Washington ID or recent residency). A version effective May 1, 2027 adds a certified live-fire training requirement.

Non-residents 21 or older may apply for a Washington concealed pistol license at any local police department or sheriff's office in the state.

The Attorney General states that no Washington statute directly prohibits open carry, though RCW 9.41.270 bars carrying in a manner that warrants alarm. Open carry is barred on the state capitol grounds, at municipal governing-body meetings (RCW 9.41.305) and at permitted demonstrations (RCW 9.41.300(2)), and RCW 9.41.240 limits pistol possession by people under 21.

Signs matter only at the places RCW 9.41.300(1) already makes off limits (restricted areas of jails, courthouses, mental health facilities and airports, liquor-board-restricted bar areas, public libraries, accredited zoos and aquariums, and transit stations), whose perimeters must be posted under 9.41.300(6) and where entry with a weapon is an offense. The statute attaches no penalty to a private no-firearms sign; a person who enters or remains unlawfully in a building after the owner withdraws permission commits criminal trespass under RCW 9A.52.070.

Weapons are prohibited in any portion of an establishment that the Liquor and Cannabis Board classifies as off-limits to persons under 21, such as bar areas (RCW 9.41.300(1)(d)); the statute has no license-holder exception for those areas.

WAC 352-32-120 prohibits discharging a firearm in any upland state park area (a gross misdemeanor) except for special recreational activities authorized by the Parks and Recreation Commission, and states that possession, display and carrying of firearms in state parks are regulated under chapter 9.41 RCW, which requires a concealed pistol license for concealed carry.

RCW 9.41.300, which lists the places where possessing a weapon is unlawful (jails, court areas, mental health facilities, bar areas off-limits to minors, airport secure areas) and restricts open carry at permitted demonstrations, has no provision on churches or places of worship, so this value rests on the absence of a statutory ban; a place of worship, as private property, may still exclude firearms.

RCW 9.41.300 does not list college or university campuses, but the state universities prohibit firearms by administrative rule; for example WAC 478-124-020 makes possession or use of firearms on the University of Washington campus a conduct violation except for authorized university purposes or with prior written approval of the university chief of police.

Washington bars weapons in restricted areas of jails and law enforcement facilities, court areas, restricted areas of inpatient mental health facilities, under-21 areas of liquor establishments, airport secured areas, and (except for license holders) libraries, zoos/aquariums and transit stations (RCW 9.41.300); on K-12 school premises, school transportation and school board meeting areas (RCW 9.41.280); at ballot counting centers and, except concealed carry by license holders, voting centers and county elections offices (RCW 9.41.284). Open carry is barred on state capitol grounds and at municipal governing-body meetings (RCW 9.41.305).

Washington has no stand-your-ground statute (RCW 9A.16.050 is silent on retreat), but the Washington Supreme Court holds that there is no duty to retreat when a person is assaulted in a place where they have a right to be, and refusing a no-duty-to-retreat instruction is reversible error where a jury could conclude flight was a reasonable alternative (State v. Redmond, 150 Wn.2d 489 (2003), as quoted in Court of Appeals opinions).

RCW 9.41.370 bans manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling or offering for sale magazines holding more than 10 rounds; the Attorney General states the law does not ban possession. The statute lists no exception for individuals bringing magazines into the state.

RCW 9.41.390 bans manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling or offering for sale assault weapons, effective April 25, 2023; it does not ban possession by existing lawful owners.

RCW 9.41.250(1)(c) prohibits using a suppressor unless it is legally registered and possessed in accordance with federal law.

RCW 9.41.190 generally bans short-barreled rifles but exempts a person who is in compliance with applicable federal law.

RCW 9.41.190 makes it unlawful to own, possess or transport a short-barreled shotgun; the only federal-compliance provision is an affirmative defense for shotguns acquired before July 1, 1994.