Suppressor law
Carve-out in flux
Legal, but the state exception is written for federally registered owners. Since the ATF's October 9, 2026 policy, new purchases cannot register — the statute is untested for them.
| Statute | RCW 9.41.250(1)(c) |
| Notes | Earlier common cite RCW 9.41.270 was wrong (that is the brandishing statute). RCW 9.41.190 (machine guns, bump-fire stocks, undetectable firearms, SBRs/SBSs) contains no silencer provisions — verified full text. Washington criminalizes use, not possession; the carve-out is keyed to federal registration/compliance, so ATF's Oct 9, 2026 non-enforcement of NFA registration (state law unchanged) makes the 'legally registered' clause unattainable for new suppressors. |
| Hunting | Restricted — hunting with a suppressor counts as 'use' under RCW 9.41.250(1)(c): lawful only if the suppressor is 'legally registered and possessed in accordance with federal law'; suppressors that cannot be federally registered post-Oct-9, 2026 would leave the user exposed to a gross misdemeanor. |
Federal context: suppressor tax $0 since Jan 1, 2026 (OBBBA); ATF stopped enforcing NFA approval/registration Oct 9, 2026. State law is unchanged and independently controls.
Carry law
A Washington permit is honored by 29 other states.
| Permit type | Shall Issue |
| Constitutional carry | No |
| Duty to inform | No proactive duty |
| Open carry | Allowed |
| Minimum age | 21 |
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Get 2A Law Alerts (free)Statute-verified October 16, 2026 · General information, not legal advice · Live interactive map: ccw.workmanfirearms.com