Ownership Requirements
To own a suppressor in Washington, you must meet federal requirements:
- Be 21 years or older to purchase from a dealer (a trustee on a trust can be 18 or older)
- Be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident
- Be legally allowed to possess firearms
- Complete ATF Form 4 with fingerprints and photograph
- Pass FBI background check
Washington does not add a state permit, but state law here depends on federal NFA registration or compliance.
Hunting Regulations
Hunting with a suppressor is legal in Washington, and state law or the state wildlife agency says so expressly.
RCW 9.41.250(1)(c) makes it a gross misdemeanor to use a suppressor “unless the suppressor is legally registered and possessed in accordance with federal law.” A lawfully registered suppressor satisfies that. WAC chapter 220-414, which sets hunting methods, contains no suppressor provision. The belief that Washington bans suppressor hunting comes from the pre-2011 version of the statute, which prohibited use outright.
Verify this yourself before you hunt
Hunting rules change by agency action as well as by legislature, and they can change between seasons. This reflects our reading of the sources cited above as of August 21, 2026. Before you take a suppressor into the field, read the current regulations guide from your state wildlife agency and confirm anything you are unsure about with them directly. Do not rely on this page, on a forum post, or on a dealer. The person holding the firearm is the person the warden talks to. This is general information, not legal advice.
State-Specific Notes
Washington allows suppressor ownership under federal guidelines. Despite some strict firearms laws, suppressors remain legal for ownership and hunting.
How to Buy in Washington
The process for buying a suppressor in Washington is straightforward:
- Choose a suppressor from Capitol Armory
- Submit fingerprints and photograph online
- Review and sign. Capitol Armory completes the paperwork, you sign digitally.
- Wait for ATF approval (currently days to weeks for eForm)
- After approval, we ship direct to your residence
Capitol Armory ships to Washington and offers direct-to-door delivery in all 42 suppressor-friendly states. See our complete buying guide for detailed steps.
What State Law Actually Says
Washington writes the federal condition into the offense itself. RCW 9.41.250(1)(c) makes it a gross misdemeanor to use “any contrivance or device for suppressing the noise of any firearm unless the suppressor is legally registered and possessed in accordance with federal law.”
Two conditions joined by “and”: the item registered, and the possession federally compliant. Note the verb is use, not possess.
Local Rules and Preemption
RCW 9.41.290 is total field preemption: the state “fully occupies and preempts the entire field of firearms regulation,” and unlike most states on this site, discharge is expressly inside the preempted field. Local ordinances are permitted only as specifically authorized by RCW 9.41.300, with penalties identical to state law.
Wash. Const. art. I, § 24 secures “[t]he right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state.”
Worth Knowing
Washington’s prohibition traces to 1909, one of the oldest continuously codified anti-suppressor provisions in the country. For decades you could lawfully own one here and commit a crime the moment you used it. That changed in 2011, when SB 5555 added the federal-registration exemption now at RCW 9.41.250(1)(c).
Check our work
Every statute quoted above is linked to the official state source. Read it yourself before you rely on it.
Key Takeaway
Suppressors are legal in Washington, but state law ties lawful possession to federal NFA registration. Hunting with suppressors is permitted for all legal game.