Washington
Gun owners in Washington should store guns securely to prevent unauthorized access by children and teens.
Gun owners in Washington may be subject to criminal penalties if a child under age 18 (or another prohibited person) gains access to an improperly stored firearm and causes the firearm to discharge, carries or displays it in an alarming manner, or uses the firearm in the commission of a crime, if:
- The gun owner failed to store the firearm in secure gun storage or secured with a trigger lock or similar device designed to prevent the unauthorized use or discharge of the firearm, and
- The gun owner left the firearm in a location where they should have known that a child under 18 or another prohibited person may gain access to it.
In addition, if a gun owner is leaving a pistol unattended in a vehicle it must be locked inside the vehicle and concealed from view from outside the vehicle.*
More serious criminal penalties are possible if a child under 18 or another prohibited person gains access to the firearm and causes personal injury or death. To avoid potential criminal liability under state law, gun owners should store firearms in secure gun storage or secured with a trigger lock or similar device to prevent children under age 18 and other prohibited individuals from gaining unauthorized access to them.
* There are limited exceptions for law enforcement, military, and limited others.
Keeping Your Homes and Vehicles Safe with Secure Storage
If you’ve made the decision to bring a gun into your home, it’s important to know how responsible gun owners work to keep their families safe by mitigating the inherent risks associated with firearm ownership. Every responsible gun owner securely stores their guns so that they are inaccessible to children and other people who are at risk of harming themselves or others. Here’s why:
- More than 700 children die by gun suicide each year, most often using guns belonging to a family member.
- Nearly 360 children under the age of 18 unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else each year.
- At least one-third of youth gun suicides and unintentional deaths could be prevented with increased secure storage.
- More than 200,000 guns are stolen from individuals every year—a significant portion of those are stolen from cars.
Safety is always an adult responsibility. Kids will be kids, so it’s always an adult’s responsibility to keep children safe. Always assume that curious or impulsive kids may find and touch an unsecured gun, even if they’ve been told not to. If a child handles a gun, a bad decision can quickly become a fatal one. Be SMART adults protect kids by making sure all guns are stored securely, which means they are inaccessible to kids, and by making sure children are never in the presence of unsecured guns.
The information provided here is not legal advice and should not be understood as such. Consult with an attorney if you have questions about how this law applies to your specific circumstances.