Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

AGO 1994 NO. 1 >

RCW 9.41.280 prohibits possession of firearms in areas of facilities while being used exclusively by public or private schools.  An area of a facility is used exclusively by a school when the school has sole possession, control, or use of an area of the facility, regardless of the duration of the use.

AGO 2007 NO. 4 >

If a weapon, as originally manufactured, did not meet the statutory definition of a “shotgun,” then the weapon is not a “short-barreled shotgun” for purposes of state law, either as originally manufactured or as later modified.

AGO 2002 NO. 4 >

1.  RCW 9.41.040 defines the circumstances under which a person convicted of a misdemeanor might lose the right to possess a firearm and the circumstances in which such a right might be restored.  2.   If a person is convicted of a crime for which RCW 9.41.040 prescribes no procedure for the restoration of firearm possession rights, the only available statutory remedy is a pardon by the governor with a finding either of innocence or of rehabilitation.

AGO 1969 NO. 5 >

(1) The provisions of RCW 9.41.040, which prohibit certain convicted persons from owning or carrying a pistol, do not apply to an individual who has obtained a dismissal of criminal proceedings under RCW 9.95.240. (2) The prohibitions contained in RCW 9.41.040 continue to apply to a convicted person who has obtained a restoration of his civil rights upon parole discharge under RCW 9.96.050.

AGO 1999 NO. 6 >

There is no statute barring a person over 18 years of age but less than 21 years of age from serving as a law enforcement officer, a prison guard, a firefighter, or a paramedic, provided that the person otherwise meets all qualifications for the job in question.

AGO 2014 NO. 6 >

 

  1.  An individual who has been convicted in a foreign country of a crime that is comparable to a felony under Washington law is prohibited from possessing a firearm in Washington and, accordingly, is ineligible for a concealed pistol license.
  2. An issuing authority is prohibited from issuing a concealed pistol license to any applicant with a foreign conviction comparable to a Washington felony.

AGO 2009 NO. 7 >

1.      Community corrections officers, corrections officers, and other Department of Corrections employees who qualify as limited authority Washington peace officers are exempt from the prohibition against carrying a concealed pistol without a license to the extent that they are authorized to do so by the Department in order to carry out the law enforcement duties the Department authorizes them to perform.  2.      Limited authority Washington peace officers who have retired are not authorized to carry a concealed pistol without a license.

AGO 2008 NO. 8 >

RCW 9.41.290 preempts a city’s authority to enact local laws that prohibit possession of firearms on city property or in city-owned facilities.

AGO 1988 NO. 10 >

1.  A person who has been convicted of a crime of violence as defined in statute, or a felony in which a firearm was used or displayed, or a felony violation of Washington's Uniform Controlled Substances Act or an equivalent statute of another jurisdiction, remains ineligible to receive a license to carry a concealed pistol in any of the following circumstances: a. the person has received a suspended sentence, the suspended sentence has terminated and the person has had civil rights restored pursuant to RCW 9.92.066; b. the person has completed parole and has received a certificate of discharge pursuant to RCW 9.96.050;
c. the person has completed sentence and received a certificate of discharge pursuant to RCW 9.94A.220; or d. the record of the person's conviction has been vacated pursuant to RCW 9.94A.230.2.A person who has been convicted of a crime of violence as defined in statute, or a felony in which a firearm was used or displayed, or a felony violation of Washington's Uniform Controlled Substances Act or an equivalent statute or another jurisdiction, and has been placed on probation, may or may not be eligible to receive a license to carry a concealed pistol upon completion of probation and dismissal of the indictment or information against him pursuant to RCW 9.95.240, depending on the crime involved.3.A person who has been subject of a period of confinement for mental illness pursuant to RCW 71.05.320 is ineligible to receive a license to carry a concealed pistol.4.A person with a record of commitment for criminal insanity pursuant to RCW 71.05.320 is ineligible to receive a license to carry a concealed pistol.