Possessing unregistered firearms

[Dsmiley49]

A discussion at work has me wondering what WA state says about owning and transporting an unregistered firearm.

Say a guy is going out to his favorite "private shooting range" and has his dads hand me down shotgun in the truck that was never transferred at local ffl. He gets pulled over and officer runs serial numbers and finds the weapon is not registered to you, what's the consequence? How bout a pistol that's unloaded in a case under same circumstances listed above?

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks

[bobcat]

There's no such thing as registration in this state. At least not yet!

[cem3434]

There's no such thing as registration in this state. At least not yet!

Perfectly legal to possess.

[Tracker0721]

When you do the FFL paperwork that doesn’t get filed into a database. That’s not registered to you. It’s a Washington law not a federal law so ATF doesn’t log it. The state doesn’t either and the gun shop only has to keep paper record. If a cop pulls you over and wants to run your serial numbers, which has never happened to me, it’s to see if they’re stolen and that’s it. Which to do that they’d usually need probable cause. Tons of guns were sold privately since that law and I’ve yet to hear them catch someone. Just another unenforceable law.

[hughjorgan]

There's no such thing as registration in this state. At least not yet!

I believe they keep records of handguns in our state. Defacto registry

[Dsmiley49]

Thanks!

[kselkhunter]

The closest thing WA has to any registration law is RCW 9.41.139.  Which isn't even defined.  It was part of the latest idiotic 1639 measure. It gives the state agencies 12 months to come up with a cost effective process to verify on an annual basis that persons who purchased handguns and semiautomatic rifles are still eligible to possess them every year.  Meaning they will find a way to track purchases of those handguns and semiautomatic rifle purchases starting after July 1, 2019.  But have no process or method in place to do it yet.  There is no way they can do anything to you for guns purchased prior to that date. 


There is no federal firearm registry.  And hundreds of millions of guns have been transferred in this country without a registry or any way of tracking who has what gun.  There are many guns in circulation with the same serial numbers.  German factories started every year over a "0" with the M98 Mausers and there are millions of those in circulation.  There is no way a government agency could keep any of that straight if say 327 of the same exact serial number existed on US soil.  No, I wouldn't worry about enforcement of a registry on an older gun, even if a new silly law were written. 

[huntingfool7]

There's no such thing as registration in this state. At least not yet!

I believe they keep records of handguns in our state. Defacto registry

Hugeorgan is right on this one. 

"The Washington Department of Licensing is authorized by law to keep copies or records of applications for concealed pistol licenses, copies or records of applications for alien firearm licenses, copies or records of applications to purchase handguns, and copies or records of handgun transfers."
- https://lawcenter.giffords.org/retention-of-sales-background-check-records-in-washington/

[skills]

I know a person or two that won't buy papered guns.  Totally legal
 

[Stein]

The state does have a database for handguns.  When the police pull you over and run your plates, they know every handgun you have purchased legally with a background check for at least 20 years.  I have seen mine and it went back to the first handgun I bought in 1999.

[bobcat]

So they have records of handuns that were purchased but they don't know who owns them now. Like the Ruger 9mm I bought back in 1997, but sold several years later. The state doesn't have any records of who bought it. And either do I.

[huntingfool7]

So they have records of handuns that were purchased but they don't know who owns them now. Like the Ruger 9mm I bought back in 1997, but sold several years later. The state doesn't have any records of who bought it. And either do I.

I don't disagree on the above.  The concern is that when they decide you can't own handguns, they will use that list as reasonable cause for searches. 

[konradcountry]

Family member transfers are exempt so a handed down shotgun wouldn't count even if there was a gun registry (which there isn't).

[ThomMedic]

Four years ago my truck was smashed into in Seattle and a .22 pistol was stolen. I had to go to Olympia DOL on Black Lake Blvd to get some information on it. They told me at the time they were a year or more behind in building some sort of database. I believe it was storing handgun purchases.

[Bofire]

I own a few old Winchesters  that have no number at all.
Carl