Gun owners or individuals in lawful possession of a firearm must report any loss or theft of a firearm and the circumstances surrounding the loss or theft to law enforcement within 24 hours of discovering such loss or theft.¹ A person who fails to report may be fined up to $1,000.²

Additionally, as part of a secure storage provision enacted by ballot measure in 2018, firearm owners are protected from prosecution for community endangerment due to unsafe storage of a firearm if they report the unlawful entry and theft of the firearm within five days of the time they should reasonably have known that the firearm had been taken.³

Washington’s licensing authority is required to issue dealer signage, with the issuance of a firearm dealer license, to be posted by a firearms dealer warning customers of the potential for a civil penalty for failure to report loss or theft, and a criminal penalty for unsafe storage practices.⁴