Washington bans the sale of firearms it classifies as assault weapons.
Washington bans the sale of firearms it classifies as assault weapons. There is no federal ban on these products — the 1994 law expired in 2004 — so this is a state-level prohibition that applies to your store alone. Federal law already routes every firearm sale through a licensed dealer, so the question in Washington is not how you ship but which of your products may be sold there at all. This page covers which products you must refuse to Washington customers, how to enforce that refusal, and what an acquirer sees when you get it wrong.
Washington bans the sale of firearms it classifies as assault weapons. There is no federal ban — the 1994 law expired in 2004 and was never renewed — so this is a state-level prohibition on part of your catalog.
Federal law already routes every firearm sale through a licensed dealer, so the question in Washington is not how you ship but which of your products may be sold there at all.
Source: Gun Laws by State — assault weapons ban states (2026) · as of 2026-07. Rules in this area change, and this is not legal advice — verify the current position for every state you ship into before you rely on it.
What this means for your store
If you sell firearms classified as assault weapons under Washington law, you cannot accept orders from Washington residents. You cannot route them to a dealer, cannot ship them there, cannot hold them for local pickup. You must refuse the sale. If your store does not distinguish between states at checkout, you are currently accepting orders you cannot legally fulfill—a pattern that will surface in your payment processor's underwriting review. Customers who place orders before you close the state will demand refunds. If you already have Washington customers in your lifetime database, you cannot simply stop shipping to them going forward; you must identify which products they bought and determine whether they are affected by this specific rule. Audit your order history now. The cost of getting this wrong is not a chargeback—it is processor termination.
The control that actually enforces it
You control this at the product level, not the shipping level. Create a shipping profile that blocks sales into Washington for the product SKUs affected by the ban. In Shopify, this is a per-product shipping profile; select the products your compliance research confirms are prohibited, set the profile to exclude Washington entirely, and ensure no product slips through without one. A note in Slack or a spreadsheet will not work because it does not prevent the order. If you rely only on a fulfillment note, a single shift change or holiday will break the control. The shipping profile is enforced at checkout—it prevents the order from being placed. Document which products are restricted and why, because your processor will ask.
Why an underwriter cares
Shipping firearms into a state that prohibits them is a material control failure independent of your general firearms license status. An underwriter sees a store accepting orders that violate state law and infers weak operational discipline. Even if you are licensed to sell firearms federally, the acquirer views state-law violations as evidence you do not monitor compliance or enforce process. The control itself—the shipping profile that proves you do not accept Washington orders for prohibited products—is what an underwriter wants to see. Without it, you look like you are either ignoring state law or unaware it exists. Either conclusion will cost you.
Frequently asked
Can I sell any firearms to Washington customers?
No. Washington bans the sale of firearms classified as assault weapons. There is no federal ban on these products, so this is a state-specific rule. You cannot accept, fulfil, or route these orders anywhere—you must refuse the sale. If you sell other firearm types not covered by the Washington ban, you may sell those to Washington, subject to all other state and federal requirements.
What if I have a licensed dealer in Washington who could fulfil the order?
Federal law already routes every firearm sale through a licensed dealer, but Washington's ban on assault weapons applies to all sales into the state, regardless of the dealer or fulfillment route. A licensed dealer cannot legally sell the prohibited firearms into Washington either. You cannot work around the state ban through a third-party dealer.
How do I know which of my products are banned in Washington?
You must conduct compliance research to identify which products your catalogue lists that meet Washington's definition of assault weapons. That determination is product-specific and factual—not a legal judgment. Consult a firearm-law specialist familiar with Washington's classification if you are uncertain. Once you identify them, create a shipping profile in Shopify that blocks those SKUs from shipping to Washington. Do not rely on a note or a manual check.
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