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How to restore firearm rights

Learn how to see if you are eligible to restore your rights to a firearm after a criminal conviction.

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This page is not legal advice

Washington State Law and The Rules of Professional Conduct prohibit the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office from providing legal advice to members of the general public. If you require legal assistance, contact a public defender or the King County Bar Association.

Reinstatement of Firearms Rights is not possible in all cases.

To see if you qualify review the law (RCW 9.41.041) or contact an attorney.

How to send in a request

If you are eligible, you can submit a request to the King County Prosecutor's Office.

Your request must include:

  1. A copy of the original Information.
  2. A copy of the Judgment and Sentence.
  3. A copy of the Satisfaction of Judgment (if applicable.)
  4. A copy of a recent Criminal History Check. (Call the Washington State Patrol at 360-534-2000 for information about their services and fees.)
  5. A copy of your Certificate of Discharge or Order of Dismissal or Termination Order or your last Order of Modification (if applicable.)
  6. If your conviction was for a misdemeanor, you will need to attach proof that you completed all conditions of the sentence. If your conviction was for a misdemeanor offense that did not occur in King County Superior Court and you are making your request here, you will need to obtain a King County Superior Court cause number from the King County Clerk’s Office.
  7. A Petition for Order Restoring Right to Possess a Firearm and a Proposed Order Restoring Right to Possess a Firearm.
    • The Petition and the Proposed Order must be completely filled out by you or your attorney. Neither the prosecutor nor the court will fill these out for you.
    • The documents must be signed by you and each paragraph numbered 4-13 in the petition must be read and initialed by you.
    • If you do not fill out each document completely, the items will be returned to you and will not be forwarded to the judge.

To purchase copies of the court documents, you may contact the Superior Court Clerk's Office.

Send your request with all the needed documents to:

Post-Sentencing Unit
King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
W554 King County Courthouse

After you submit your request

You can also file a motion with the court being sure to follow all applicable criminal procedure rules. If you submit all of the above documents to the Post-Sentencing Unit and are eligible for the order you are requesting, the Post-Sentencing Unit will present the order to the appropriate court for approval. If the motion is granted, the Post-Sentencing Unit will file the originals with the Court and mail you a copy. If the Court denies your request, you will also be notified by mail of that decision.

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