Constitutional Confusion: Washington’s Weapons-Surrender Statute

It has a turbulent history. Read this article, co-authored by NJP Managing Attorney Karla Carlisle, to learn about the law requiring abusers to surrender their firearms when they have a protection order issued against them. Years of confusion over its constitutionality left the law unenforced in many counties—with deadly consequences for some survivors. Two 2025 appellate rulings have finally given clear direction to the judges we rely on to apply the law to protect survivors—but the fight to ensure full compliance is far from over.