(1) Before a law enforcement agency returns a privately owned firearm, the law enforcement agency must:

(a) Confirm that the individual to whom the firearm will be returned is the individual from whom the firearm was obtained or an authorized representative of that person;

(b) Confirm that the individual to whom the firearm will be returned is eligible to possess a firearm pursuant to RCW 9.41.040;

(c) Ensure that the firearm is not otherwise required to be held in custody or otherwise prohibited from being released; and

(d) Ensure that twenty-four hours have elapsed from the time the firearm was obtained by law enforcement.

(2)(a) Once the requirements in subsections (1) and (3) of this section have been met, a law enforcement agency must release a firearm to the individual from whom it was obtained or an authorized representative of that person upon request without unnecessary delay.

(b)(i) If a firearm cannot be returned because it is required to be held in custody or is otherwise prohibited from being released, a law enforcement agency must provide written notice to the individual from whom it was obtained within five business days of the individual requesting return of his or her firearm and specify the reason the firearm must be held in custody.

(ii) Notification may be made via email, text message, mail service, or personal service. For methods other than personal service, service shall be considered complete once the notification is sent.

(3) If a family or household member has requested to be notified pursuant to RCW 9.41.340, a law enforcement agency must:

(a) Provide notice to the family or household member within one business day of verifying that the requirements in subsection (1) of this section have been met; and

(b) Hold the firearm in custody for seventy-two hours from the time notification has been provided.

(4) The provisions of chapter 130, Laws of 2015 shall not apply to circumstances where a law enforcement officer has momentarily obtained a firearm from an individual and would otherwise immediately return the firearm to the individual during the same interaction.

[2015 c 130 § 2.]

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