An important note about firearms
Washington State has a new law that prohibits respondents who have a full DVPO issued against them by an intimate partner from possessing firearms.
If you and the respondent are intimate partners, the court MUST order the respondent to surrender his/her firearms and other dangerous weapons. If this is an important safety strategy for you – please talk to a DV Advocate so you can better understand this new law and how it may apply to your case. Please know, if you are not an intimate partner of the person you are filing against but are concerned about firearms, you may ask the court to order the respondent to surrender firearms.
In general, regardless of the type of relationship you have with the respondent, the law gives you the right to ask the court to order the respondent to surrender or “turn in” his/her firearms (or other dangerous weapons or concealed pistol license) to law enforcement as part of the court's order. If it is possible and safe to do so, please make a list or take photos of any firearms (or any other evidence of firearm possession) you know the respondent to own or possess, including make, model, serial number and location. Also, for your safety, please try to talk to a DV Advocate about firearms, safety risks and options before filing for your protection order. Research suggests that the presence of a firearm makes lethality five times more likely in domestic violence situations