◆ GEORGIA · CARRY LAW
Georgia.
Information, not legal advice. Confirm with the state before you carry.
Kept in this browser only. Never sent to us.
◆ THE SHORT ANSWEREvery tile below is one of the answers further down this page, with its citation.
Concealed, no permit
Yes
Open, no permit
Yes
In a vehicle, no permit
Yes
Getting a permit
Yes, shall-issue
Nothing in Georgia that most visitors get caught by, but read the answers below before you rely on that.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What Georgia requires
The state's permit is the Weapons Carry License, issued by the judge of the probate court in your county.
Carrying without a permit3
Can I carry concealed here without a permit?
Permitless or "constitutional" carry. "Limited" means some adults qualify and others do not. Read the qualifier.
Yes
No license needed if you are a “lawful weapons carrier”. Broadly, anyone eligible for a Georgia license who is not otherwise barred from having a gun. Eligibility does the work, not the paperwork.
In force since April 12, 2022.
O.C.G.A. §§ 16-11-125.1(2.1), 16-11-126(g); SB 319 (2022) (Chairman John Meadows Act)Read at the Georgia General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
Yes
Georgia does not distinguish openly from concealed. A lawful weapons carrier may do either, in every location the statute does not name.
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
Yes
Two different rules reach a car. Anyone not barred from having a gun may carry inside their OWN vehicle with no license at all; a lawful weapons carrier may carry in any private passenger vehicle.
Permits and age3
If I want this state's permit, will they issue one?
Shall-issue means the state must issue to any qualified applicant. May-issue leaves it to an official's discretion.
Yes, shall-issue
Issued for five years by the judge of the probate court in the county where you live. The license still matters after permitless carry. It is what other states recognize.
Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?
No
Georgia licenses its own. You apply in the county where you live. You almost certainly do not need one: a resident of another state who would qualify for a Georgia license but for living elsewhere is already a lawful weapons carrier, and so is anyone licensed in any other state.
How old do I have to be to carry here?
The floor for the least restrictive lawful route. Where permitless and permit ages differ, the qualifier says so.
21
21, with one exception: 18 if you have completed basic training and are actively serving in the armed forces. Because permitless carry runs on being ELIGIBLE for a license, the license age is also the carry age.
If an officer stops you1
Do I have to tell an officer I am armed?
"Required" means you must volunteer it on contact. "On request" means only when asked.
Not required
No statute requires you to announce that you are armed. Answer honestly if you are asked.
No duty-to-inform provision in O.C.G.A. tit. 16, ch. 11, pt. 3Read at the Georgia General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Searched the full text of SB 319 (2022), which rewrites the carrying part end to end, for “notify”, “inform” and “disclose” on 2026-09-05, nothing. ATF's 36th-edition index for Georgia lists 13 provisions and carries no such section either.Buying and owning2
Do I need a state-issued card just to own or buy a firearm here?
Illinois' FOID is the main example. Distinct from a carry permit.
Not required
No permit, license or state waiting period to buy. A dealer sale still runs the federal background check.
No purchase-permit provision in Georgia law; cf. O.C.G.A. § 16-11-172 (NICS)Read at FindLaw ↗, not the statuteChecked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read ATF's 36th-edition Georgia index in full on 2026-09-05. 13 provisions. It carries § 16-11-172 on NICS reporting and §§ 10-1-100 and 10-1-101 on out-of-state purchases, and nothing creating a permit to purchase. Finding the neighboring purchase provisions is what shows the index was actually consulted.Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
No limit
Georgia sets no cap on magazine capacity.
No magazine capacity provision in Georgia lawRead at FindLaw ↗, not the statuteChecked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Searched ATF's 36th-edition Georgia compilation and the text of SB 319 for “magazine” and “capacity” on 2026-09-05, no hits. § 16-11-173 separately forbids a county or city from writing its own rule, so a local cap could not fill the gap.How the state governs guns2
Can a city here write its own gun rules on top of the state's?
Full preemption means state law is the only law. Partial means some cities may go further. Check locally.
No, state law is the only law
Cities and counties cannot write their own firearm rules. The carve-outs are narrow: a local government may regulate its OWN employees, and may limit where a gun is discharged.
Does this state have a red-flag law?
An extreme risk protection order lets a court order firearms surrendered temporarily.
No, none in this state
Georgia has no extreme-risk protection order. A judge can still order firearms surrendered as part of a family-violence or stalking protective order.
No extreme-risk order in Georgia law; cf. O.C.G.A. §§ 19-13-4, 16-5-94Read at FindLaw ↗, not the statuteChecked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Searched for a Georgia extreme-risk or red-flag order on 2026-09-05. Georgia's protective orders come back as four kinds. Family violence, stalking, dating violence and employer. Each of which can reach firearms, and no extreme-risk order among them. The related hits are what make this a real check rather than a failed query.◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits Georgia honors
If you are visiting Georgia, this is whether your permit counts here.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored54
◆ RECIPROCITY, THE OTHER WAY
Where Georgia permits are honored
If you live in Georgia, this is where your permit travels.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored31
Honored, with a condition3
Not honored20
◆ NFA ITEMS
Suppressors and NFA legality
Federal registration is required everywhere these are legal. A state can prohibit them regardless, and several do.
Can I possess a suppressor here?
Federal NFA registration is required everywhere it is legal. State law can prohibit it regardless.
Legal
Georgia bans silencers outright and then exempts anything registered under the National Firearms Act. Register it federally and it is lawful here; skip that and the state charge stands on its own.
Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Legal
Lawful if registered under the National Firearms Act. Georgia measures a sawed-off rifle as a barrel under 16 inches or an overall length under 26.
O.C.G.A. §§ 16-11-121(5), 16-11-122, 16-11-124(4)Read at FindLaw ↗, not the statuteChecked 11 days ago
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Legal
Lawful if registered under the National Firearms Act. Georgia measures a sawed-off shotgun as a barrel under 18 inches or an overall length under 26.
O.C.G.A. §§ 16-11-121(6), 16-11-122, 16-11-124(4)Read at FindLaw ↗, not the statuteChecked 11 days ago
Can I possess a machine gun here?
Federally, civilian possession is limited to pre-1986 registered transferables.
Legal
Lawful if registered under the National Firearms Act. Georgia's own definition is unusual. More than SIX shots by a single function of the trigger, where the federal test is more than one.
O.C.G.A. §§ 16-11-121(3), 16-11-122, 16-11-124(4)Read at FindLaw ↗, not the statuteChecked 11 days ago
Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. Georgia bans a short, named list, and an AOW is not on it.
No any-other-weapon provision in O.C.G.A. §§ 16-11-121, 16-11-122Read at FindLaw ↗, not the statuteChecked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read §§ 16-11-121 and 16-11-122 in full on 2026-09-07 and searched both for “any other weapon”, “cane gun”, “pen gun”, “wallet gun” and “disguised”. No hit. The one “smooth” is “smooth bore” inside the definition of a shotgun.◆ SOURCES
Where this comes from
This is information, not legal advice. Gun law changes often and the penalty for getting it wrong is criminal. Confirm every answer with the state before you carry there.
- The authority
- the judge of the probate court in your county ↗
- ATF’s index
- Georgia firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)