◆ MISSOURI · CARRY LAW
Missouri.
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 Missouri that most visitors get caught by, but read the answers below before you rely on that.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What Missouri requires
The state's permit is the Concealed Carry Permit, issued by your county or city sheriff.
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
Yes, from 19. Missouri does not grant this outright. Carrying concealed is only an offense in the places § 571.107 restricts, so everywhere else there is nothing to permit.
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
Yes
Yes. The concealed-carry offense reaches concealed weapons in restricted places; open carry sits outside it, and cities cannot fill the gap.
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
Yes
Yes, from 19, or 18 if you are serving or honorably discharged. The statute says so in terms, for a concealable firearm in the passenger compartment.
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
The sheriff SHALL issue to a qualified applicant, valid five years and statewide. Worth having even though you do not need it here. It is what other states recognize.
Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?
No
No. You must have assumed residency in Missouri, or be a member of the armed forces stationed here, or their spouse. A visitor does not need one anyway.
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.
19
19. An unusual number, and Missouri’s own. 18 if you are serving in the armed forces or were honorably discharged.
Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 571.030, 571.101.2(1)Read at the Missouri Revisor of Statutes ↗Checked 11 days ago
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 it. Answer honestly if you are asked.
No duty-to-inform provision in Mo. Rev. Stat. ch. 571Read at the Missouri Revisor of Statutes ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read §§ 571.030 and 571.101 in full on 2026-09-05. The offense section and the permit section, which are where such a duty sits in every state that has one. Neither contains a notification, disclosure or display requirement.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 waiting period. A dealer sale runs the federal background check; a private sale has no state requirement.
No purchase-permit provision in Mo. Rev. Stat. ch. 571Read at the Missouri Revisor of Statutes ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read § 21.750 in full on 2026-09-05, which preempts the entire field of firearms legislation from local regulation and expressly bars any political subdivision from regulating “the sale, purchase, purchase delay, transfer” of firearms. Language that presumes no state permit exists to require. Chapter 571’s offense and permit sections create none.Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
No limit
Missouri sets no cap on magazine capacity.
No magazine capacity provision in Mo. Rev. Stat. ch. 571Read at the Missouri Revisor of Statutes ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read § 571.020 in full on 2026-09-05. The prohibited-weapons list, running to explosive weapons, gas guns, exploding bullets, knuckles and the federally-regulated items, with nothing about magazines. § 21.750 separately preempts the entire field from local regulation, so a city 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
Among the strongest anywhere. The general assembly “occupies and preempts the entire field”, and existing local rules are declared null and void rather than merely unenforceable.
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
Missouri has no extreme-risk protection order.
No extreme-risk order in Missouri lawRead at the Missouri Revisor of Statutes ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Searched for a Missouri extreme-risk or red-flag order on 2026-09-05. Missouri’s adult abuse and child protection orders under ch. 455 can reach firearms through federal prohibited-person rules, and no petition-based extreme-risk order exists alongside them. Bills to create one have been filed and none has passed.◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits Missouri honors
If you are visiting Missouri, 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 Missouri permits are honored
If you live in Missouri, 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 honored18
Not settled2
◆ 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
Lawful if you comply with federal law, and Missouri says exactly that, in four words, rather than making you trace an exemption.
Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Legal
Lawful if you comply with federal law. Missouri adds no threshold of its own.
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Legal
Lawful if you comply with federal law. Missouri adds no threshold of its own.
Can I possess a machine gun here?
Federally, civilian possession is limited to pre-1986 registered transferables.
Legal
Lawful if you comply with federal law, which for a machine gun means one lawfully registered before May 1986.
Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Most federal any-other-weapons are not reached by Missouri law at all, and those that are follow the same rule: comply federally and there is no offense.
◆ 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
- your county or city sheriff ↗
- ATF’s index
- Missouri firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)