◆ NORTH CAROLINA · CARRY LAW
North Carolina.
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
No
Open, no permit
Yes
In a vehicle, no permit
No
Getting a permit
Yes, shall-issue
- You must tell an officer you are carrying, before being asked.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What North Carolina requires
The state's permit is the Concealed Handgun Permit, issued by your county 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.
No
You need a permit. Carrying a concealed handgun without one is an offense anywhere but your own property. There is no visitor exception and no permitless route.
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
Yes
Open carry needs no permit. It is lawful because the offense reaches only CONCEALED weapons, not because a statute grants it.
N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 14-269, 14-415.11(c3)Read at the North Carolina General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
No
Without a permit a handgun in a car must stay in plain view. A glovebox, a console or under a seat is concealed, and concealed needs the permit.
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 anyone who qualifies. Valid statewide for five years. A live-fire training course is required first.
N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 14-415.11(b), 14-415.12(a)Read at the North Carolina General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?
No
You must have lived in North Carolina for at least 30 days before applying. A visitor cannot get one, but a visitor does not need one, because North Carolina honors every other state's permit.
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.
18
18 to carry a handgun openly. The concealed permit is 21, so if concealed is what you want, 21 is your number.
N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 14-269.7(a), (c)(2), 14-415.12(a)(2)Read at the North Carolina General Assembly ↗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.
Required
You must tell the officer, without being asked, that you hold a permit and are carrying, as soon as you are approached or addressed. Carry the permit and photo ID, and hand both over if asked.
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 pistol purchase permit. North Carolina required one from the sheriff for roughly a century and repealed it in 2023; a dealer sale now runs the federal background check like anywhere else.
In force since March 29, 2023.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-402, repealed by S.L. 2023-8, s. 2(a)Read at the North Carolina General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
No limit
North Carolina sets no cap on magazine capacity.
No magazine capacity provision in N.C. Gen. Stat. ch. 14Read at the North Carolina General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read § 14-288.8 in full on 2026-09-05. The weapon-of-mass-death-and-destruction definition is where a capacity limit would sit if North Carolina had one, and it reaches automatic fire, short shotguns and rifles, silencers and bore diameter over half an inch, with nothing about magazines. § 14-409.40(b) separately bars any county or city from regulating firearms, 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
The General Assembly preempts the entire field, no county or city may regulate firearms. One carve-out matters to a visitor: a local government may still bar guns from ITS OWN buildings, their grounds and parking areas, and from public parks. You may leave the gun in your car there.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-409.40(a), (b), (f)Read at the North Carolina General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
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
North Carolina has no extreme-risk protection order. A judge can still order firearms surrendered under a domestic violence protective order.
No extreme-risk order in North Carolina law; cf. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 50B-3.1Read at the North Carolina General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Searched for a North Carolina extreme-risk or red-flag order on 2026-09-05. What comes back is Chapter 50B. Domestic violence protective orders, which DO reach firearms through § 50B-3.1's surrender provision, and no extreme-risk order alongside it. Finding the surrender power that does exist is what makes this a real check rather than a failed query.◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits North Carolina honors
If you are visiting North Carolina, 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 North Carolina permits are honored
If you live in North Carolina, this is where your permit travels.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored35
Honored, with a condition3
Not honored16
◆ 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 registered under the National Firearms Act. North Carolina bans silencers by name and then exempts anything held in compliance with federal law.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-288.8(c)(3), (b)(5)Read at the North Carolina General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Legal
Lawful if registered under the National Firearms Act. North Carolina's threshold is a barrel under 16 inches or an overall length under 26. The same as the federal test.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-288.8(c)(3), (b)(5)Read at the North Carolina General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Legal
Lawful if registered under the National Firearms Act. North Carolina's threshold is a barrel under 18 inches or an overall length under 26. The same as the federal test.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-288.8(c)(3), (b)(5)Read at the North Carolina General Assembly ↗Checked 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. Two separate North Carolina statutes ban machine guns and both exempt federally registered ones.
N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 14-409(b), 14-288.8(c)(3), (b)(5)Read at the North Carolina General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Lawful if registered under the National Firearms Act. Most federal any-other-weapons are not reached by North Carolina law at all; those that are. Anything with a bore over half an inch. Are covered by the same registration exemption.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-288.8(c)(2), (c)(3), (b)(5)Read at the North Carolina General Assembly ↗Checked 11 days ago
◆ 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 sheriff ↗
- ATF’s index
- North Carolina firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)