◆ WISCONSIN · CARRY LAW
Wisconsin.
Information, not legal advice. Confirm with the state before you carry.
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◆ 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 produce your permit if an officer asks for it.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What Wisconsin requires
The state's permit is the Concealed Weapon License, issued by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
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 license. Carrying a concealed and dangerous weapon without one is a Class A misdemeanor.
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
Yes
Open carry needs no license from 18. It is lawful because the offense reaches only CONCEALED weapons.
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
No
Not concealed. Without a license a handgun in a car must be in plain view. A glovebox or console is concealed carry.
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 Department of Justice SHALL issue to anyone not disqualified who completes the application. Training is required.
Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?
No
No. Wisconsin licenses its own residents. A visitor relies on their own state’s license instead, which Wisconsin recognizes from 21.
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 openly. The concealed license is 21, so if concealed is what you want, 21 is your number.
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.
Only if asked
You need not volunteer it, but you must carry the license and photo ID whenever you are carrying concealed and show them to an officer who asks.
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 or license to buy, and no state waiting period. Wisconsin repealed its 48-hour wait in 2015. A dealer sale runs the federal background check.
No purchase-permit provision in Wis. Stat. ch. 175Read at the Wisconsin Legislature ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read § 175.60 in full on 2026-09-05. The licensing chapter section, which licenses CARRYING and says nothing about acquisition. No permit-to-purchase or owner identification card appears in it.Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
No limit
Wisconsin sets no cap on magazine capacity.
No magazine capacity provision in Wis. Stat. ch. 941Read at the Wisconsin Legislature ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read § 66.0409 in full on 2026-09-05, which bars every political subdivision from regulating firearms more stringently than the state, and § 941.23, the carrying offense. Neither creates a capacity limit and no state cap was found.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 may not regulate firearms more strictly than the state. An ordinance must be “the same as or similar to, and no more stringent than” a state statute.
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
Wisconsin has no extreme-risk protection order.
No extreme-risk order in Wisconsin lawRead at the Wisconsin Legislature ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Searched for a Wisconsin extreme-risk or red-flag order on 2026-09-05. Wisconsin’s domestic abuse and harassment injunctions under ch. 813 can require surrendering firearms, and no petition-based extreme-risk order exists alongside them. Bills have been introduced repeatedly and none has passed.◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits Wisconsin honors
If you are visiting Wisconsin, 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 Wisconsin permits are honored
If you live in Wisconsin, 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 with the federal paperwork.
Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
Can I possess a machine gun here?
Federally, civilian possession is limited to pre-1986 registered transferables.
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. Wisconsin bans machine guns and exempts those held under federal law.
Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. Wisconsin prohibits short barrels and machine guns by name and stops there.
No any-other-weapon provision in Wis. Stat. § 941.28Read at the Wisconsin Legislature ↗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
- the Wisconsin Department of Justice ↗
- ATF’s index
- Wisconsin firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)