◆ WEST VIRGINIA · CARRY LAW
West Virginia.
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
Yes
Open, no permit
Yes
In a vehicle, no permit
Yes
Getting a permit
Yes, shall-issue
Nothing in West Virginia that most visitors get caught by, but read the answers below before you rely on that.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What West Virginia requires
The state's permit is the Concealed Handgun License, 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.
Yes
Yes, from 18. West Virginia says so outright: any person at least 18, a citizen or legal resident, and not otherwise prohibited may carry concealed without a license.
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
Yes
Yes, from 18. West Virginia licenses concealed carry only; open carry has never needed a license.
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
Yes
Yes, from 18, on the same terms as on foot.
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
Your county sheriff issues, $50 for a resident license and $15 for the 18-to-20 provisional. 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?
Yes
Yes. A resident of another state may apply to the sheriff of any West Virginia county for a non-resident license.
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, for concealed and open alike.
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 W. Va. Code art. 61-7Read at the West Virginia Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read §§ 61-7-4, 61-7-4a, 61-7-6a and 61-7-7 on 2026-09-06. The licensing, provisional licensing, recognition and permitless-carry sections, which are where such a duty sits in every state that has one. § 61-7-6a requires an out-of-state holder to have the permit in immediate possession but imposes no duty to disclose.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. A dealer sale runs the federal background check.
No purchase-permit provision in W. Va. Code art. 61-7Read at the West Virginia Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read the article’s section list on 2026-09-06: it licenses CARRYING (§§ 61-7-4, 61-7-4a) and regulates sales to prohibited persons (§ 61-7-10), and creates no permit to acquire.Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
No limit
West Virginia sets no cap on magazine capacity.
No magazine capacity provision in W. Va. Code art. 61-7Read at the West Virginia Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read the article’s section list and § 61-7-9 on 2026-09-06. The only weapon-specific prohibition in the article is the machine gun section; nothing addresses magazines. § 8-12-5a separately bars every municipality from limiting the purchase or possession of ammunition or ammunition components, 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
Municipalities may not limit the purchase, possession, transfer, ownership, carrying, transport, sale or storage of firearms or ammunition.
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
West Virginia has no extreme-risk protection order.
No extreme-risk order in West Virginia lawRead at the West Virginia Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read the whole section list of W. Va. Code article 61-7 on 2026-09-06. Twenty-one sections covering licensing, recognition, prohibited persons, minors, machine guns, brandishing, school premises and body armor, with no petition-based risk order among them. Domestic violence protective orders under ch. 48 art. 27 can reach firearms through federal prohibited-person rules.◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits West Virginia honors
If you are visiting West Virginia, this is whether your permit counts here.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored, with a condition34
Not honored18
Not settled2
◆ RECIPROCITY, THE OTHER WAY
Where West Virginia permits are honored
If you live in West Virginia, this is where your permit travels.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored32
Honored, with a condition2
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. West Virginia has no suppressor ban of its own.
No suppressor prohibition in W. Va. Code art. 61-7Read at the West Virginia Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read the article’s section list and § 61-7-9 on 2026-09-06. § 61-7-9 is the article’s only weapon-specific prohibition and reaches machine guns, submachine guns and other fully automatic weapons only. § 61-7-16 separately provides for a chief law-enforcement officer to certify a transfer or making of a federally regulated firearm, which presumes such items are lawful to hold here.Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
No short-barrel prohibition in W. Va. Code art. 61-7Read at the West Virginia Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
No short-barrel prohibition in W. Va. Code art. 61-7Read at the West Virginia Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
Can I possess a machine gun here?
Federally, civilian possession is limited to pre-1986 registered transferables.
Legal
Lawful if you have fully complied with federal law. West Virginia bans machine guns and makes federal compliance the whole exception.
Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork. West Virginia’s only weapon prohibition reaches automatic weapons.
◆ 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
- West Virginia firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)