Alabama gun laws let residents 19 and older carry a concealed handgun in public without any permit, and open carry of long guns has been legal for decades. That permissive baseline sits inside a real framework of federal rules, prohibited-person categories, and location bans, and getting any of those wrong can turn a lawful carry into a felony.
Carrying a Handgun Without a Permit
Governor Kay Ivey signed House Bill 272 in March 2022, and Alabama became a permitless carry state on January 1, 2023.1Office of the Governor of Alabama. Governor Ivey Defends Alabamians Second Amendment Rights, Signs Constitutional Carry Bill into Law If you are at least 19 and not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm, you can carry a concealed pistol on your person or in your vehicle without applying for anything. Active-duty military and veterans can carry at 18.
Rifles and shotguns have long been open-carry legal in Alabama and require no permit either. The 2023 change was really about handguns, which had previously been the only firearms needing a concealed carry license.
Why You Might Still Want a Concealed Carry Permit
County sheriffs still issue concealed carry permits, and one reason to get one stands out: reciprocity. Many other states honor a valid Alabama permit, so a permit is what lets you carry legally when you travel. Without one, you’re stuck with whatever the destination state allows for unlicensed carriers, which in some states is very little.
Permits come in one-year and five-year terms, with some counties also offering lifetime permits.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 13A-11-75 – Permit to Carry Pistol in Vehicle or Concealed on Person Fees are set locally. Where a county has no local law on the point, the default is $25 for one year and $125 for five. Lifetime permits, where offered, run around $300 for applicants 19 through 59 and $150 for those 60 and older. Retired or honorably discharged veterans typically get a lifetime permit for free.
The sheriff has 30 days to approve or deny a completed application. A denial has to rest on a legal disqualification or a reasonable belief the applicant would use a weapon unlawfully.
Buying a Firearm in Alabama
Every purchase from a federally licensed dealer runs through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The dealer submits your information, the FBI checks it, and the gun doesn’t leave the counter until you clear.3Federal Bureau of Investigation. About NICS
Federal minimum ages govern dealer sales: 21 for a handgun, 18 for a rifle or shotgun. Firearm frames and receivers count as handguns for this rule, so 21 is the floor there too.4Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide Ammunition follows the same split: 21 for handgun ammo, 18 for rifle and shotgun ammo.
Private Sales Between Residents
Alabama doesn’t require a background check for a private transfer when neither party is a licensed dealer. The seller is still on the hook, though, if they hand a firearm to someone they know or reasonably believe can’t legally have one. State law separately makes it a crime to deliver a pistol to anyone under 18, to anyone the seller has reasonable cause to think has a violent conviction, or to a person the seller believes is a drug addict, a habitual drunkard, or of unsound mind.5Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 13A-11-76 – Delivery to Minors, Habitual Drunkards, Etc
Medical Marijuana Users, Beware
Marijuana is still a Schedule I controlled substance federally, no matter what a state’s medical program says. ATF Form 4473 asks whether you’re an unlawful user of a controlled substance and specifically warns that marijuana use remains unlawful under federal law even where legalized by a state.
An interim federal rule effective January 22, 2026, tightened the definition of “unlawful user” to require regular, recent use over an extended period rather than a single incident, and clarified that lawful prescription users aren’t covered.6Federal Register. Revising Definition of Unlawful User of or Addicted to Controlled Substance Marijuana can’t be lawfully prescribed federally, so regular medical marijuana users still face real federal exposure when buying or possessing firearms. Lying on Form 4473 is its own federal crime.
Where You Cannot Carry
Constitutional carry doesn’t override location bans. Several categories of place are off-limits, and getting caught with a gun in one can bring felony charges.
Schools
Carrying or possessing a deadly weapon on the grounds of a public school with intent to cause harm is a Class C felony, with narrow exceptions in Alabama Code 13A-11-74.7Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 13A-11-72 – Certain Persons Forbidden to Possess Firearm Firearms are also generally banned inside facilities hosting athletic events sponsored by K-12 schools, colleges, or professional sports organizations.
Government and Security-Controlled Buildings
Under Alabama’s 2013 firearms preemption law, guns are restricted in police and sheriff’s stations, jails, prisons, halfway houses, and community corrections facilities unless the governing authority gives express permission. The same applies to buildings with continuous guard posts and security screening, whether that’s metal detectors or key-card entry. These places have to post signs at public entrances.
One useful carve-out: you can keep a firearm out of ordinary view inside your vehicle in the parking area of a restricted building, provided it’s in a locked compartment or secured container inside the vehicle.
Federal Property
Federal law adds another layer. Knowingly bringing a firearm into a federal facility, meaning any building or space where federal employees regularly work, is a crime. That covers post offices, VA clinics, Social Security offices, and federal courthouses.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities Simple possession in a federal building carries up to a year in prison, possession in a federal courthouse up to two years, and possession with intent to commit a crime up to five years. Your Alabama concealed carry permit does not create an exception on federal property.
Private Property
Private property owners and businesses can prohibit firearms. If a business posts a “no firearms” sign or a staffer tells you to leave, staying with a gun exposes you to trespassing charges. Alabama doesn’t spell out a specific sign format the way some states do, so enforcement runs through ordinary trespass law rather than a dedicated firearms statute.
Who Cannot Possess a Firearm
Prohibited-person cases are among the most heavily prosecuted gun offenses, and both federal and state law apply.
Federal Prohibitions
Under 18 U.S.C. § 922, you cannot ship, transport, receive, or possess a firearm or ammunition if you have a felony conviction (any crime punishable by more than one year, regardless of the sentence actually served), a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction, or fugitive status. The same bar applies to unlawful users of a controlled substance, people found mentally incompetent or committed to a mental institution, and people subject to a restraining order protecting an intimate partner or child.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts These prohibitions apply everywhere and override any more permissive state rule.
Alabama Prohibitions
Alabama layers on its own bans. You cannot own or possess a firearm if you’ve been convicted of a crime of violence, a misdemeanor domestic violence offense, or a violent offense listed in the state’s sentencing guidelines. The same applies if you’re subject to a valid domestic abuse protection order or have been found of unsound mind. Violation is a Class C felony.7Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 13A-11-72 – Certain Persons Forbidden to Possess Firearm
Alabama also prohibits minors, habitual drunkards, and drug-addicted individuals from owning a pistol, which is a Class A misdemeanor. The state further bars firearm possession by anyone convicted of any felony within the past five years and by anyone with three or more felony convictions at any time, no matter how old. Noncitizens present illegally or on nonimmigrant visas are also prohibited from possessing pistols and other firearms, with narrow federal exceptions.
Self-Defense: Stand Your Ground and the Castle Doctrine
Alabama is a stand-your-ground state. You have no legal duty to retreat before using force in self-defense, as long as you’re in a place you have a right to be. That applies in public spaces, not just at home.
The castle doctrine goes further inside your home or occupied vehicle. When someone enters unlawfully and forcibly, Alabama law presumes you had a reasonable fear of serious harm, and prosecutors must overcome that presumption to charge you.
Both doctrines have limits. Force has to be proportional to the threat. Deadly force is only justified when you reasonably believe it’s necessary to prevent death, serious injury, kidnapping, or a forcible sexual offense. You can’t claim self-defense if you were the initial aggressor or were engaged in criminal activity at the time.
Traveling to Other States With a Firearm
Cross a state line and Alabama law stops applying. This is where an Alabama concealed carry permit earns its cost, because many states recognize it through reciprocity. Without one, you’re subject to the destination state’s rules for unlicensed carry, which can be far stricter.
Federal law offers a limited backstop for transit. Under 18 U.S.C. § 926A, part of the Firearm Owners Protection Act, you can transport a firearm through any state so long as you can legally possess it at both origin and destination. The catch is strict compliance: the firearm must be unloaded, and neither it nor the ammunition can be readily accessible from the passenger compartment. In a vehicle without a separate trunk, the firearm has to be in a locked container other than the glove box or center console.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms
That protection covers transit only. Some jurisdictions have argued the safe-passage rule doesn’t reach overnight or extended stops in restrictive states. If you’re driving through a state with strict gun laws, keeping the firearm locked, unloaded, and away from the passenger area for the whole trip is the safe approach.
Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Other NFA Items
Suppressors (silencers), short-barreled rifles and shotguns, machine guns, and destructive devices fall under the National Firearms Act. Alabama doesn’t add state-level restrictions on NFA items that are lawfully registered under federal law.
To acquire one, you file with the ATF (Form 4 for a transfer, Form 1 to make your own), submit fingerprints, pass a background check, and wait for approval before taking possession.11Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Application to Transfer and Register NFA Firearm The NFA has historically required a $200 tax stamp per item. Federal legislation in 2026 eliminated or substantially reduced that fee for certain items including suppressors and short-barreled rifles, but the registration and background check requirements remain in full force. Possessing an unregistered NFA item is a serious federal felony, and living in a permissive state like Alabama doesn’t change that.