Arizona firearm laws let any adult 21 or older who isn’t a prohibited possessor carry a handgun openly or concealed without a permit, buy from a dealer with no waiting period, and complete private sales between residents without a background check. The state keeps no firearm registry, and it blocks cities and counties from writing their own gun rules, so what’s legal in a rural county is legal in downtown Phoenix.
That broad permission has real limits. Certain people can’t possess a firearm at all. Certain places are off-limits even with constitutional carry. And a few federal rules override the state’s permissive stance in ways that trip people up.
Who Cannot Possess a Firearm
Arizona generally allows anyone 18 or older to possess a firearm, but state law carves out a “prohibited possessor” category under ARS § 13-3101. You fall into it if you have a felony conviction in any jurisdiction and your civil rights haven’t been restored, if you’re currently on probation for a domestic violence offense or any felony, or if a court has found you to be a danger to yourself or others (or to have a persistent or acute disability) and your firearm rights haven’t been restored.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3101 – Definitions2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons
One point catches people off guard. After a felony, most civil rights come back automatically when you finish probation or get an absolute discharge, provided fines and restitution are paid. Firearm rights don’t. You have to file a separate petition in the Superior Court of the county where you were convicted, and a separate application is needed for each felony case. People who assume their gun rights returned with the rest of their civil rights can be a prohibited possessor without realizing it.
Buying a Firearm in Arizona
From a Licensed Dealer
A purchase from a federally licensed dealer runs through ATF Form 4473 and a NICS background check.3Federal Bureau of Investigation. Firearms Checks (NICS) Most checks clear in minutes. The system can delay a transaction for up to three business days for further review, and if nothing comes back in that window the dealer may proceed.
Buyers under 21 face a longer timeline. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act added an enhanced review that can extend the NICS check by up to 10 business days to investigate potentially disqualifying juvenile records.4Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Form 4473 – Firearms Transaction Record Revisions
Private Sales
Arizona requires no background check for private transfers between residents. There’s no paperwork and no state record of who owns the firearm afterward. State law also stops any political subdivision from adding fees or requirements to a private sale.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 44-7852 – Private Party Firearms
The risk sits with both parties. Knowingly selling or transferring a firearm to a prohibited possessor is a Class 6 felony, and there’s no statutory safe harbor for a seller who didn’t verify the buyer.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons
No Waiting Period
Arizona has no mandatory waiting period for any type of firearm. Once a dealer’s background check clears, you can leave with the gun the same day. Private sales have no timing restriction at all.
Carrying a Firearm
Open Carry
Open carry is legal for anyone 18 or older who isn’t a prohibited possessor. No permit, no training requirement. For adults between 18 and 20, open carry is the main lawful way to carry a handgun in public.
Concealed Carry Without a Permit
Arizona’s constitutional carry law lets anyone 21 or older who isn’t a prohibited possessor carry concealed without a permit. “Concealed” covers carrying on your person under clothing, in a bag, or within your immediate control. Carrying concealed while under 21 is a Class 3 misdemeanor.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons
One duty comes with permitless carry. If an officer detains you based on reasonable suspicion and asks whether you’re carrying a concealed weapon, you have to answer truthfully. Failing to do so is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Firearms in a Vehicle
Vehicles get generous treatment. A firearm stored in a case, holster, pack, glove compartment, trunk, or other storage area of a vehicle is exempt from the concealed carry age and permit rules entirely. An 18-year-old can lawfully have a handgun in a vehicle compartment or case without it counting as concealed carry under state law.
Why Get a Concealed Weapons Permit Anyway
Even without a legal requirement, there are practical reasons to apply. The Arizona Department of Public Safety issues Concealed Weapons Permits under ARS § 13-3112. The initial application is $60 and renewal is $43.6Department of Public Safety. Concealed Weapons and Permits
To qualify, you need to be at least 21 (or 19 with current military service or an honorable discharge), a U.S. citizen or Arizona resident, not a prohibited possessor, and not unlawfully present in the country. You also have to show firearms competence through an approved training course, hunter safety course, NRA course, military service, or a valid concealed carry permit from another state.7Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3112 – Concealed Weapons; Qualification; Application; Permit
Two benefits usually make it worth the cost. First, reciprocity: Arizona honors permits from all other states, and roughly 37 states recognize an Arizona CWP, though the count shifts as agreements change. Second, the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act makes it a federal crime to possess a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, with an exemption for permit holders whose issuing state verified their qualification through a background check.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Without a permit, driving past a school with a concealed firearm can technically violate federal law even when you’re entirely legal under Arizona statutes.
Where You Still Cannot Carry
Constitutional carry has geographic limits. The following are off-limits even if you’re otherwise legal:
- K-12 school grounds. Possessing a firearm on school property is a Class 1 misdemeanor. The main exception lets an adult keep an unloaded firearm inside a locked vehicle on school grounds if it isn’t visible from outside.
- Polling places on election day. A Class 1 misdemeanor.
- Bars and restaurants that have posted the required sign. Under ARS § 4-229, a concealed handgun is allowed in an establishment serving alcohol for on-site consumption unless the owner has posted a sign showing a firearm pictogram inside a red circle with a diagonal line and the words “no firearms allowed pursuant to A.R.S. section 4-229.” If the sign is up, carrying inside is illegal.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 4-229 – Licenses; Handguns; Posting of Notice
- Public buildings or events offering temporary storage. If the operator asks you to surrender your weapon and you refuse while remaining on the premises, it’s a Class 1 misdemeanor. Many government buildings use this model.
Private property owners can also prohibit firearms on their premises. Posted signage or a verbal request to leave converts staying armed into a trespass issue.
Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Machine Guns
Arizona’s definition of “prohibited weapon” includes suppressors, machine guns, short-barreled rifles with barrels under 16 inches, and short-barreled shotguns with barrels under 18 inches. The statute carves out an exception for items possessed in compliance with federal law.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3101 – Definitions In practice, you can legally own these items in Arizona by going through the federal registration process, paying the $200 tax stamp, and passing the ATF background check. Possessing one without proper federal registration is a Class 4 felony under state law, on top of the federal charges.
Self-Defense and the Castle Doctrine
Arizona justifies physical force when a reasonable person would believe force is immediately necessary to protect against another person’s unlawful physical force. Verbal provocation alone doesn’t qualify, and you can’t use force to resist a known arrest by a peace officer or after provoking the confrontation yourself unless you clearly tried to withdraw and the other person kept coming.10Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-404 – Justification; Use of Physical Force
Deadly force is justified when a reasonable person would believe it is immediately necessary to protect against someone’s use or attempted use of unlawful deadly force. Arizona imposes no duty to retreat, as long as you’re somewhere you have a legal right to be and aren’t engaged in an unlawful act.11Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-405 – Justification; Use of Deadly Physical Force
The Castle Doctrine strengthens that protection inside your home or occupied vehicle. Deadly force is justified if you reasonably believe someone is unlawfully or forcefully entering your home or vehicle and you or another person face imminent risk of death or serious physical injury, or if someone is trying to remove another person from your home or vehicle against their will.12Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-418 – Justification; Use of Force in Defense of Residential Structure or Occupied Vehicles Across every self-defense claim, the limits are the same: you can’t be the initial aggressor, you can’t be somewhere you have no right to be, and you can’t be committing an unlawful act when the incident happens.
Minors and Firearm Storage
Minors under 18 can’t carry or possess a firearm in a public place, on a street or highway, or on property other than property owned or leased by the minor or their family, unless they’re accompanied by a parent, grandparent, guardian, or certified firearms instructor acting with parental consent. Minors ages 14 through 17 get exceptions for lawful hunting, shooting events, marksmanship practice, transporting an unloaded firearm for hunting, or agricultural work that requires a firearm.13Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3111 – Minors Prohibited From Carrying or Possessing Firearms
Arizona has no safe-storage law. There’s no criminal penalty for leaving a firearm unsecured in your home. But if a child gains access to your gun and injures someone, child endangerment charges and civil liability remain in play. Under ARS § 13-3111, parents can be held jointly and severally liable for fines and civil damages when their minor child uses a firearm unlawfully and the parent knew or should have known and failed to act.
One Set of Rules Statewide
Under ARS § 13-3108, only the state legislature can regulate the transportation, possession, carrying, sale, or storage of firearms in Arizona. Cities, towns, and counties cannot pass their own gun ordinances, require firearm registration, or impose local taxes on firearms or ammunition.14Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3108 – Firearms Regulated by State; State Preemption Any conflicting local ordinance is void, and civil penalties, injunctions, and even termination of officials who enact violating rules back the preemption up. For you, the practical effect is simpler: the rules on this page are the rules everywhere in the state.