Arizona gun laws let any resident at least 21 years old who is not a prohibited possessor carry a concealed handgun without a permit, with no state registration, no waiting period, and strong limits on what cities and counties can add on top. The details still matter: who counts as prohibited, where firearms are banned regardless of permit status, and how self-defense actually works if you ever have to use the gun.
Who Cannot Legally Own a Gun in Arizona
A.R.S. § 13-3101 defines “prohibited possessor,” and the list is broader than most people expect. You lose the right to possess a firearm in Arizona if any of these apply:
- You have a felony conviction, in Arizona or any other state, and your right to possess firearms has not been restored.
- A court has found you a danger to yourself or others, or found you to have a persistent or acute disability under A.R.S. § 36-540, and the right has not been restored under A.R.S. § 13-925.
- You were found incompetent to stand trial under Rule 11 and not later found competent, or you were found guilty except insane.
- You are serving a sentence or supervision term: prison, probation for a felony or domestic violence offense, parole, community supervision, work furlough, or home arrest.
- You are an undocumented noncitizen, or a nonimmigrant alien in Arizona for business, pleasure, or study who maintains a foreign residence.
Being caught with a firearm as a prohibited possessor is a Class 4 felony under A.R.S. § 13-3102(M).1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons; Defenses; Classification; Definitions
One detail trips people up. Arizona’s domestic violence prohibition applies while you are on probation for the conviction, and lifts when probation ends. Federal law imposes a separate lifetime bar on anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, and that federal prohibition still applies in Arizona after your state probation ends.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3101 – Definitions
Age Rules
Two statutes control age. Under A.R.S. § 13-3111, anyone under 18 generally cannot carry or possess a firearm in a public place, on any street, or on private property they don’t own or lease, unless accompanied by a parent, grandparent, guardian, or certified firearms instructor. Teens 14 through 17 get narrow exceptions for lawful hunting, shooting events, marksmanship practice at established ranges, transporting an unloaded firearm for those purposes, and agricultural work.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3111 – Minors Prohibited From Carrying or Possessing Firearms
Concealed carry adds a separate threshold. A.R.S. § 13-3102(A)(2) makes it an offense to carry a concealed deadly weapon other than a pocket knife if you are under 21. So at 18 you can possess a firearm in public and carry it openly; concealed carry waits until 21. Federal law layers on its own purchase ages at licensed dealers: 18 for long guns, 21 for handguns.
Buying a Firearm
At a Federal Firearms Licensee, the process is the standard federal one: valid ID, ATF Form 4473, and a background check through NICS. Arizona adds no state waiting period, so once the check clears you take the firearm home. If you hold an Arizona Concealed Weapons Permit, dealers may accept it in place of a new NICS check under the Brady Act. They are not required to, but many do.4Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Brady Permit Chart
Private sales are a different world. Arizona does not require private sellers to run a background check or route the sale through a dealer. There is no state registration database and no required paperwork for a transfer between two individuals. The one firm rule: you cannot sell or transfer a firearm to someone you know or have reason to know is a prohibited possessor. That is a Class 4 felony under A.R.S. § 13-3102(A)(5).5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons; Defenses; Classification; Definitions
Arizona places no state-level restrictions on items regulated under the federal National Firearms Act. Suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns are legal if you complete the federal NFA registration and tax stamp process. Hunting with a suppressor is permitted.
Carrying a Gun in Public
Concealed Without a Permit
Arizona’s constitutional carry works through the structure of A.R.S. § 13-3102(A)(2): concealed carry is an offense only for people under 21. If you are 21 or older and not a prohibited possessor, carrying concealed is simply not a crime. No application, no training certificate, no permit.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons; Defenses; Classification; Definitions
One obligation catches people off guard. If a law enforcement officer asks whether you are carrying a concealed weapon, you must answer accurately. Lying or refusing to answer is itself a form of weapons misconduct under A.R.S. § 13-3102(A)(1)(b).
Open Carry
Open carry is legal at 18. The firearm or holster must be at least partially visible. A.R.S. § 13-3102(B)(3) exempts firearms carried in a visible manner, in a wholly or partially visible holster, or in a visible scabbard or case from the concealed-carry restrictions.
The Optional Concealed Weapons Permit
You don’t need the Arizona Concealed Weapons Permit, but there are real reasons to get one. It costs $60 to apply and $43 to renew through the Department of Public Safety. Applicants pass a criminal background check, submit two sets of fingerprints, and complete a safety training program that meets A.R.S. § 13-3112(N) standards.6Arizona Department of Public Safety. Concealed Weapons and Permits7Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3112 – Concealed Weapons; Qualification; Application; Permit to Carry
The permit is honored by 37 other states through reciprocity, which matters the moment you drive out of Arizona. It can substitute for a NICS check at a dealer. And some restricted locations that bar permitless carry still allow entry for permit holders under specific circumstances.
Where You Still Cannot Carry
Constitutional carry does not override location-specific bans. Several places are off limits regardless of your age or permit status:
- School grounds. Possessing a firearm on school grounds is a Class 4 felony under A.R.S. § 13-3102(A)(12), reinforced by the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act.
- Polling places on any election day, under A.R.S. § 13-3102(A)(11).
- Nuclear and hydroelectric generating stations, under A.R.S. § 13-3102(A)(13).
- Bars and restaurants licensed to sell alcohol for on-premises consumption that have posted a compliant “no firearms” sign under A.R.S. § 4-229.
The bar and restaurant rule is conditional, not blanket. If the licensee has not posted the required sign, you can legally carry inside. If the sign is posted to the statute’s specifications, carrying is illegal.8Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control. Firearms FAQ
Private property owners and businesses outside the liquor-license context can also ban firearms. Under A.R.S. § 13-3102(A)(10), if the operator asks you to remove your weapon and offers temporary secure storage under § 13-3102.01, refusing and staying is weapons misconduct. Non-liquor businesses don’t need the § 4-229 signage format, but the restriction has to be made known through notice or posted signs.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons; Defenses; Classification; Definitions
Tribal Land
Arizona’s state carry laws have no force on tribal land. Tribes are sovereign and each sets its own rules. The Navajo Nation generally prohibits carrying a loaded firearm on its land, with a narrow exception for firearms stored in a closed trunk, luggage compartment, or glove box of a private vehicle. The Hopi Tribe requires a separate permit signed by a Hopi Tribal Court judge. Other tribes, including the Hualapai, recommend contacting their government directly. If you are passing through, the safest practice is to keep firearms unloaded and locked in a container in the trunk or cargo area.
Self-Defense and Stand Your Ground
Under A.R.S. § 13-405, you may use deadly force when a reasonable person would believe it is immediately necessary to protect against someone else’s use or attempted use of unlawful deadly force. Arizona is a stand your ground state. You have no duty to retreat before using deadly force, as long as you are somewhere you may legally be and are not engaged in an unlawful act.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-405 – Justification; Use of Deadly Physical Force
A.R.S. § 13-411 extends justification to crime prevention. You may use deadly force when you reasonably believe it is immediately necessary to stop certain serious crimes, including kidnapping, sexual assault, armed robbery, first or second-degree murder, manslaughter, arson of an occupied structure, first or second-degree burglary, child molestation, and aggravated assault. The protection applies in your home, business, vehicle, leased property, or any other place in Arizona where you have a right to be.10Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-411 – Justification; Use of Force in Crime Prevention; Applicability
A.R.S. § 13-418 covers defense of a residential structure or occupied vehicle, the familiar Castle Doctrine. In every case the standard is objective: whether a reasonable person in your circumstances would have believed the force was immediately necessary. Subjective fear without supporting facts will not hold up.
For property that isn’t tied to a threat against a person, A.R.S. § 13-408 allows non-deadly physical force to prevent theft or criminal damage when a reasonable person would believe it necessary. Deadly force for property alone is not authorized; if the situation rises to that level, it has to meet the self-defense or crime-prevention standards instead.11Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-408 – Justification; Use of Physical Force in Defense of Property
Cities Cannot Add Their Own Gun Rules
If you cross from Phoenix into Tempe, the gun rules don’t change. A.R.S. § 13-3108 bars cities, counties, and other political subdivisions from passing any ordinance, rule, or tax relating to the sale, transfer, possession, carrying, registration, licensing, storage, discharge, or use of firearms and ammunition. Local measures more restrictive than state law are automatically void.12Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3108 – Firearms Regulated by State; State Preemption
Local governments keep a short list of powers: applying general sales taxes to firearms the same as other products, prohibiting unaccompanied minors from carrying in public (with hunting and agriculture exceptions), zoning gun businesses the same as other commercial uses, and regulating firearm discharge in parks or within a quarter mile of an occupied structure without the owner’s consent.
Restoring Firearm Rights After a Felony
Arizona automatically restores most civil rights when someone with a single felony conviction completes probation or receives an absolute discharge. Firearm rights are the exception. Automatic restoration does not include the right to possess a weapon, and you have to file a separate application with the Superior Court in the county of conviction.
If you have two or more Arizona felony convictions, you must file a separate application for each case and cannot apply until you have completed probation or waited two years from your absolute discharge, with all fines and restitution paid. Federal felony convictions sit outside Arizona’s framework, and state courts may not be able to restore firearm rights for them. Outcomes turn on the specifics of your record and the judge’s evaluation.
What Arizona Does Not Require
Some of the most important parts of Arizona gun law are things the state chose not to do. There is no firearm registration. There is no mandatory reporting if a firearm is lost or stolen; legislation to require it has been introduced but has not become law. Arizona has no standalone child access prevention statute imposing criminal penalties on gun owners solely for failing to lock up unattended firearms. A parent or guardian could still face charges like child endangerment if a minor is harmed through negligent storage, but there is no safe-storage mandate on the books.