Arizona’s gun purchase laws are among the least restrictive in the country: if you are at least 18 for a long gun or 21 for a handgun from a dealer, can pass a federal background check, and are not a prohibited possessor, you can walk out of an Arizona gun store with a firearm the same day. There is no state waiting period, no purchase permit, and no firearm registration. Private sales between two Arizona residents don’t require a background check at all.
Who Can Legally Buy a Gun in Arizona
Eligibility runs on two tracks, federal and state, and you have to clear both.
Federal law sets the minimum ages at licensed dealers: 21 for handguns, 18 for rifles and shotguns. For private sales, federal law only prohibits transferring a handgun to someone under 18 and sets no federal age floor for long guns.1Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Minimum Age for Gun Sales and Transfers Arizona adds no state age requirements on top of those.
Arizona law then defines several categories of “prohibited possessors” who cannot legally own or buy a firearm. The main ones:
- Anyone convicted of a felony whose civil rights have not been restored
- Anyone currently on probation for a felony or domestic violence offense
- Anyone a court has found to be a danger to themselves or others due to mental illness
- Anyone found incompetent or guilty except insane
- Undocumented immigrants and most nonimmigrant aliens, unless they hold a valid state hunting license or fit a narrow exception like diplomatic status2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3101 – Definitions
A prohibited possessor caught with a firearm faces a Class 4 felony, with a presumptive 2.5-year prison sentence for a first offense.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-702 – First Time Felony Offenders Sentencing Definition
The Federal Domestic Violence Bar
Even if Arizona law doesn’t bar you, federal law independently prohibits firearm possession for anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, such as an assault or attempted assault against a family member.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 922 – Unlawful Acts Often called the Lautenberg Amendment, this applies regardless of what Arizona considers you. A qualifying domestic violence misdemeanor from any state triggers a lifetime federal ban unless the conviction is later expunged or set aside.
Buying From a Licensed Dealer
The dealer process is straightforward: show ID, fill out a federal form, pass a background check, pay, leave with the firearm. Arizona imposes no waiting period, so there is no mandatory delay between purchase and pickup.
ID and Form 4473
Bring a valid government-issued photo ID showing your name and current residential address. An Arizona driver’s license or state ID is the standard. If the address on your license is outdated, a supplementary government document like a vehicle registration can establish where you actually live.
The dealer will have you complete ATF Form 4473, the federal firearms transaction record. It asks for your full legal name, date of birth, place of birth, height, weight, and a series of yes-or-no eligibility questions. Every answer has to be truthful. Lying on a 4473 is a federal felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.5Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Form 4473 – Firearms Transaction Record
The NICS Background Check
Once the form is complete, the dealer submits your information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, run by the FBI.6Federal Bureau of Investigation. Firearms Checks (NICS) One of three things comes back:
- Proceed. The sale goes forward immediately.
- Delayed. The FBI needs more time. If no determination comes within three business days, the dealer may legally complete the transfer, though the dealer is not required to.7Federal Bureau of Investigation. About NICS
- Denied. The sale is blocked, and you can appeal through the FBI’s NICS Section.
A valid Arizona Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP) lets the dealer skip the NICS check entirely. The CWP qualifies as a Brady Law alternative, meaning the permit itself satisfies the background check requirement for any firearm type.8Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Brady Permit Chart The dealer records the permit number on the 4473 and the sale proceeds without contacting NICS. That alone is why some Arizonans get a CWP even though the state doesn’t require one to carry.
Taxes and Fees at the Counter
Arizona charges transaction privilege tax (TPT) on retail firearm sales like any other tangible goods. The state base rate is 5.6%, with county and city taxes stacking on top. Depending on where the store sits, the combined rate ranges from about 5.6% in unincorporated areas with no local tax to roughly 10% or higher in cities with additional levies.9Arizona Department of Revenue. Transaction Privilege and Other Tax Rate Tables Many dealers also tack on a processing fee, commonly $20 to $40.
Buying Multiple Handguns
If you buy two or more handguns from the same dealer within five consecutive business days, the dealer must file ATF Form 3310.4 reporting the multiple sale, with copies going to the ATF National Tracing Center and the chief local law enforcement official on the day of the sale.10Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Report of Multiple Sale or Other Disposition of Pistols and Revolvers That paperwork is the dealer’s job, not yours, but it’s worth knowing it happens.
Private Sales Between Arizona Residents
Arizona requires no background check, no dealer, and no government paperwork when two Arizona residents buy and sell a firearm between themselves. No state 4473 equivalent, no registration, no waiting period. You can meet, agree on a price, and complete the exchange.
The legal catch is that you cannot knowingly transfer a firearm to someone who cannot legally possess one. Doing so is misconduct involving weapons, a Class 6 felony.11Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons Defenses Classification Definitions No state law requires a bill of sale, but writing one up with the date, a description of the firearm, and both parties’ names and signatures is sound practice. If the gun ever surfaces at a crime scene, that document is your proof it was no longer yours.
Selling Across State Lines
This simple private-sale route only works when both parties live in Arizona. Federal law prohibits transferring a firearm to someone you know or have reason to believe lives in another state.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts If the buyer lives out of state, the firearm must be shipped to a licensed dealer in the buyer’s home state, where the buyer completes a 4473 and passes a background check before taking possession.
Buying a Gun Online
Online purchases are legal, but the firearm does not ship to your front door. Federal law requires it to be sent to a federally licensed dealer (FFL) near you. When the gun arrives, you go to that dealer’s shop, complete Form 4473, pass NICS, and pay a transfer fee. From that point the process is identical to buying off the shelf. Arizona transfer fees commonly run $20 to $60, with higher charges for specialty items.
Private individuals can ship rifles and shotguns through USPS, but handguns can only move through private carriers like UPS or FedEx, and only to a licensed dealer. In practice, online retailers handle shipping to the FFL you designate at checkout.
Straw Purchases: Don’t Buy a Gun for Someone Else
A straw purchase is buying a firearm on behalf of someone else, whether because they can’t pass a background check or just want to skip the paperwork. Federal law treats this as a serious offense. Under statutes enacted in 2022, straw purchasing carries up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If the firearm is used in a felony, an act of terrorism, or drug trafficking, the ceiling jumps to 25 years.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 932 – Straw Purchasing of Firearms
Buying a gun as a genuine gift for someone who can legally own one is not a straw purchase. The line is who the real buyer is, meaning the person actually filling out the form. If a friend hands you cash and tells you to go buy him a specific gun, that is a straw purchase even if he could pass the check himself.
No Registration, No Waiting Period, No Local Variations
Arizona does not require you to register any firearm after buying it. State law explicitly prohibits cities, counties, and other local governments from creating any firearms registry or database of gun owners.14Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3108 – Firearms Regulated by State Preemption There is no purchase permit, no firearms owner ID card, and no state waiting period. There is also no cap on how many firearms you can buy at one time; the only reporting trigger is the federal multiple-handgun form the dealer files.
Under ARS 13-3108, local governments cannot enact any ordinance on the sale, transfer, purchase, registration, or licensing of firearms that is more restrictive than state law. Any local rule that goes further is automatically void.14Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3108 – Firearms Regulated by State Preemption The buying process is the same whether you shop in Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, or a small town in Cochise County. Local governments keep narrow authority over things like zoning for commercial gun businesses, restricting employees from carrying on the job, and regulating firearm discharge near occupied buildings, but they cannot add purchase hoops.
After You Buy: Carrying the Gun You Just Purchased
Arizona is a constitutional carry state. Anyone 21 or older who can legally possess a firearm may carry it concealed without a permit. Open carry is legal at any age where possession is lawful. You don’t need a separate license or training course to carry the gun you just purchased.
Some places remain off-limits regardless of permit status: K-12 school grounds, polling places on election days, bars and restaurants with liquor licenses (with limited exceptions for CWP holders), commercial nuclear and hydroelectric generating stations, correctional facilities, and federal buildings. Private businesses and event operators can also prohibit firearms on their premises, and refusing to leave or secure your weapon when asked becomes criminal trespass.11Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons Defenses Classification Definitions
Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Other NFA Items
Arizona adds no state-level restrictions on items regulated by the federal National Firearms Act, including suppressors, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and machine guns. If federal law lets you possess it, Arizona will not stand in the way, and suppressors can be used for hunting.
Buying an NFA item still requires submitting an ATF application (Form 4 for transfers) and clearing an extended background check that typically takes several months. As of January 2026, the $200 federal transfer tax that had applied to suppressors and short-barreled rifles was reduced to zero, though the application process itself remains. Machine gun transfers still follow the pre-1986 registry rules, and transferable machine guns remain extremely expensive due to limited supply.