Open carry in Arizona is legal for anyone at least 18 years old who is not legally barred from possessing a firearm, and no permit, registration, or training is required. The rule covers handguns, rifles, and shotguns alike, and it applies in most public places across the state. The main things that can get you in trouble are who you are, where you go, and whether you’ve been drinking.
Age Rules
At 18, you can openly carry a loaded firearm almost anywhere Arizona law does not specifically prohibit it. Concealed carry without a permit is a separate matter and requires you to be 21.
Under 18 and not emancipated, you cannot carry a firearm in public, on a street or highway, or in a vehicle unless a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian is with you. A certified hunter safety instructor or firearms safety instructor can also supervise a minor, but only with the parent or guardian’s consent.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 13 Section 13-3111 – Minors Prohibited From Carrying or Possessing Firearms; Exceptions; Seizure and Forfeiture; Penalties; Classification Minors may also possess firearms, without supervision, on private property owned or leased by themselves or their parent, grandparent, or guardian.
Who Cannot Carry at All
Arizona law defines certain people as prohibited possessors who may not legally own or carry any firearm:
- Anyone convicted of a felony in any state, unless their firearm rights have been formally restored through the courts.2Arizona Judicial Branch. Restore Firearm Rights
- Anyone a court has found, under Arizona’s involuntary treatment statutes, to be a danger to self or others or to have a persistent or acute disability, whose firearm rights have not been restored.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 13 Section 13-3101 – Definitions
- Anyone currently on probation for a domestic violence offense.
- Anyone currently serving a prison sentence.
- Anyone not legally present in the United States.
Federal law adds another category: anyone convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense involving physical force cannot possess a firearm, no matter what Arizona law says about the underlying misdemeanor.4Legal Information Institute. Lautenberg Amendment
A prohibited possessor caught with a firearm faces a class 4 felony.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-702 – First Time Felony Offenders; Sentencing; Definition
Places Where Firearms Are Off-Limits
Even with permissive carry laws, Arizona bans firearms outright in a short list of locations under its misconduct-involving-weapons statute:6Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 13 Section 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons; Defenses; Classification; Definitions
- K-12 school grounds, public or private, including the surrounding campus.
- Polling places on election day.
- Nuclear and hydroelectric generating stations.
Airports are not on that list. Arizona law does not specifically ban firearms in the public areas of an airport, but no firearm can pass through the TSA security checkpoint, and federal rules take over beyond it.
Government Buildings and Public Events
Government-owned buildings (called “public establishments” in the statute) work differently. Walking into one while armed is not automatically a crime. The offense occurs when an operator asks you to remove your weapon and you refuse.7Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons; Defenses; Classification; Definitions The same rule covers government-sponsored public events. In practice, courthouses and many government offices screen at the door, so the distinction rarely matters at those buildings.
Private Property and Businesses
Private property owners can prohibit firearms. For most businesses this runs through trespass law: if an owner or employee asks you to leave because you are carrying and you refuse, you can be charged with criminal trespassing.
Bars and restaurants with liquor licenses follow a more specific rule. A posted sign showing a firearm inside a red circle with a diagonal line, together with the words “no firearms allowed pursuant to A.R.S. section 4-229,” makes it illegal to carry inside whether or not anyone speaks to you.8Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 4 Section 4-229 – Licenses; Handguns; Posting of Notice
Alcohol and Firearms
If a bar or restaurant has not posted the required sign, an adult 21 or older who is legally allowed to possess a firearm may carry concealed inside. The hard line is drinking. You cannot consume any alcohol while in possession of a firearm on those premises. Not a beer, not a sip of wine.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 4-244 – Unlawful Acts The only exception is for undercover law enforcement on assignment.
Tribal Land Is Not Covered
Arizona’s carry laws do not apply on Native American reservations. Tribes are sovereign nations and set their own firearm policies, which can be far more restrictive than state law. Some prohibit firearms entirely for non-tribal members. Before driving through or visiting a reservation, check with that tribal government about its specific rules.
Carrying in Your Vehicle
Vehicle carry depends on your age. At 21 or older, you can carry a loaded firearm anywhere in your vehicle, openly visible or concealed, without a permit.
Between 18 and 20, concealed carry on your person is illegal. But the statute carves out broad vehicle exceptions. A firearm in a case, holster, storage compartment, glove box, map pocket, or trunk does not count as concealed carry on your person, even though the gun is out of sight.7Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons; Defenses; Classification; Definitions An 18-to-20-year-old who carries concealed on the body, outside those storage methods, commits a class 3 misdemeanor.
School parking is stricter. On K-12 grounds, an adult may have a firearm in a vehicle only if the gun is unloaded and not visible from outside the vehicle, and the vehicle stays locked whenever the driver steps out.6Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 13 Section 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons; Defenses; Classification; Definitions
If a Police Officer Asks
You are not required to volunteer that you are carrying during an encounter with police. If an officer asks whether you are carrying a concealed weapon, though, you must answer truthfully. A false answer is itself a weapons offense.7Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons; Defenses; Classification; Definitions
Openly carrying a firearm in Arizona is legal and, on its own, does not create the reasonable suspicion an officer needs to pat you down. Context still matters. If you are carrying openly and doing something else that raises suspicion, an officer may conduct a brief search for weapons during a lawful stop.
Federal Buildings and National Parks
Federal law overrides Arizona’s permissive rules inside any building owned or leased by the federal government where federal employees regularly work. That covers post offices, federal courthouses, Social Security offices, VA facilities, and IRS offices.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
National parks follow a different rule. In the open areas of a park, you can carry as long as you comply with Arizona law, so open carry is fine for anyone 18 or older. You still cannot bring a firearm into any park building, including visitor centers, ranger stations, and fee-collection offices.11U.S. National Park Service. Firearms in National Parks Discharging a firearm in a national park is also prohibited unless you are hunting in a park that specifically allows it.
Cities and Counties Cannot Add Their Own Rules
You do not have to track a patchwork of local ordinances as you move between Arizona cities and counties. State law prohibits any political subdivision from enacting firearm regulations stricter than state law, and any local rule that tries to do so is void.12Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 13 Section 13-3108 – Firearms Regulated by State; State Preemption; Injunction; Civil Penalty; Cause of Action; Violation; Classification; Definition
Why Get a Permit Anyway?
Arizona does not require a concealed carry permit, but one still has practical value. The Arizona permit is recognized in roughly 37 other states; without it, your right to carry concealed ends at the state line. A permit also exempts you from the federal background check when buying a firearm from a licensed dealer.
To apply, you must be at least 21, complete a firearms training course, submit two sets of fingerprint cards, provide government-issued photo identification, and pay a $60 application fee to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.13Arizona Department of Public Safety. Concealed Weapons Permit New Application Packet Instructions