No. You do not have to register a handgun in Nebraska. The state has never kept a handgun registry, and since September 2023 state law bars cities, counties, and villages from running one of their own. What Nebraska does require is a Firearm Purchase Certificate before you acquire a handgun, which is a prerequisite to buying rather than a record of what you own.
No Registration at Any Level in Nebraska
Nebraska has no statewide firearms registry and no mechanism for recording who owns which handgun. There is no form to file after a purchase, no database your name goes into, and no renewal to track.
Local registration is also off the table. Before 2023, the City of Omaha required registration of concealable firearms under a municipal ordinance, and out-of-town visitors sometimes ran afoul of it without knowing. That ordinance can no longer be enforced. Legislative Bill 77, passed in 2023, amended Nebraska Revised Statute 18-1703 to declare that counties, cities, and villages cannot require registration of firearms or regulate the ownership, possession, storage, transportation, sale, or transfer of firearms except as expressly provided by state law. Any local ordinance that conflicts with that preemption is “null and void.”1Nebraska Legislature. Legislative Bill 77
So whether you live in Omaha, Lincoln, Scottsbluff, or anywhere else in the state, no one is going to ask you to register the handgun sitting in your safe.
What Nebraska Requires Instead: The Firearm Purchase Certificate
The paperwork tied to a handgun in Nebraska happens before the purchase, not after. Under Nebraska Revised Statute 69-2403, you must hold a Firearm Purchase Certificate before you can buy, lease, or receive a handgun from any source, including a licensed dealer or a private seller.2Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 69-2403 – Sale, Lease, Rental, and Transfer; Certificate Required; Exceptions
You apply through the chief of police or sheriff in your county of residence. Applications can be made in person or by mail. If you apply in person, bring a current Nebraska driver’s license, state ID card, military ID, or tribal enrollment card. If you apply by mail, the form has to be notarized and your identity verified through one of those same documents. The fee is $5, which covers the criminal background check.3Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Revised Statute 69-2404
Once issued, the certificate is valid statewide for three years and lets you acquire an unlimited number of handguns during that period.4Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Revised Statutes Sections 69-2401 to 69-2408 A valid Concealed Handgun Permit does the same job: if you already hold one, you do not need a separate purchase certificate.
None of this creates a record of the handgun itself. The certificate confirms that you have cleared a background check and are eligible to acquire a handgun. It does not track serial numbers, models, or how many guns you have bought.
Who Can Legally Own a Handgun in Nebraska
You have to be at least 21 to apply for a Firearm Purchase Certificate and to buy a handgun from a licensed dealer. Nebraska also prohibits anyone under 18 from possessing a handgun at all.5Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 28-1206 – Possession of a Deadly Weapon by a Prohibited Person; Penalty
Both federal and state law bar certain people from possessing firearms entirely. Under federal law, you cannot possess a firearm if you have been convicted of a felony, convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, dishonorably discharged from the military, are subject to certain domestic violence protective orders, have been adjudicated as mentally incompetent or committed to a mental institution, are an unlawful user of a controlled substance, or are unlawfully present in the United States.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts Nebraska’s state-level disqualifications under Revised Statute 28-1206 overlap substantially and add categories including certain juvenile adjudications.5Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 28-1206 – Possession of a Deadly Weapon by a Prohibited Person; Penalty
Marijuana Use Is a Disqualifier
This one catches people off guard. Marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, and anyone who uses it is a prohibited person who cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition. That holds even if a neighboring state issued you a medical marijuana card, and even if you only use marijuana in states where it is legal. The ATF has said there are no exceptions for medicinal use sanctioned by state law, and a licensed dealer who knows a buyer holds a medical marijuana card cannot complete the sale.7Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Open Letter to All Federal Firearms Licensees
Penalties for a prohibited person caught with a firearm reach up to 10 years in federal prison. For someone with three or more prior convictions for violent felonies or drug trafficking, the minimum climbs to 15 years without parole.8Department of Justice. Quick Reference to Federal Firearms Laws
Private Sales Still Require the Certificate
The absence of registration does not mean private handgun transfers happen on a handshake. Nebraska is one of the few states that extends its purchase-certificate requirement to private sales. A private seller cannot legally transfer a handgun to anyone who does not hold a valid Firearm Purchase Certificate or Concealed Handgun Permit.2Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 69-2403 – Sale, Lease, Rental, and Transfer; Certificate Required; Exceptions
Enforcement at the point of sale is simple: ask to see the buyer’s certificate or permit before handing over the firearm. If the buyer cannot produce one, the sale cannot proceed legally. When you buy from a federally licensed dealer, presenting a valid certificate or CHP also exempts you from the point-of-sale NICS background check, because the certificate itself was issued after a background screening.9Nebraska Legislature. Firearm Purchase Background Checks
Registration Is Separate From Carry Rules
No registration does not mean no rules once you own the handgun. Since September 2023 Nebraska has allowed permitless concealed carry for anyone at least 21 years old and not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm,10Nebraska State Patrol. CHP Frequently Asked Questions but state law still lists specific places where concealed handguns are off-limits regardless of whether you have a permit, including courts, schools, hospitals, banks, houses of worship, and polling places.11Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 69-2441 – Permitholder; Locations; Restrictions; Posting of Prohibition If you plan to carry, those rules, along with the duty to inform law enforcement when contacted, deserve their own close read. They are a separate question from whether the handgun itself needs to be registered. It does not.