Do You Need a Permit to Buy a Gun in Florida?

No. You do not need a permit to buy a gun in Florida. The state issues no purchase permit, license, or registration card, and you can walk into a licensed firearms dealer and buy a handgun, rifle, or shotgun without any state-issued purchase authorization.¹ What you do need is to meet the age and residency rules, pass a background check at the dealer, and wait out a mandatory three-day cooling-off period before the firearm goes home with you.

Who Can Buy a Gun in Florida

You must be at least 21 years old to buy any firearm from a licensed dealer in Florida, whether it’s a handgun, a rifle, or a shotgun. The rule took effect after the 2018 Parkland shooting, and selling or facilitating the transfer of a firearm to anyone under 21 is a third-degree felony.²

There is one narrow age exception. Law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and active-duty military servicemembers can buy a rifle or shotgun at 18.² It does not extend to handguns for anyone under 21.

Residency matters for handguns. To buy a handgun from a Florida dealer, you must be a Florida resident. Residents of other states can still buy rifles and shotguns from a Florida dealer as long as the sale complies with the laws of both states. Every buyer has to show a valid government-issued photo ID. Legal permanent resident aliens must also present a valid alien registration number, and non-resident aliens have additional paperwork requirements including an I-94.¹

What Happens at the Dealer

The Background Check

Florida runs its own background checks instead of routing them through the FBI. When you buy from a licensed dealer, the dealer contacts the Florida Department of Law Enforcement directly. You fill out a consent form, the dealer inspects your photo ID, and FDLE checks your information against both the Florida Crime Information Center and the National Crime Information Center. If you clear, FDLE issues a unique approval number that gets recorded on your paperwork.²

You will also complete ATF Form 4473, the federal firearms transaction record, certifying under penalty of perjury that you are not a prohibited person.³ The dealer keeps the form on file.

The Three-Day Waiting Period

Clearing the check doesn’t mean leaving with the gun. Three days must pass between the sale and the delivery, not counting weekends or state holidays. If the background check runs longer than three days, the dealer holds the firearm until FDLE issues approval; the later event controls.¹ The waiting period applies to all firearms sold by licensed dealers, rifles and shotguns included.

Some buyers are exempt from the wait:

Holders of a valid Florida Concealed Weapon or Firearm License, who also skip the state background check.²
Buyers trading in another firearm as part of the transaction.
Buyers of a rifle or shotgun who have completed a 16-hour hunter safety course and hold a valid certification card.
Law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and servicemembers.

County rules can tighten this. Florida’s preemption statute generally bars local governments from regulating firearms, but the state Constitution lets counties impose waiting periods of three to five business days on sales within their jurisdiction.⁴ Check your county before assuming the three-day state floor is all that applies.

Private Sales Between Individuals

State law does not require a background check or any waiting period when a firearm is sold between two private individuals who are not licensed dealers. If your neighbor wants to sell you a hunting rifle, Florida does not require that sale to go through a dealer or involve FDLE. The buyer still cannot be a prohibited person, and a seller who knowingly transfers a firearm to someone who is ineligible commits a crime.

Counties can add rules here too. The Florida Constitution authorizes them to require background checks and three-to-five-day waiting periods on private transfers within their borders, so what applies to a backyard sale depends on where you live.

One boundary worth knowing: anyone who regularly buys and sells firearms for profit needs a federal firearms license. Calling yourself a private seller while operating like a business doesn’t exempt you from dealer requirements, and federal penalties for crossing that line are serious.

Who Cannot Buy or Own a Firearm

The background check exists to catch people on the prohibited lists, but the prohibitions apply whether or not a check runs. Under Florida law, you cannot buy a firearm if you are a convicted felon whose civil rights and firearm authority have not been restored through the state’s clemency process. Restoring civil rights alone is not enough; firearm rights require a separate clemency application.⁵

If a court withheld adjudication on a felony charge or on a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, you cannot purchase a firearm until three years after you complete all sentencing requirements. A juvenile adjudicated delinquent for a crime that would have been a felony if committed by an adult is barred until age 24 or until the record is expunged.⁶

Federal law adds its own disqualifiers that apply regardless of state law. You cannot buy or possess a firearm if you have been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison, are an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance, have been adjudicated mentally defective or involuntarily committed, are subject to a qualifying domestic violence restraining order, have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, were dishonorably discharged, or have renounced your U.S. citizenship.⁷

Florida also has a risk protection order process, sometimes called a red flag law. Only a law enforcement officer or agency can petition, not family members. A court can issue a temporary order without advance notice when there is evidence of significant danger, and after a full hearing a final order can bar firearm purchase and possession for up to a year, renewable.⁸

If Your Background Check Is Delayed or Denied

FDLE approves the great majority of checks almost immediately. About 2% go into a pending status for additional research by FDLE’s Eligibility Research Unit, usually because of similar-name records, old charges with unclear dispositions, or missing court data.⁶ Faxing or emailing certified court documents that resolve the ambiguity often clears a pending hold.

A non-approval means FDLE found a prohibiting record and the dealer cannot complete the transfer. If you believe the record is wrong, you can contact FDLE to request a review.⁶

Why a Concealed Weapon License Still Matters

Since July 1, 2023, Florida has allowed permitless concealed carry. You still have to meet every eligibility requirement that would qualify you for a Concealed Weapon or Firearm License, and you have to carry valid ID while armed. Permitless carry only applies inside Florida.

The CWFL is still worth getting for two reasons tied to buying guns. A valid license exempts you from both the three-day waiting period and the state background check at the dealer, which lets you take delivery the same day.² It also activates reciprocity with other states, which matters if you travel armed.

Penalties for Illegal Purchases

Lying on ATF Form 4473 is a federal felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. That includes answering “no” to the drug-use question while being an active user, or concealing a felony conviction. Federal prosecutors pursue these “lie-and-try” cases aggressively.⁹

Straw purchases, where you buy a gun for someone who cannot legally buy one, carry up to 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum rises to 25 years if the firearm is later used in a felony, an act of terrorism, or drug trafficking.¹⁰

And a dealer or individual who sells or facilitates the transfer of a firearm to anyone under 21 commits a third-degree felony under state law.² Florida separately makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to sell or give a firearm to a minor without the parent or guardian’s permission. No permit is required to buy a gun in Florida, but cutting corners on who buys and how creates felony exposure for buyer and seller alike.

1
Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Requirements to Purchase a Firearm
2
Florida Senate. Florida Code 790.065 – Sale and Delivery of Firearms
3
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Firearms Transaction Record – ATF Form 4473
4
The Florida Statutes. Florida Code 790.33 – Field of Regulation of Firearms and Ammunition Preempted
5
Justia Law. Florida Code 790.23 – Felons and Delinquents; Possession of Firearms
6
Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Firearm Transaction Decisions
7
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Identify Prohibited Persons
8
The Florida Statutes. Florida Code 790.401 – Risk Protection Orders
9
United States Department of Justice. U.S. Attorney and ATF Target Those Who Lie-And-Try to Purchase Firearms
10
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Don’t Lie for the Other Guy