Illegal Weapons in Arizona: Banned Items, Places, and Penalties

Illegal weapons in Arizona fall into three groups: items that are banned outright (like bombs and Molotov cocktails), items that are illegal unless federally registered (short-barreled rifles and shotguns, machine guns, and suppressors), and otherwise-legal weapons that become illegal because of who has them or where they are carried. Penalties run from a class 1 misdemeanor for carrying on school grounds up to a class 2 felony for using a deadly weapon in furtherance of terrorism.

Weapons Banned Outright

Arizona’s list of “prohibited weapons” lives in A.R.S. § 13-3101. It breaks into three groups: explosive devices, modified firearms, and sound suppressors.¹

Explosive and Incendiary Devices

Bombs, grenades, mines, and rockets with a propellant charge over four ounces are prohibited when they are explosive, incendiary, or contain poison gas. So are improvised explosive devices and breakable containers filled with flammable liquid and fitted with a wick (the legal description of a Molotov cocktail). Chemical mixtures, including dry ice, are prohibited when possessed with the intent to cause an explosion or mechanical failure. Possessing the component parts intended to build any of these devices is a separate violation.¹

These items have no legal path to ownership in Arizona. Federal paperwork does not fix them.

Modified Firearms

Three configurations land on the prohibited list: rifles with barrels shorter than 16 inches, shotguns with barrels shorter than 18 inches, and any firearm converted from a rifle or shotgun that ends up shorter than 26 inches overall. Fully automatic firearms (those that fire more than one round per trigger pull) are also prohibited.¹

Suppressors

Devices designed to muffle a firearm’s report, commonly called silencers or suppressors, are on the prohibited list as well.¹

The Federal Registration Exception

Short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, machine guns, and suppressors are not treated as prohibited weapons in Arizona if they are possessed, manufactured, or transferred in compliance with federal law.¹ That means registering the item with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives through the National Firearms Act process.

As of January 1, 2026, the federal tax stamp fee for NFA items dropped from $200 to $0. The paperwork requirements did not change. You still file an ATF Form 1 (to manufacture) or Form 4 (to transfer), pass a background check, submit fingerprints, and wait for approval before taking possession. Short-barreled rifles still require engraving with the maker’s name, city, state, and caliber. Skip any step and the item stays a prohibited weapon under Arizona law, which is a class 4 felony.

Federally registered suppressors get an extra protection for hunting: the Arizona Game and Fish Commission cannot adopt or enforce any rule prohibiting their lawful use while hunting.²

Explosive devices, IEDs, and Molotov cocktails are not covered by this exception. There is no permit that makes them legal.

People Who Cannot Possess a Weapon

Arizona designates several categories of “prohibited possessors” who cannot legally hold any deadly weapon or prohibited weapon. Getting caught with a firearm as a prohibited possessor is a class 4 felony regardless of location.³

Felony Convictions

Anyone convicted of a felony, in Arizona or another state, is a prohibited possessor until firearm rights have been restored. The same applies to juveniles adjudicated delinquent for a felony.¹ For a first-time, non-dangerous felony, rights can be restored after completing all terms of the sentence, including probation. More serious or repeat offenses require a longer wait and a court petition. A common mistake: treating a sentence as “done” while probation or parole is still running. It is not done, and the person is still a prohibited possessor.

Mental Health and Incarceration

A person found by a court to be a danger to self or others, or to have a persistent or acute mental disability, cannot possess firearms until that right is specifically restored under A.R.S. § 13-925. Anyone currently in a correctional or detention facility is prohibited, as is anyone on probation, parole, community supervision, work furlough, or home arrest for a felony or domestic violence conviction.¹

Immigration Status

Undocumented immigrants and nonimmigrant aliens (those in Arizona on business, tourist, or student visas who maintain a foreign residence) are prohibited possessors under state law, with limited exceptions for lawful hunting and competitive shooting.¹ Federal law imposes an overlapping prohibition.⁴

Federal Additions

Federal law adds categories that also apply in Arizona. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), the following people cannot possess any firearm or ammunition anywhere in the United States:

Fugitives from justice
Unlawful users of, or people addicted to, controlled substances
Dishonorably discharged veterans
People under a domestic violence restraining order that restrains them from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or child and includes a finding of credible threat
Anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime involving the use or attempted use of physical force against a spouse, parent, guardian, or co-parent

The misdemeanor domestic violence ban catches people most often. No felony is required. A single misdemeanor DV conviction triggers a permanent federal firearms ban under what is commonly called the Lautenberg Amendment.⁴

Places Where a Legal Weapon Becomes Illegal

Location-based violations are a separate offense from possessing a prohibited weapon. A gun you legally own can still get you charged if you bring it into the wrong place.

School Grounds

Carrying a deadly weapon on school grounds is prohibited under A.R.S. § 13-3102. “School” means any public or private kindergarten program, elementary school, or high school. Universities and community colleges are not included. The default penalty is a class 1 misdemeanor, escalating to a class 6 felony if connected to gang activity or drug offenses. An unloaded firearm stored inside a locked vehicle controlled by an adult is permitted so long as it is not visible from outside. Firearms used in school-approved programs or hunter safety courses are also exempt.³

Polling Places and Posted Establishments

Carrying a deadly weapon into a polling place on election day is a class 1 misdemeanor. Entering a public establishment or event while carrying is also illegal once the operator or event sponsor has made a reasonable request to remove the weapon; the establishment must then offer temporary secure storage. Refusing to comply is a class 1 misdemeanor.³

Bars and Restaurants That Post the Sign

Arizona allows concealed carry in establishments that serve alcohol unless the business posts a specific sign next to its liquor license: a firearm inside a red circle with a diagonal red line, plus the words “no firearms allowed pursuant to A.R.S. section 4-229.”⁵ If that sign is up, carrying a firearm inside is illegal.

Federal Buildings and Power Plants

Federal law prohibits firearms in federal facilities. Possessing one in a federal building carries up to one year in prison, and up to five years if the weapon is brought with intent to commit a crime.⁶ Under Arizona law, entering a nuclear or hydroelectric power plant while carrying a deadly weapon is a class 4 felony.³

Penalties by Offense Class

Arizona classifies weapons offenses across a wide range under A.R.S. § 13-3102.³ The ranges below are for first-time offenders. Prior felony convictions significantly increase the minimum and maximum sentences.

Class 2 felony: possessing or using a deadly weapon in furtherance of terrorism.
Class 3 felony: shooting at an occupied structure to further a criminal street gang, or supplying a firearm knowing it will be used in a felony.
Class 4 felony: possessing a prohibited weapon, being a prohibited possessor with a weapon, using a weapon during a drug offense, or carrying into a nuclear or hydroelectric facility. First-time presumptive sentence is 2.5 years, ranging from 1 year (mitigated) to 3.75 years (aggravated).⁷
Class 6 felony: carrying a concealed weapon while committing a felony, selling a weapon to a prohibited possessor, or defacing a firearm’s serial number. First-time presumptive sentence is 1 year, ranging from 4 months to 2 years.⁷
Class 1 misdemeanor: carrying on school grounds (default), carrying at a polling place on election day, refusing to remove a weapon from a public establishment after being asked, or lying to an officer about carrying concealed.
Class 3 misdemeanor: concealed carry by a person under 21.

Concealed Carry, Briefly

Arizona is a constitutional carry state. Anyone at least 21 who can legally possess a firearm may carry it concealed without a permit. Open carry is legal without a permit at any age where firearm possession is otherwise lawful. Concealed carry under 21 is a class 3 misdemeanor. If a law enforcement officer asks whether you are carrying concealed, you must answer accurately; failing to do so or lying is a class 1 misdemeanor.³

Knives, Pepper Spray, and Other Non-Firearm Weapons

Arizona places almost no restrictions on knives. No state ban covers any knife type, including switchblades, bowie knives, and swords. Cities and counties cannot impose their own knife restrictions, though individual schools retain authority to ban knives on campus. If a knife is “designed for lethal use,” it counts as a “deadly weapon,” so the location restrictions and prohibited-possessor rules apply to it the way they apply to firearms.¹

The prohibited weapons list focuses on explosives, modified firearms, and suppressors. Pepper spray, stun guns, and tactical knives are not on it and are legal to possess and carry in Arizona.

1
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3101 – Definitions
2
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 17-251 – Possession or Use of a Firearm Silencer or Muffler While Hunting; Definition
3
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3102 – Misconduct Involving Weapons; Defenses; Classification; Definitions
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
5
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 4-229 – Licenses; Handguns; Posting of Notice
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
7
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-702 – First Time Felony Offenders; Sentencing; Definition