Missouri Guns and Ammo Laws: Carry, Transport, and Penalties

Missouri gun laws let most adults buy, own, and carry firearms with few state-level restrictions: there is no permit to purchase, no registration, and since January 1, 2017, no permit required to carry concealed. The state still enforces serious penalties for prohibited persons who possess firearms, for anyone carrying into a restricted location, and for using a firearm during a crime. Federal law adds its own layer that Missouri legalization does not override.

Buying and Owning a Firearm

Missouri does not require a license to buy or own a gun. There is no state waiting period, no registration requirement, and no purchase permit for any type of firearm. Federal law sets the age floors: licensed dealers cannot sell rifles or shotguns to anyone under 18, and cannot sell handguns to anyone under 21.¹ Private sales between individuals in Missouri do not require a background check, but federal background checks still apply whenever you buy from a licensed dealer under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act.²

Who Is Prohibited

Meeting the age requirement is not enough. Under Section 571.070, you cannot possess a firearm if you have been convicted of any felony under Missouri or federal law, if you are a fugitive from justice, if you are habitually intoxicated or in a drugged condition, or if you have been adjudged mentally incompetent.³ Federal law adds more categories, including people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence offenses and those subject to certain protective orders.¹

Marijuana Users and the Federal Conflict

Missouri legalized recreational marijuana, but that does not resolve the federal conflict. Federal law prohibits anyone who uses marijuana from possessing firearms, regardless of state legalization. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services acknowledges this directly: the state constitution “does not reference or prohibit the possession or purchase of firearms” by marijuana users, but federal law may prohibit it.⁴ ATF Form 4473, filled out at every licensed dealer, asks whether you are an unlawful user of marijuana or other controlled substances. Answering dishonestly is a federal felony.

Concealed Carry Without a Permit

Missouri has been a constitutional carry state since January 1, 2017. Anyone 19 or older who can legally possess a firearm may carry a concealed weapon without a permit. Active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces and honorably discharged veterans qualify at 18. No training course, application, or fee is required for this baseline right.

Permitless carry does not override the prohibited-persons rules or the restricted-location rules. If you are a convicted felon or otherwise barred from possessing a firearm, constitutional carry does not protect you.

Why Some People Still Get a Permit

The main reason is interstate reciprocity: many other states honor Missouri’s concealed carry permit, so having one lets you carry legally when traveling. Permit holders can also carry in some Missouri locations where permitless carriers cannot, including churches and election precincts under certain conditions. To apply, you must be at least 19 (18 if active military), a Missouri resident, and able to complete a firearms safety training course that includes a live-fire exercise. Permits are issued on a shall-issue basis: the sheriff must issue one if you meet the legal requirements. Standard permits are valid for five years, with extended and lifetime options also available. Fees vary by county but generally fall in the $75 to $100 range for a standard permit.

Open Carry

Open carry is legal in Missouri without any permit, and anyone who can lawfully possess a firearm can carry one openly in most places. The catch is local. Missouri’s preemption statute generally prevents cities from enacting gun regulations stricter than state law, but it carves out an exception allowing local ordinances that regulate the open carrying of firearms.⁵

Kansas City and St. Louis have both used this authority to ban open carry. If you hold a valid concealed carry permit, the local bans do not apply to you as long as you carry the permit on your person and produce it on request from law enforcement. Check for a local ordinance before openly carrying in any Missouri city.

Where You Cannot Carry

Even with a concealed carry permit, some locations remain off limits. Under Section 571.030, carrying a firearm onto school property is a Class A misdemeanor if the gun is unloaded and a Class D felony if loaded. Carrying into a church, an election precinct on election day, or a government building is a Class B misdemeanor.⁶ Concealed carry permit holders face a longer list of places where carrying is prohibited unless the owner or manager consents:

Any police station, sheriff’s office, or highway patrol office without the consent of the chief officer
Within 25 feet of any polling place on election day
Any jail, prison, or juvenile detention center
Courthouses and courtrooms, including juvenile, family, and drug courts
Meetings of local governing bodies or the state legislature
The portion of an establishment primarily devoted to serving alcohol for on-site consumption, unless the owner consents; restaurants seating 50 or more that earn at least 51% of revenue from food are excluded from this restriction
Any airport zone controlled by inspection of persons and property
Child care facilities without the consent of the manager
Riverboat casinos without consent of the owner or manager
Gated areas of amusement parks
Churches without consent of the minister or person exercising control over the worship space

Federal law adds its own restrictions. Firearms are prohibited on any property owned or operated by the U.S. Postal Service, including inside post office buildings and the surrounding grounds, regardless of whether you have a Missouri permit.⁷ Other federal buildings, military installations, and VA facilities also prohibit firearms under their own regulations.

Transporting Firearms in a Vehicle

Anyone 19 or older (18 if military) who can legally possess a firearm may carry a loaded, concealed handgun in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle without any permit.⁶ For people under 19 who don’t qualify for the military exception, firearms must be transported in a nonfunctioning state, unloaded with ammunition not readily accessible, or otherwise not readily accessible.

State employees may keep a firearm in their vehicle on state property as long as the vehicle is locked and the firearm is not visible. You can also transport a firearm through school property if your sole purpose is picking up or dropping off a student, provided the firearm is otherwise lawfully possessed.⁶

Ammunition, Magazines, and NFA Items

Missouri places almost no restrictions on ammunition. There is no state license to buy ammunition, no quantity limit, no registration, and no background check for ammunition purchases. The state does not ban any specific type of ammunition, including hollow-point rounds. Federal law does prohibit certain armor-piercing handgun ammunition made from specific metals such as tungsten alloy, steel, or depleted uranium, and that federal prohibition applies in Missouri as it does everywhere.¹

Missouri does not restrict magazine capacity. There is no ban on high-capacity magazines, drum magazines, or any other feeding device regardless of how many rounds it holds. Suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns are legal to possess in Missouri if you comply with the federal registration and tax requirements under the National Firearms Act.

Self-Defense and the Castle Doctrine

Under Section 563.031, you may use physical force when you reasonably believe it is necessary to defend yourself or someone else from unlawful force. Deadly force is justified when you reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent death, serious physical injury, or any forcible felony.⁸

Missouri eliminates the duty to retreat almost everywhere. You have no duty to retreat from your home, your vehicle, property you own or lease, or any other location where you have a right to be. That last category effectively makes Missouri a stand-your-ground state. The Castle Doctrine specifically covers situations where someone unlawfully enters your home, residence, or vehicle; deadly force is authorized in those cases without needing to prove you tried to escape or de-escalate. The same applies to private property you own or lease. Self-defense is not available, however, if you were the initial aggressor (unless you withdrew and communicated that withdrawal) or if you were committing a forcible felony at the time.⁸

Penalties for Firearms Violations

Missouri’s penalties escalate sharply depending on who you are, where you are, and what you did with the firearm. A Class E felony carries up to four years, Class D up to seven, Class C up to ten, Class B five to fifteen, and Class A ten to thirty years or life.

Possession by a Prohibited Person

If you are a convicted felon, fugitive, or otherwise barred from possessing firearms, having a gun is a Class C felony punishable by up to ten years. The penalty rises to a Class B felony (five to fifteen years) if you were previously convicted of a dangerous felony as defined in Missouri law or if you have a prior conviction for unlawful firearm possession.³

Unlawful Transfer

Giving, selling, or otherwise transferring a firearm to someone you know is prohibited from possessing one is a Class E felony carrying up to four years. Recklessly transferring a firearm to a minor without parental consent or to someone who is intoxicated is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail.⁹

Armed Criminal Action

Using a firearm or other deadly weapon while committing any felony triggers a separate charge of armed criminal action under Section 571.015. This is an unclassified felony with a mandatory minimum of three years and a maximum of fifteen years for a first offense. If the person was unlawfully possessing the firearm, such as a convicted felon, the mandatory minimum rises to five years.¹⁰ This sentence runs on top of whatever punishment the underlying felony carries.

Unlawful Use of Weapons

The catch-all offense for carrying in the wrong place or in a threatening manner is unlawful use of weapons under Section 571.030. Penalties vary by conduct:

Carrying into a church, election precinct, or government building: Class B misdemeanor
Carrying onto school property, unloaded: Class A misdemeanor
Carrying onto school property, loaded: Class D felony
Shooting at or from a motor vehicle: Class B felony (five to fifteen years), elevated to Class A if someone is injured or killed

For shooting at or from a motor vehicle, a first offense carries a mandatory sentence at the maximum authorized term for a Class B felony.⁶

Federal Firearms Law Still Applies

In 2021, Missouri passed the Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA), which attempted to declare certain federal gun laws invalid within the state and penalize state and local officials who helped enforce them. The law was challenged in federal court, and in August 2024 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit struck it down as a violation of the Supremacy Clause.¹¹ Federal firearms laws remain fully enforceable in Missouri, and state and local law enforcement can cooperate with federal agencies on gun-related investigations without fear of state penalties.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts
2
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Brady Law
3
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 571.070 – Possession of Firearm Unlawful for Certain Persons
4
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. General FAQs
5
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 21.750 – Firearms Legislation Preemption by General Assembly
6
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 571.030 – Unlawful Use of Weapons
7
Federal Register. Conduct on Postal Property – Weapons Prohibition
8
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 563.031 – Use of Force in Defense of Persons
9
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 571.060 – Unlawful Transfer of Weapons
10
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 571.015 – Armed Criminal Action
11
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. United States v. State of Missouri, No. 23-1457