St. Louis Gun Laws: Open Carry, Permitless CCW, and No-Carry Zones

St. Louis gun laws are set almost entirely by Missouri state statute, not by the city. Missouri allows permitless concealed carry at age 19, has no waiting period or state permit for buying a firearm, and recognizes stand-your-ground self-defense. The city’s own authority is narrow: it can regulate where you fire a gun and, within a state-defined framework, whether you can carry one openly.

Concealed Carry Without a Permit

If you are at least 19 — or 18 and a current or honorably discharged member of the U.S. Armed Forces — and you can lawfully possess a firearm, you can carry a concealed handgun in St. Louis without any state permit or endorsement.¹

Carrying while intoxicated is a separate crime, and the loaded/unloaded distinction is enormous. Concealed carry with an unloaded firearm while intoxicated is a class A misdemeanor. With a loaded firearm, it becomes a class D felony.²

Open Carry Rules in St. Louis

Open carry is where the rules flip. Missouri’s preemption statute lets local governments regulate open carrying, and St. Louis has done so. Under the state framework, if a city prohibits open carry by ordinance, you can still open-carry — but only if you hold a valid concealed carry permit or endorsement from Missouri or a state Missouri recognizes.³

You must have the permit on your person while openly carrying, and you must show it to any officer who asks. An officer cannot disarm you absent reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, but failing to produce a valid permit can lead to penalties and seizure of the firearm.³

So concealed carry in St. Louis needs no permit. Open carry does. It feels backward, but that is the law.

Where You Cannot Carry

Missouri statute 571.107 lists 17 categories of places off-limits to concealed carry, and they apply throughout St. Louis. The ones most residents actually run into:⁴

Police stations, sheriff’s offices, and highway patrol stations, unless the officer in charge consents.
Within 25 feet of any polling place on election day. A firearm that stays inside your vehicle on the premises is not a violation.
Jails, prisons, and juvenile detention facilities.
Courthouses and courtrooms, including administrative offices and libraries occupied solely by circuit, appellate, or supreme courts.
Meetings of local governing bodies, the general assembly, or legislative committees (members with permits can carry at their own body’s meetings).
The portion of any establishment primarily devoted to serving liquor for on-premises consumption, unless the owner or manager consents.
Secured airport areas.
Schools and higher-education facilities, unless the governing body or school official consents.
Child care facilities, without the manager’s consent.
Churches and places of worship, without consent of the minister or controlling religious organization.
Any sports stadium or arena with seating capacity of 5,000 or more.
Hospitals accessible to the public.
Gated areas of amusement parks.
Riverboat casinos, without consent of the owner or manager.

Posted Private Property

A private property owner can prohibit concealed firearms by posting signs that are at least 11 by 14 inches with lettering at least one inch tall.⁴

Walking in while armed is not a criminal offense for permit holders. You can be asked to leave, and you should. If you refuse and police are called, a first citation is capped at $100. A second within six months caps at $200 and triggers a one-year permit suspension. A third within a year of the first can reach $500, permit revocation, and a three-year ban on a new one.⁴

A firearm that remains inside your vehicle in the parking lot of a posted property is not a violation, as long as it stays in the vehicle and is not brandished.

Federal Buildings Are a Separate Rule

Federal courthouses, post offices, and federal office buildings in St. Louis fall under 18 U.S.C. § 930, not Missouri law. Knowingly possessing a firearm in a federal facility is punishable by up to one year in prison; in a federal court facility, up to two years; combined with intent to commit a crime, up to five.⁵

No Missouri permit and no state permitless-carry rule overrides federal law inside these buildings.⁵

Firearms in Your Vehicle

Anyone 19 or older (or 18 with qualifying military service) who can lawfully possess a firearm can transport a concealable firearm in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle without a permit.¹

State employees get an added protection: Missouri bars the state from prohibiting employees from keeping a firearm in a locked personal vehicle on state property, provided the weapon is not visible and the employee is conducting work activities.¹

Firing a weapon from or at a motor vehicle is a serious offense under 571.030, unless you are acting in lawful self-defense.¹

Buying a Gun

Missouri has no waiting period and no state permit requirement for buying a handgun or long gun. When you buy from a licensed dealer, the dealer runs a federal background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. That is a federal rule, not a Missouri one.

Private sales between individuals do not require a background check under Missouri law. A 2020 St. Louis ordinance acknowledged that “the State of Missouri does not require a background check prior to the transfer of a firearm between unlicensed parties.”⁶ Because of state preemption, the city cannot impose its own background check requirement on private transfers.

Who Cannot Possess a Firearm

Missouri statute 571.070 makes it unlawful possession to knowingly have a firearm if you fall into any of these categories:⁷

Convicted felon under Missouri, another state’s, or federal law (if the crime would be a felony in Missouri). Antique firearms are exempted.
Fugitive from justice.
Habitually intoxicated or drugged.
Currently adjudged mentally incompetent.

The base offense is a class C felony. If the underlying conviction was for a “dangerous felony” as defined by Missouri law, or if you have a prior unlawful-possession conviction, it rises to a class B felony.⁷

Federal prohibited-person categories also apply in St. Louis and are broader in places, covering people subject to certain domestic violence protection orders and those convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence offenses.

Self-Defense and Use of Force

Missouri is a stand-your-ground state with castle doctrine protections. Under section 563.031, you have no duty to retreat before using force in self-defense anywhere you have a legal right to be — your home, your vehicle, private property you own or lease, or any other such place.⁸

Deadly force is justified in two broad situations. The first is when you reasonably believe it is necessary to protect yourself or another against death, serious physical injury, or any forcible felony. The second is when someone unlawfully enters or attempts to unlawfully enter your dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle; in that scenario, the law presumes you reasonably feared serious harm.⁸

You lose the justification if you were the initial aggressor (unless you clearly withdrew and the other person kept coming), if you were committing a forcible felony, or if the person you were defending would not have been justified in using that force themselves. Deadly force to protect property alone, with no perceived threat to a person, is generally not justified.

Firing a Gun Inside the City

Discharging a firearm in St. Louis is regulated by local ordinance, which is one of the narrow areas state preemption leaves to the city. Ordinance 71820 creates the offense of unlawful discharge of a firearm within city limits.⁹

Celebratory gunfire into the air and firing toward public areas are treated as endangerment. No local ordinance can override lawful self-defense; the state preemption statute protects that right explicitly.³

Minors

Permitless carry begins at 19 (or 18 with qualifying military service), so anyone younger cannot legally carry a concealed firearm. St. Louis handles minors carrying weapons in public more aggressively through local ordinances, and violations can lead to weapon confiscation and juvenile court involvement. Allowing a minor to possess a firearm unsupervised in public can also create consequences for the adult responsible. Supervised activities like target practice are excepted.

Why Get a Permit Anyway

Even in a permitless state, a Missouri concealed carry permit is worth getting if you travel. Many states honor a Missouri permit through reciprocity but will not recognize permitless carry from an out-of-state visitor. If you cross into Illinois or drive farther, that endorsement keeps you legal.

To apply, you must be at least 19, a U.S. citizen or permanent resident who has established Missouri residency, and clear of disqualifying criminal convictions or mental health adjudications. The application goes through your county sheriff’s office and requires fingerprinting.¹⁰

You also have to complete a firearms safety course that covers handgun safety, Missouri concealed carry law, and justifiable use of force. The live-fire portion requires firing at least 20 rounds at a target from seven yards, followed by a 20-round test administered by the instructor.¹⁰

The application fee is $93 for a new permit, $50 for a renewal, and $500 for a lifetime permit. Standard permits are valid for five years. Processing takes up to 45 days. Training course costs are separate and vary by instructor, typically from $75 to several hundred dollars.

No Red Flag Law in Missouri

Missouri has not enacted an extreme risk protection order law. There is no state-level civil process for family members or law enforcement to petition a court to temporarily remove firearms from someone deemed a danger. If someone who legally possesses firearms appears to pose a risk but has not committed a disqualifying offense, St. Louis residents have no state mechanism to pursue temporary removal on risk alone.

1
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.030 – Unlawful Use of Weapons, Offense of, Exceptions, Violation, Penalties
2
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.030 – Unlawful Use of Weapons, Offense of, Exceptions, Violation, Penalties
3
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 21.750 – Firearms Legislation Preemption by General Assembly
4
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.107 – Permit Does Not Authorize Concealed Firearms, Where, Penalty for Violation
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
6
St. Louis City Government. Ordinance 71041 – Gun Background Check
7
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.070 – Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Penalty
8
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 563.031 – Use of Force in Defense of Persons
9
St. Louis City Government. Ordinance 71820 – Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm
10
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.101 – Concealed Carry Permit, Application, Requirements