Vermont gun laws let any eligible adult carry a firearm openly or concealed without a permit, but the state regulates nearly every other part of ownership: who can possess a gun, how private sales must be run, a 72-hour waiting period after purchase, magazine capacity limits, a ban on bump stocks and unserialized “ghost guns,” restrictions on where you can carry, and criminal liability for careless storage.
Permitless Carry and Who Can’t Use It
Vermont has never required a permit to carry a firearm, and it does not issue concealed carry permits. Any resident or visitor who is legally eligible to possess a firearm may carry it openly or concealed anywhere that isn’t a prohibited location. There is no application, no training requirement, and no fee.
The entire system rests on eligibility, so the prohibited categories matter more here than in most states. Two statutes do the work, and both carry the same penalty: up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.
Under 13 V.S.A. § 4017, anyone convicted of a “violent crime” loses the right to possess firearms. Vermont defines violent crime more broadly than many people assume, reaching aggravated assault and sexual assault but also certain drug trafficking convictions and offenses involving sexual exploitation of children.1Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 – Persons Prohibited From Possessing Firearms; Conviction of Violent Crime A comparable conviction from another state also counts if it would trigger a federal firearms disability under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g).
13 V.S.A. § 4017a reaches a different group: fugitives from justice, people subject to a final relief-from-abuse order under 15 V.S.A. § 1103, and people subject to a final stalking order that specifically prohibits firearms. It also covers people with pending charges for certain serious offenses, including carrying a weapon while committing a felony, drug trafficking, and human trafficking.2Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Statutes Title 13 Chapter 85 – Weapons A defendant served with a relief-from-abuse order must immediately turn over all firearms and cannot acquire any while the order is in effect.3Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 15 – Conditions of Relief From Abuse Orders
If you fall into any of these categories, carrying a firearm is a separate crime on top of the possession violation.
Buying a Firearm in Vermont
You Must Be 21
Vermont prohibits the sale of any firearm to a person under 21. A seller who violates this faces up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. The restriction has exceptions for law enforcement officers, active or veteran members of the National Guard or U.S. Armed Forces, and anyone who can show proof of completing an approved hunter safety course.4Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 – Sale of Firearms to Persons Under 21 Years of Age Prohibited The age rule applies to sales. Family gifts and transfers are treated differently.
Background Checks Cover Private Sales Too
Since 2018, nearly every firearm transfer between private parties must go through a licensed dealer who runs a background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Both the buyer and seller must appear in person at the dealer with the firearm, and the dealer processes the transaction the same way as a retail sale.5Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 – Firearms Transfers; Background Checks If NICS has not returned a result after seven business days, the transfer may proceed.
Four exemptions apply under 13 V.S.A. § 4019(f):
- Transfers between immediate family members (parents, children, spouses, siblings).
- Transfers to or from law enforcement agencies, or transfers involving officers or military members acting in their official capacity.
- Emergency transfers to prevent imminent harm, which are exempt for as long as the emergency exists.
Dealers typically charge a fee to facilitate private transfers, commonly in the range of $25 to $75.
The 72-Hour Waiting Period
A cleared background check does not end the wait. Vermont requires a 72-hour waiting period that starts when NICS provides the dealer with a unique identification number for the transfer. If NICS has not responded at all, the transfer can proceed after seven business days, but the 72-hour clock only starts ticking once the number comes through. A seller who hands over a firearm before the waiting period expires faces up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $500, or both.6Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 – Firearms Transfers; Waiting Period
What You Can’t Own or Attach
Magazine Capacity
Vermont caps magazine capacity at 10 rounds for long guns and 15 rounds for handguns. Possessing, selling, buying, or importing a magazine that exceeds these limits is illegal, with a penalty of up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $500, or both.7Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 – Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Devices
A grandfather clause protects magazines lawfully possessed before April 11, 2018. If you owned one before that date, you may keep it and may transport it back into Vermont after traveling out of state.8Department of Public Safety. New Vermont Gun Laws FAQs
Bump Stocks
Possessing a bump-fire stock is illegal. Vermont defines it as a butt stock designed for a semi-automatic firearm that uses recoil energy to increase the rate of fire to match a fully automatic weapon. The penalty is up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.9Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 – Bump-Fire Stocks; Possession Prohibited
Ghost Guns
As of February 2025, Vermont prohibits the possession and transfer of unserialized firearms, frames, and receivers, including those made with a 3D printer. If you already own an unserialized firearm, you must have a licensed dealer imprint it with a serial number to bring it into compliance.10Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 – Unlawful Conduct Involving Unserialized Firearms, Frames, and Receivers
Penalties escalate with repeat offenses. A first possession offense is a civil violation with a maximum penalty of $50. A second offense carries up to two years in prison and a $1,000 fine; a third carries up to three years and a $2,000 fine. Transferring or offering to transfer an unserialized firearm starts higher: a first offense carries up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $500, or both. Using an unserialized firearm while committing a violent crime carries up to five years and a $5,000 fine. Antiques, firearms manufactured before 1968, and permanently inoperable firearms are exempt.
Where You Can’t Carry
Permitless carry does not mean carry anywhere. Several categories of locations are off-limits regardless of eligibility.
Firearms are banned inside school buildings and on school buses. A first offense carries up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $1,000; a second or subsequent offense increases to up to three years and $5,000. Possessing a firearm on broader school property, including grounds, parking lots, and school-owned vehicles, is a separate offense that applies only when you have the intent to injure someone.11Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 – Possession of Dangerous or Deadly Weapon in a School Bus or School Building or on School Property School boards can authorize exceptions for specific purposes, such as instructional programs.
Courthouses certified as secured buildings by the Court Administrator prohibit all dangerous and deadly weapons. Carrying a firearm in any courthouse without court authorization is punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $500, or both.12Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 – Weapons in Court
Federal property follows federal rules, not state ones. Post offices, federal buildings, and VA medical centers all prohibit firearms under 18 U.S.C. § 930. Violating that prohibition carries up to one year in federal prison, with the penalty increasing to up to five years if the weapon was intended for use in a crime.13United States Postal Service. Possession of Firearms and Other Dangerous Weapons on Postal Service Property Is Prohibited by Law
Private property owners and businesses can also ban firearms from their premises. If a business posts a no-firearms sign and you refuse to leave after being asked, you can be charged with trespassing.
Safe Storage Can Make You Criminally Liable
Since 2023, Vermont holds gun owners criminally liable for negligent storage when a child under 18 or a prohibited person gains access to a firearm the owner knew or should have known was accessible. Penalties depend on what happens next:
- If the firearm is used in a crime or displayed as a threat: up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.
- If use causes death or serious bodily injury: up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.
The statute does not mandate a specific lock or safe, but using a locking device or secure container is the clearest way to avoid liability.14Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 – Negligent Firearms Storage If you share a home with anyone under 18 or anyone prohibited from possessing firearms, this is the law most likely to catch you off guard.
Extreme Risk Protection Orders
Vermont’s “red flag” law lets a court temporarily strip someone’s firearms when they pose an extreme risk of harm to themselves or others. A State’s Attorney, the Attorney General’s office, or a family or household member can file a petition seeking an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO). If the court finds clear and convincing evidence of the risk, it issues an order requiring the person to surrender all dangerous weapons for up to six months.15Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 – Petition for Extreme Risk Protection Order The petitioner can request a renewal for an additional six months under 13 V.S.A. § 4055.
In emergencies, a court can issue a temporary ex parte order, meaning without the subject being present, that lasts up to 14 days. A hearing follows before the temporary order can convert into a six-month order.16Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 13 – Emergency Relief; Temporary Ex Parte Order
Local Governments Can’t Add Their Own Rules
Vermont prevents cities and towns from passing their own firearm regulations. Under 24 V.S.A. § 2295, municipalities cannot enact ordinances regulating the possession, ownership, sale, transfer, carrying, licensing, or registration of firearms or ammunition, and this preemption overrides any inconsistent municipal charter provisions.17Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 24 – Authority of Municipal and County Governments to Regulate Firearms, Ammunition, Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping The rules in this article apply statewide. You won’t encounter a Burlington ordinance that bans something Montpelier allows.