Wyoming’s constitutional carry law lets most adults carry a concealed firearm without a permit, but Wyoming gun-free zones still exist and the penalties for ignoring them are serious. Firearms remain banned in courtrooms, jails and detention facilities, law enforcement offices without written permission, the bar portions of businesses primarily devoted to on-site alcohol service, K–12 schools for enrolled students, and essentially all federal property. A separate federal rule reaches 1,000 feet around any school. Everything else on the old restricted list, including government meetings, legislative sessions, and the general school ban for non-students, was repealed effective July 1, 2025.
State Restrictions That Still Apply
Four categories survived the 2025 repeal of Wyo. Stat. § 6-8-104(t) and still carry criminal penalties.1Justia. Wyoming Code 6-8-104 – Wearing or Carrying Concealed Weapons; Penalties; Exceptions; Permits
Detention Facilities and Law Enforcement Offices
Prisons, jails, and detention facilities are completely off-limits. Law enforcement facilities require written consent from the chief administrator before you can enter armed. These buildings typically run metal detectors and secured storage, so a firearm will be caught at the door.
Courtrooms
Firearms are prohibited in a courtroom unless the presiding judge specifically authorizes you to carry. Judges themselves may carry. The statute targets the courtroom rather than the entire building, though many courthouse facilities enforce broader security as a practical matter.
Bars and the Bar Portions of Restaurants
You cannot carry concealed in any portion of a business licensed to serve alcohol on-site where alcohol service is the primary purpose of that area. A dedicated bar area where most revenue comes from drinks qualifies. The dining room of the same restaurant, where food is the main draw, does not. When the business is entirely a bar with no meaningful food operation, the whole premises is restricted. Signage is inconsistent, and the legal responsibility to recognize the character of the space falls on you. A Wyoming concealed carry permit can also be revoked if the holder is convicted of alcohol abuse while carrying.2Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. Concealed Firearms Permits – Frequently Asked Questions
Schools: The Most Confusing Zone
The 2025 law overhauled school carry, and the picture now depends entirely on who you are.
Students
If you are enrolled as a student at any elementary or secondary school in Wyoming, you cannot carry a concealed firearm into any school facility, period. That prohibition remains in Wyo. Stat. § 6-8-104(t)(ix) and was untouched by the repeal.1Justia. Wyoming Code 6-8-104 – Wearing or Carrying Concealed Weapons; Penalties; Exceptions; Permits
Employees and Volunteers
Each school board can adopt rules governing concealed carry by its employees and volunteers, backed by substantial live-fire, scenario-based, and annual recertification training requirements.3Justia. Wyoming Code 6-8-105 – Exceptions for State Issued Concealed Carry Permits; Penalty Where a board has not adopted any rules at all, employees and volunteers who hold a Wyoming concealed carry permit may carry on school property by default.
The Federal 1,000-Foot School Zone
State permission is not the end of the story. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(q), it is a federal crime to knowingly possess a firearm on the grounds of, or within 1,000 feet of, a public or private school.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Exceptions include possession on private property within the zone and possession by individuals licensed by the state where the zone sits. A Wyoming concealed carry permit satisfies that licensing exception. Constitutional carry without a permit may not. This is the single strongest practical reason to obtain a Wyoming permit even though state law doesn’t require one.
Colleges and Universities
Concealed carry is now allowed on public university and college campuses in Wyoming, though governmental entities retain the authority to prohibit open carry inside their facilities.3Justia. Wyoming Code 6-8-105 – Exceptions for State Issued Concealed Carry Permits; Penalty The University of Wyoming prohibits open carry inside buildings while allowing it on the grounds, permits concealed carry by Wyoming permit holders on campus, and maintains certain exclusion zones where concealed carry remains prohibited.5University of Wyoming. Campus Carry FAQs Institutions cannot ban authorized students or employees from storing firearms and ammunition in their dorm rooms or campus residences, and cannot require unloaded storage or separation from ammunition, though they can require a biometric container or lock box within the owner’s direct control.
Federal Property in Wyoming
No state permit or constitutional carry provision overrides federal firearms restrictions, and § 6-8-104(t)(xi) explicitly says so.1Justia. Wyoming Code 6-8-104 – Wearing or Carrying Concealed Weapons; Penalties; Exceptions; Permits
Federal Buildings and Courthouses
Under 18 U.S.C. § 930, possessing a firearm in any federal facility is a crime punishable by up to one year in prison. In a federal courthouse the maximum is two years. If prosecutors show the weapon was intended for use in a crime, the penalty reaches five years.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities A federal facility is any building or portion of a building owned or leased by the federal government where federal employees regularly perform their duties.
Post Offices
Federal regulation flatly prohibits carrying firearms, openly or concealed, on any postal property, and also prohibits storing them there. The ban covers the building, the lobby, and the surrounding grounds under Postal Service control.7eCFR. 39 CFR 232.1 – Conduct on Postal Property
VA Facilities
Under 38 C.F.R. § 1.218, no person may carry firearms, openly or concealed, on VA property except for official purposes. The regulation sets a $500 fine for possessing a firearm on VA grounds, loaded or unloaded, and federal criminal charges may also apply.8eCFR. 38 CFR 1.218 – Security and Law Enforcement at VA Facilities
National Parks and Forests
You can legally carry a firearm in the open spaces of national parks and forests in Wyoming, including Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Any building inside those parks that qualifies as a federal facility under § 930 remains off-limits. Visitor centers and ranger stations staffed by federal employees are the common examples.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
Airports
Wyoming’s airports follow federal TSA rules. Firearms cannot go in carry-on baggage or past a security checkpoint. A firearm must be unloaded, locked in a hard-sided container, transported as checked baggage only, and declared at the ticket counter during check-in.9Transportation Security Administration. Transporting Firearms and Ammunition TSA treats a firearm as loaded whenever the firearm and ammunition are both accessible to you at the same time, regardless of whether a round is chambered. Ammunition must be securely packaged and may travel in the same hard-sided case; magazines and clips, loaded or empty, must be boxed or placed inside the locked case.10Transportation Security Administration. Firearms and Ammunition
Private Property
Private property owners in Wyoming can prohibit firearms on their premises. There is no state statute prescribing a specific sign or notice format. The practical rule is straightforward: if an owner or their agent tells you to leave, or posts signs reasonably likely to get your attention, remaining while armed exposes you to criminal trespass charges. Under Wyo. Stat. § 6-3-303, criminal trespass is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $750, or both.11Justia. Wyoming Code 6-3-303 – Criminal Trespass; Penalties This covers retail stores, offices, restaurants, and any other privately owned space. Notice is the trigger.
What Is No Longer a Gun-Free Zone
Two common beliefs are now out of date. First, you can legally carry a concealed firearm into government meetings, city council sessions, and legislative hearings in Wyoming; HB 0172 repealed those restrictions effective July 1, 2025. Second, churches and other houses of worship have not been statutory gun-free zones since July 1, 2018, though religious organizations can still ban firearms as private property owners. The 2025 law also removed the general school-facility prohibition for non-students, which is why the current school rules turn on who you are and what the school board has decided.
Penalties for Carrying Where You Shouldn’t
Violating Wyoming’s remaining concealed carry restrictions is a misdemeanor for a first offense, punishable by a fine of up to $750, up to six months in jail, or both. A second or subsequent offense is a felony carrying a fine of up to $2,000, up to two years in prison, or both.1Justia. Wyoming Code 6-8-104 – Wearing or Carrying Concealed Weapons; Penalties; Exceptions; Permits A felony conviction would also permanently strip your right to possess firearms under federal law.
Federal charges stack on top of state ones. Possession in a regular federal building can mean up to one year in prison, in a federal courthouse up to two years, and the scheduled VA fine runs $500 before any additional federal charges.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities Carrying into a restricted federal location within Wyoming can draw prosecution under both systems.