Wyoming Gun Laws: Permits, Reciprocity, and Penalties

Wyoming gun laws are among the most permissive in the country. Any U.S. resident who is at least 21 and legally eligible to possess a firearm can carry openly or concealed in Wyoming without a permit, buy from private sellers without a background check, and own firearms with no magazine-capacity limit and no feature-based bans. The state still enforces real limits, though, and federal law fills in gaps that catch people who assume Wyoming’s rules are the whole story.

Who Can Carry Without a Permit

Wyoming has no statute prohibiting open carry. You can carry a handgun or long gun openly in most public places without a permit, and you do not have to be a Wyoming resident. State law sets no minimum age for openly carrying a long gun, though federal law bars handgun possession by anyone under 18.

Concealed carry is also permitless under the state’s constitutional carry provision. Any U.S. resident who is at least 21 and not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm can carry a concealed handgun in Wyoming.¹ The law originally covered only Wyoming residents when it was enacted in 2011 and was later expanded to all U.S. residents.²

No training, background check, or registration is required. You do not have to notify law enforcement that you are carrying, and there is no duty to present identification solely because you have a concealed weapon. The requirements are meeting the age threshold, being a lawful U.S. resident, and not falling into a prohibited category under state or federal law.

Age matters in ways that are easy to miss. Minors under 18 generally cannot possess a firearm without parental consent, with exceptions for hunting, target shooting, and ranching under adult supervision.³ At 18, you can possess and open carry a handgun and buy a long gun from a licensed dealer, but federal law blocks licensed dealers from selling you a handgun until you turn 21.⁴ You can still acquire a handgun through a private sale, gift, or inheritance between 18 and 20, but you cannot carry it concealed under constitutional carry. At 21, every option opens up.

Why You Might Still Want a Concealed Firearm Permit

Wyoming’s Division of Criminal Investigation issues a concealed firearm permit (CFP) even though no permit is required to carry. Two reasons to get one stand out.

First, reciprocity. Many other states recognize a Wyoming permit but will not honor permitless carry from any state. If you ever drive through or visit another state armed, a CFP is often what makes that legal.

Second, federal school zones. The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act makes it a crime to possess a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, with an exemption for people holding a state-issued license whose issuance required law enforcement to verify eligibility.⁵ Constitutional carry involves no application and no verification, so it does not qualify. A Wyoming CFP does. Carrying near a school on permitless status alone can expose you to a federal charge even though state law allows it.

To get a CFP, you must be at least 21, have lived in Wyoming for at least six months, complete a state-approved firearms safety or training course, and submit to fingerprinting and an FBI and DCI background check. The application fee is $64 and the permit is valid for five years. Renewal costs $15, with a $10 late fee if you miss the expiration date.¹ You must carry the permit along with valid identification when the law requires it, and you must notify DCI within 30 days of a permanent address change or if the permit is lost or destroyed.

Who Cannot Possess a Firearm

Wyoming and federal law both prohibit certain people from possessing firearms, and the categories overlap but are not identical. If you fall into any prohibited category under either system, you cannot legally possess a firearm in Wyoming.

State law prohibits possession by anyone convicted of or who pleaded guilty to a violent felony, punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.⁶ The state also disqualifies people who chronically abuse alcohol or controlled substances, those currently adjudicated as legally incompetent, and those committed to a mental institution.

Federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) adds more categories. You cannot possess a firearm if you have been convicted of any crime punishable by more than one year in prison (not just violent felonies), are under indictment for such a crime, have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, are subject to a qualifying domestic violence restraining order, have been adjudicated as mentally defective or committed to a mental institution, are unlawfully present in the United States, or are an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.⁷

Restoring Firearm Rights

A felony conviction in Wyoming is not necessarily permanent. If you were convicted of a nonviolent felony under Wyoming law, your firearm rights are automatically restored five years after you complete your entire sentence, including probation and parole. You must have no other felony convictions apart from those arising from the same incident, and the Department of Corrections issues a certificate documenting the restoration date.⁸

Violent felonies have no automatic path. You must petition the governor, who has discretion to issue a certificate restoring rights after your sentence or probation ends. Any new felony conviction voids the certificate immediately.⁸

Where You Cannot Carry

Wyoming narrowed its restricted-locations list in 2025. Current state law bars concealed carry in these places:¹

Law enforcement facilities, without written consent from the chief administrator
Detention facilities, prisons, and jails
Courtrooms, though a judge may carry or authorize others to carry in their courtroom
The portion of a liquor-licensed establishment primarily devoted to on-premises alcohol consumption
Elementary and secondary schools, if you are a student enrolled at that school
Any location prohibited by federal law or regulation

That last line is where constitutional carriers most often run into trouble, because the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act reaches 1,000 feet past a schoolhouse door, and permitless status does not qualify for its exemption. In populated areas that zone covers a lot of ground.

Private property owners can prohibit firearms on their premises. Ignoring a posted prohibition or a direct request to leave can expose you to trespassing charges.

Buying, Selling, and Transferring

Wyoming does not require a background check for private firearm sales between individuals. There is no state registration, no waiting period, and no state-mandated paperwork. A private seller’s only legal obligation is to avoid transferring a firearm to someone they know or have reason to believe is prohibited from possessing one.

That obligation has teeth. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(d), knowingly transferring a firearm to a prohibited person is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison.⁹ Federal law also criminalizes straw purchases, where someone buys a firearm on behalf of a prohibited person or someone who intends to use it in a crime. Straw purchasing carries up to 15 years, or up to 25 years if the firearm is intended for use in a felony, drug trafficking, or terrorism.¹⁰

Keeping a written bill of sale with the buyer’s name, date, and a description of the firearm is simple insurance. If that gun later turns up at a crime scene, the record shows you transferred it legally. Some sellers run the transaction through a licensed dealer for a voluntary background check, usually for a $20 to $75 dealer fee.

Vehicles and NFA Items

You can carry a loaded firearm in your vehicle in Wyoming without a permit, openly or concealed. There is no requirement to lock it up, separate the ammunition, or store it in any particular place. The usual constitutional carry rules apply: 21 or older for concealed carry, 18 or older for open carry of a handgun, and not a prohibited person.

Wyoming places no state-level restrictions on ownership of suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, or machine guns. All of these are legal to possess as long as you comply with the federal National Firearms Act, which requires registration, a $200 tax stamp, and an ATF background check.

Self-Defense and Castle Doctrine

Wyoming is a stand-your-ground state. If you are lawfully present somewhere, not the initial aggressor, and not engaged in illegal activity, you have no duty to retreat before using force to defend yourself. The force must be what a reasonable person would consider necessary under the circumstances, up to and including deadly force to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury to yourself or someone else.¹¹

The castle doctrine adds a legal presumption when someone unlawfully and forcibly enters your home or habitation. In that situation you are presumed to have a reasonable fear of imminent death or serious injury, and the intruder is presumed to have entered with the intent to commit a violent crime. “Habitation” is defined broadly to include trailers, campers, and tents, but it does not extend to vehicles.¹¹

The presumption does not apply if the person you used force against had a legal right to be in the home (such as a co-tenant without a protective order against them), if the person removed was a child or grandchild in the lawful custody of the person you used force against, or if the intruder was a law enforcement officer performing official duties.

If a court finds your use of force was legally justified, you are immune from civil lawsuits arising from it, and the court must award you attorney fees, court costs, and compensation for lost income spent defending the civil case.¹²

Reciprocity

Wyoming honors concealed carry permits issued by any U.S. state, as long as the permit holder is at least 21 and legally eligible to possess a firearm.¹ Visitors do not need a Wyoming permit; they just need to meet those two criteria and not fall into a prohibited category.

Wyoming’s CFP has reciprocity agreements with roughly 35 states. If you plan to carry in another state, check that state’s current list before you cross the border, because rules change often and some states that recognize Wyoming permits still impose their own location restrictions.

For states that do not recognize your permit at all, the federal Peaceable Journey law provides limited protection. It allows you to transport a firearm through any state as long as you could legally possess it at your origin and destination, the firearm is unloaded, and neither the gun nor ammunition is readily accessible from the passenger compartment. In vehicles without a separate trunk, the firearm must be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.¹³

Penalties

Carrying a concealed weapon when you are ineligible is a misdemeanor for a first offense, punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $750. A second or subsequent offense is a felony, carrying up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000.¹

A person convicted of a violent felony who possesses any firearm faces a Wyoming felony with up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.⁶ Federal charges under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) for prohibited-person possession carry up to 15 years, so a single incident can draw both state and federal prosecution.⁹

Carrying into a state-restricted location is treated as a concealed-carry violation with the penalties above. Carrying into a federally restricted location, such as a school zone without a qualifying permit, is prosecuted under the applicable federal statute and carries its own penalties independent of state law.

1
Justia. Wyoming Code 6-8-104 – Wearing or Carrying Concealed Weapons; Penalties; Exceptions; Permits
2
Wyoming Legislature. 2011 SF0047 – Concealed Weapons
3
Justia. Wyoming Code 14-6-203 – Use or Possession of Firearms by Minors
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922(b) – Unlawful Acts
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
6
Justia. Wyoming Code 6-8-102 – Use or Possession of Firearm by Person Convicted of Certain Felony and Misdemeanor Offenses; Penalties; Exception
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922(g) – Unlawful Acts
8
Justia. Wyoming Code 7-13-105 – Certificate of Restoration of Rights
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 924 – Penalties
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 932 – Straw Purchasing of Firearms
11
Justia. Wyoming Code 6-2-602 – Use of Force in Self Defense; No Duty to Retreat
12
Justia. Wyoming Code 6-1-204 – Immunity From Civil Action for Justifiable Use of Force; Attorney Fees
13
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms