(Source: USCCA Website)
Missouri is a permitless carry state as well as a shall-issue state. However, permits are issued for reciprocity purposes, at the local level by county sheriffs.
There is no permit, background check or firearms registration required when buying a handgun from a private individual.
Open carry and concealed carry are legal in Missouri without a Concealed Carry Permit (CCP) for anyone 19 years or older who can legally possess a firearm (18 for members of the military or honorably discharged). However, local authorities can restrict concealed carry in any building owned, leased or controlled by the county or municipality and may require a CCP for open carry. Missouri law does not plainly state you don’t need a permit to carry. They changed the definition of “unlawful use of a weapon” to only apply when a person carries a weapon into a place that is off-limits per Missouri law.
To obtain a Missouri CCP, you must be at least 19 years old (18 for members of the military or honorably discharged) and have passed a firearms training course. The application must be made in your county of residence. Non-resident permits are only available to persons who are on active military duty or veterans who are at least 18 years old and stationed in Missouri. There are a number of restricted locations including courthouses and public passenger buses and trains. In terms of reciprocity, since permitless carry is legal in Missouri anyone 19 years or older who can legally possess a firearm may carry a concealed firearm on his or her person without a license or permit.
Self-Defense
Missouri is a Castle Doctrine state and became the 25th state to adopt a “stand your ground” law. It empowers gun owners to defend themselves outside of their homes or properties. Individuals are not required to retreat, wherever they may lawfully be, prior to using deadly force. This assumes the person was not the initial aggressor and is not attempting to commit a crime.
Physical force is justifiable:
- When an individual believes that the physical force used is necessary for the defense of themselves (or others) from an attack of unlawful force from another person.
- When an individual believes that the force is reasonably necessary to prevent another person from stealing, damaging or tampering with property.
Deadly force is justifiable:
- When an individual reasonably believes that the force is necessary for self-defense or defense of others (including unborn children) to prevent death, serious physical injury or a forcible felony.
- When an individual uses such force against a person who unlawfully enters a dwelling, residence or vehicle.
- When an individual uses such force against a person who unlawfully enters, attempts to enter or remains after unlawfully entering private property where the owner of authorized individual claims justification for using protective force under this law.
It should be noted that in 2016, the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Eastern District held in State v. Whipple that deadly force under the castle doctrine can only be used when you reasonably believe such force is necessary to protect yourself or someone else from “the use or imminent use of unlawful force” and not solely to protect property.
Missouri law also prohibits political subdivisions to preclude the use of firearms to defend people or property.
[§§ 563.033 and 563.041, RSMo]
What You Should Know
Carrying a firearm for self-defense comes with a lot of responsibility. Knowing the laws where you carry is just one important task you must undertake as an armed American. To help with that, we’ve provided a comprehensive overview of Missouri gun laws. Learn about the most important things to know when carrying in the Show-Me State below.
Can You Carry a Gun in Missouri?
Missouri is a Permitless carry state. Open carry and concealed carry are legal in Missouri for anyone 19 years or older who can legally possess a firearm — with or without a Concealed Carry Permit (CCP).
However, local authorities can restrict concealed carry in any building owned, leased or controlled by the county or municipality (and may require a CCP for open carry).
Missouri Concealed Carry Permit
The minimum age to obtain a Missouri CCP is 19 years old (18 for members of the military or those honorably discharged). Applicants must also pass a firearms training course.
Non-resident permits are only available to persons who are on active military duty or veterans who are at least 18 years old and stationed in Missouri.
Stand Your Ground
Missouri has Castle Doctrine laws and became the 25th state to adopt the “stand your ground” canon. It empowers gun owners to defend themselves outside of their homes or properties.
They are not required to retreat, wherever they may lawfully be, prior to using deadly force. The law also prohibits political subdivisions to preclude the use of firearms to defend people or property.
Gun Purchase and Handgun Registration Requirements
There is no permit required to purchase a handgun in Missouri. Private firearms transfers are not subject to a background check requirement, although federal and state purchaser prohibitions, including age restrictions, still apply.
There is no registering firearms or waiting period when buying a handgun. However, when purchasing a firearm from a Federal Firearms License (FFL) dealer, a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) check must be performed.
NICS checks can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. If a determination is not obtained within three business days, then the transfer may legally be completed. The minimum age to purchase or possess handgun ammunition is 18 years old.
Less-Lethal Legal Self-Defense Weapons
Stun guns and Tasers are legal to purchase and possess without a permit. There is no statute prohibiting the purchase or use of pepper spray in Missouri.
There are no magazine-capacity restrictions. The possession and sale of “exploding bullets” (bullets or projectiles that explode or detonate on impact due to an independent explosive charge after being shot from a firearm) is prohibited.
Where Can One Carry Concealed in Missouri?
Understanding where you can and cannot carry a firearm is crucial for staying compliant with Missouri’s gun laws. The state has specific locations where carrying a concealed handgun is allowed and places where it is strictly prohibited, even for permit holders.
Familiarize yourself with these regulations to ensure you are always carrying legally and responsibly.
Some areas where concealed carry is allowed include:
- A restaurant or bar (This applies to the restaurant area if it’s not posted and you are not intoxicated. The manager’s consent is required for carry in the bar area.)
- State/national parks
- State/national forests
- Wildlife management areas
- Roadside rest areas
Locations where concealed carry is prohibited, even for permit holders, include:
- Higher-education institutions or elementary- or secondary-school facilities (without the consent of the governing body of the school)
- Any portion of a building used as a child-care facility
- Law enforcement agency facilities
- Within 25 feet of any polling place on any election day
- Adult or juvenile detention or correctional institutions, prisons or jails
- Any courthouse solely occupied by the circuit, appellate or supreme court, or any courtrooms, administrative offices, libraries or other rooms of any such court
- Any meeting of the governing body of a unit of local government or any meeting of the General Assembly or a committee of the General Assembly
- Areas of an airport to which access is controlled by the inspection of persons and property
- Buildings or portions of a building owned, leased or controlled by some counties or municipalities
- Riverboat gambling operations accessible by the public
- Gated areas of an amusement park
- Churches or other places of religious worship without the consent of the minister or person or persons representing the religious organization that exercises control over the place of religious worship (except in a vehicle in the parking lot)
- Any private property whose owner has posted the premises as being off-limits to concealed firearms
- Sports arenas or stadiums with a seating capacity of 5,000 or more
- Hospitals accessible by the public
- Public passenger buses
- Metro trains
- Any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by federal law
Can You Carry a Gun in Your Car in Missouri?
Concealed carry is allowed in a vehicle, without a permit and on restricted premises, so long as the firearm is not removed from the vehicle or brandished while the vehicle is on restricted premises. (Restricted premises are locations where concealed carry is not allowed in the state of Missouri.)
There is no duty to inform a law enforcement officer that you’re carrying a concealed firearm unless the officer asks.
Can You Conceal Carry in a Bar in Missouri?
You cannot carry in bars (except the businesses’ owners) without the consent of the owner or manager. However, you can carry in a bar with a restaurant in the restaurant area only — but not if posted, and provided you are not intoxicated.
As a responsibly armed American, regardless of the laws in your state, it is unwise to carry while under the influence of any substance that could impair your judgment, slow your reaction times or impact your decision-making abilities. Any decision you make while carrying a firearm could have life-altering consequences.
Missouri does not restrict handgun magazine capacity.
