Constitutional carry is legal in Missouri. The state does not require a concealed carry license or NICS background check while purchasing firearms from private dealers or in gun shows.
Like with most constitutional or permitless carry states, Missouri is also a shall-issue state for the application of a concealed carry license. A sheriff in a local county is in charge of issuing the permit in the state.
Possession of Firearms in Missouri
The minimum age required for constitutional carry in Missouri is 19 years old. Also, you can open and conceal carry a firearm in the state if you are 19 years old or more, regardless of if you have a concealed carry license or not.
However, local ordinances in the state can require a concealed carry license for the possession of firearms in government-owned or controlled places. Local ordinances may also require a permit for open carry in particular regions of the state.
Gun law in Missouri does not mandate that a person with a firearm should have a concealed carry license. But the gun law is quite particular about the illegal use of firearms. This applies when a person carries a firearm in a place regarded as off-limit by the law.
If you choose to apply for a concealed carry license in Missouri, the age limit is 19 years old for residents and at least 18 years old for members of the military. Missouri concealed carry license requires that anyone applying should pass a firearm proficiency test.
Also, the state does not issue permits to non-residents, except they are a member of the military that are posted to the state for official duties.
Missouri Concealed Carry Permit
A county sheriff is in charge of a concealed carry license application in Missouri. Residents that do not live in a county can apply in the city they reside. To apply the Missouri residents must provide proof of firearm proficiency test completion.
The application will also include fingerprints and NICS checks, but this will be done at the state level. Upon approval, the sheriff has a minimum of three days to issue the license. The applicant will be invited to the sheriff’s office where he or she will be required to append a signature.
Missouri concealed carry license is valid for 5 years after the final day of the month it was issued. Upon expiration, you can apply for a new permit, and this will also be valid for another 5 years.
Other types of permits that Missouri issues are the extended concealed carry permit that is either valid for a decade or 25 years, and the lifetime permit that is valid forever. Issuance of these permits is upon the request of an applicant.
For permit denial, the state is obliged to write to the applicant and explain in detail why the concealed carry license application is being denied. If the denial has to do with documentation, the applicant has a grace of 30 days to provide the required document. If the person gets another denial, then they can submit an application to appeal.
The status of a person’s concealed carry license in Missouri is a piece of private information, and cannot be revealed to private organizations, state, and federal government. The only reason the status can be brought up is if the permit holder is arrested for committing a crime or involved in a criminal investigation. A local sheriff can only access information that has to do with concealed carry license for admin reasons.
It is important for anyone that concealed carries a firearm to have a concealed carry permit. Also upon the request of a law enforcement agent, the person is obliged to provide the concealed carry license.
Places Where You Cannot Possess Firearms in Missouri
Missouri prohibits the possession of a firearm within the following parts of the state:
- You cannot conceal carry within school facilities, and this includes elementary schools, secondary schools, and colleges. The only exception to this is if the management of the school consents to the concealed carry.
- You cannot conceal carry within the premises of a children care building or a daycare center.
- You cannot conceal carry in buildings or facilities that are used by the state’s law enforcement agencies.
- You cannot conceal carry during an election or in any polling unit. The closest you are allowed to be with your firearm is twenty-five feet.
- You are not allowed to conceal carry within the premises of a prison, jail, or any other state correctional facility.
- You are not allowed to conceal carry within the premises of a courthouse and this includes administrative offices, the courtroom, and libraries.
- You cannot conceal carry during a meeting of local government officials or that of the committee of the general assembly.
- You are not allowed to conceal carry within the premises of an organization that deals in the manufacturing of any alcoholic or intoxicating drink.
- You are not allowed to conceal carry in certain areas of an airport that is under the control of inspection officers.
- You are not allowed to conceal carry within a building or property that is either owned, rented, or leased by the state government, counties, or municipalities.
- You are not allowed to conceal carry within a gambling house that is open to the general public.
- You are not allowed to conceal carry in an enclosed park that has a gate.
- You are not allowed to conceal carry in churches or worship areas without the permission of the authorities in charge. The exception to this is possessing a firearm within the parking area of a worship place.
- You are not allowed to conceal carry within the premises of a privately owned building or property that has a post to prohibit possession of firearms.
- You are not allowed to conceal carry within a stadium or an arena with more than fifty thousand holding capacity.
- You are not allowed to conceal carry in general hospitals and health centers.
- You are not allowed to conceal carry in vehicles meant for public transportation.
- You are not allowed to conceal carry on metro trains.
- You are not allowed to conceal carry in areas that have been restricted by federal laws.
Purchasing Firearms
You do not require a permit to purchase firearms such as handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Residents of the state may also purchase firearms within the state and in other states, as long as the person conforms to the necessary gun laws for the purchase of firearms.
In the same vein, non-residents from other states can purchase firearms in Missouri as long as they conform to state and federal laws.
In Missouri, selling, lending, and giving a firearm to someone who is not lawfully eligible to possess one is a felony
offense. It is also a criminal offense to sell firearms to someone that does not meet the age requirement of 18 if you do not receive consent from a guardian or parent.
Selling, lending, and giving a firearm to someone that is under the influence of alcohol is also illegal in the state.
Another felony crime in the purchase of firearms in Missouri is deliberately providing a falsified document or information to a licensed or private seller to deceive the person into selling a firearm.
Licensed firearm dealers in Missouri are obliged to sell firearms and ammunition to a person that meets all requirements to purchase firearms provided by federal and state laws. However, dealers may refuse to sell if they have articulable motives against the sales of firearms. But these motives must not be religion, race, or gender-based.
Missouri Requirements for Concealed Carry License Application.
To apply for concealed carry license in Missouri, the state gun laws requirement includes:
- You must be of the minimum age of twenty-one or eighteen if you are a member of the United States Armed Force.
- You must not be a convict of a felony without state or federal pardon.
- You must not have any physical disability or deformity that can hinder you from safely handling a firearm.
- You must not be a convict of a misdemeanor for violence in the last three years.
- You must not be mentally impaired or apply for a Mississippi permit in less than five years of gaining mental capacity.
- You must not be a patient of any psychiatric home or mental institution for mental instability unless you have a certificate from a doctor in charge to prove that you have not been a patient in the last five years.
- You must not be a narcotic, drug abuser, or user of illicit substances that are under the control of the Drug Enforcement Agency.
- You must not be a fugitive or have an arrest warrant in your name.
- You must not be guilty of any felony case unless three years after you have completed your probation term.
- You must meet all federal laws that concern concealed carry permit application.
Is Constitutional Carry a Preemption Gun Law in Missouri?
Municipalities, counties, and cities are not permitted to enact any law or regulation in terms of firearm and ammunition purchase, possession, sales, transfer, ownership, registration, licensing, and transportation.
This implies that permitless carry in Missouri is the same in all parts of the state.
Additional Resources
Missouri Gun Laws
Missouri Concealed Carry Laws
Missouri Open Carry Laws
Missouri Gun Permit Laws