Concealed Constitutional carry in Utah has been approved to begin on the 5th of May 2021. Utah has a shall-issue policy for the application of gun permits, and as long as you meet all requirements provided by gun laws in the state. Utah’s public safety department is in charge of processing the permit.

To purchase firearms from private dealers or gun shows in the state you do not require a permit, or need to complete a background check. The only exception to this is when buying firearms from private dealers in Salt Lake County that have mandated private background checks.

Possession of Firearms in Utah

To open carry in Utah, you need a gun permit and must be at least eighteen years old. You are also allowed to open carry without a permit if the firearm is unloaded or a minimum of two actions from shooting.

Permitless concealed carry in Utah will be legal from the 5th of May 2021. Anyone that is at least twenty-one years old and does not have any federal or state prohibition for the possession of firearms will be able to conceal carry without permits in the state.

However, Utah will not stop issuing its concealed carry license to allow residents to possess firearms in other states. The license is issued to only residents of the state that are twenty-one years old or more. However, residents that are at least eighteen years old will be able to apply for a provisional gun license.

Non-residents that are twenty-one years old or more, with permits from their state will be allowed to apply for Utah’s gun permits. Utah gun law defines some locations in the state as restricted for the use of firearms.

You can possess loaded firearms in private cars if you are a Utah gun permit holder. Without a permit, you can only carry unloaded firearms, but you must be a person with legal rights to possess firearms. You can also possess firearms in roadside areas of the state if you are a pistol permit holder or you have one from a state that it recognizes.

If you have a conceal carry license, you can possess firearms in state parks, forests, and wildlife management areas. There are no gun laws in Utah that prohibit concealed carry of firearms for licensees in restaurant and bar areas except there are posts prohibiting this or the person is under the influence of alcohol.

Utah gun laws do not prohibit the possession of firearms in Hotel areas of the state. Hotels can come up with policies regulating the possession of firearms in their premises, and there is no guarantee that you can carry a firearm if you are a permit holder.

However, the state prohibits employees or property owners from preventing individuals to store firearms and ammunition in vehicles parked in areas designated for them if the person has legal rights to carry possess, transport, buy and store firearms, the person stores the firearms securely in the car for example in a locked compartment, and if the person stores the firearm in such a way that it is not visible to anyone from outside the vehicle.

Places Where You Cannot Possess Firearms in Utah

Utah gun laws prohibit the possession of firearms in certain places or areas in the state. It does not matter if you are a licensee or not, you will be arrested if found with firearms in these areas. Exceptions are made for law enforcement officers and members of the national guard and peace officers in the state.

  • You cannot possess firearms in a prison or detention facility in the state.
  • You cannot possess firearms in a courthouse or during court proceedings in the state.
  • You cannot possess firearms in any area that is secured by law enforcement officers in the state.
  • You are not allowed to possess firearms in any building used for the operations of law enforcement agencies.
  • You cannot possess firearms in mental institutions, hospitals, or any healthcare center.
  • You cannot possess firearms within the premises of churches, mosques, synagogues, or any other place of worship.
  • You cannot possess firearms in safe areas of an airport.
  • You cannot possess firearms in private properties and buildings that have signage prohibiting the possession of firearms on their premises.
  • You cannot possess firearms in any part of Utah as long as you are under the influence of alcohol, or any other intoxicating substance.
  • You cannot possess firearms in any place where the possession of firearms is restricted by federal laws.

Application for Gun Permits in Utah

The first thing you should do before applying for a gun permit in Utah is to enroll for firearm training endorsed by the Bureau of Criminal Identification in the state. You can download the application form via an online website. The state also requires You to provide fingerprints. You can do this at the Bureau of Criminal Identification or via a local law enforcement agency in the state.

Complete your application form, and submit it physically to the BCI or send it via email. Some of the documents you will need include a driver’s license and your passport photograph, your fingerprint card, and a firearm training certificate.

For non-residents permit application, you must first provide a license from your state of residence, and the license must be one that meets all requirements for concealed carry in Utah. After the processing period, you will receive a mail to notify you of an approved or denied application.

In Utah, you can apply for a provisional gun permit application if you are between the age range of eighteen to twenty. This application is for both residents and non-residents of the state, and the requirements are the same as those for a normal firearm permit.

The application processes are also the same for a provisional permit similar to that of a regular permit. However, the provisional permit cannot be valid after your twenty-first birthday. You will have to apply for a normal permit as soon as you are twenty-one years old. Also, provisional permits can also not be used outside Utah. There is a processing period of sixty days for permit applications in Utah.

Permit application in Utah is fifty-three dollars and twenty-five cents for an initial application. It is valid for five years after which you must have to renew it. Renewal for residents and non-residents costs twenty dollars and twenty-five dollars respectively. You can apply for a renewal one month before your permit expires.

For firearm training in Utah online courses are not allowed in the state. The state requires that the training must be physically attended by the applicant, and it must teach how to safely load, store, and handle firearms in the state, and laws that define the use of firearms for individuals. This must consist of self-defense, use of deadly force, and transportation of firearms in Utah

A Bureau of Criminal Identification certified instructor must be in charge of the training.

Requirements for the Application of Gun Permits in Utah

Before you obtain a gun license in Utah, you must meet all requirements provided by the gun laws of the state. The state has a right to deny your license application if you fall short of just one of these requirements.

  • You must be at least twenty-one years old to apply for the concealed carry permit, or eighteen years old for a provisional license.
  • You must provide proof that you are of good character.
  • You must complete Utah concealed carry permit course for firearm training in the state.
  • You must not be a convict for any felony case.
  • You must not be a convict of any crime that has to do with violence.
  • You must not be a convict for any crime that has to do with the consumption of alcohol.
  • You must not be a convict for any crime that has to do with the use of hard drugs like narcotics, or any substance under control by the drug enforcement agency of the state.
  • You must not be a convict for any moral offense in the state.
  • You must not be a convict for any domestic assault case.
  • You must not be adjudged as being mentally unstable by a court in the USA unless the verdict was reversed or canceled.
  • You must meet the qualification to buy and handle firearms as provided by gun laws in Utah. You must meet all federal laws for concealed carry permit applications in the state.

Is Constitutional Carry Utah Law the Same in Every Parts of the State?

In Utah, the state has the power to regulate gun laws in all political subdivisions. However, local municipalities, counties, and districts are allowed to regulate the discharge of firearms within their jurisdiction for safety reasons.

Preemption laws in the state prohibit local government areas from creating ordinances that will conflict with the state gun laws in terms of possession, purchase, sales, and licensing of firearms and ammunition.

This means that permitless carry in Utah is the same in all parts of the state.

Additional Resources

Utah Gun Laws
Utah Concealed Carry Laws
Utah Open Carry Laws
Utah Gun Permit Laws

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