Missouri Gun Laws And Concealed Carry Guide

Missouri is a permitless carry state. Since January 1, 2017, adults 19 and older (18 and older for members and honorably discharged veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces) who can legally have a gun may carry a concealed handgun without a permit. Open carry is also legal under state law, though some cities limit it.

This guide covers who can carry, why a Missouri Concealed Carry Permit is still worth getting, the training rule, reciprocity, open carry, guns in cars, off-limits places, and Missouri’s castle doctrine and stand your ground law.

Do You Need A Permit To Carry In Missouri?

No. Missouri’s unlawful use of weapons law, RSMo 571.030, now makes concealed carry a crime only when you carry “into any area where firearms are restricted under section 571.107.” Outside those places, an eligible adult may carry concealed without a permit.

You still must be legally allowed to have a firearm. Missouri’s permit law, RSMo 571.101, lists the main reasons a person is turned down, and they are a good self-check:

• A conviction for a crime punishable by more than one year in prison.
• A misdemeanor crime of violence in the last five years, or two or more DWI or drug misdemeanors in that period.
• A fugitive from justice, or currently charged with a qualifying offense.
• A dishonorable discharge from the Armed Forces.
• The respondent of a full order of protection that is still in effect.
• Adjudged mentally incompetent, or committed to a mental health facility, within the limits the statute sets.

Federal law adds its own bans. If you are unsure about your record, applying for a permit is one way to find out.

Why Get A Missouri Concealed Carry Permit Anyway?

Permitless carry only works inside Missouri. A permit adds real benefits:

1. Travel. Many states honor the Missouri permit but would not let you carry on Missouri’s permitless law.
2. Churches, schools and government buildings. Without a permit, carrying into a church, a school or many government buildings is a crime under RSMo 571.030.1(8) and (10). Permit holders are exempt from those subdivisions and follow the RSMo 571.107 rules instead, which often allow carry with consent.
3. Lighter penalties. For a permit holder, carrying into most RSMo 571.107 places is not a crime. You can be asked to leave, and refusing can bring a citation of up to $100 on a first offense.
4. Open carry in cities that ban it. Under RSMo 21.750, a local open carry ban does not apply to a person carrying with a valid permit.

How To Get A Missouri Concealed Carry Permit

The county sheriff where you live issues the permit under RSMo 571.101. Here is the process:

1. Check eligibility. You must be at least 19 (18 if you are in or were honorably discharged from the Armed Forces), a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and a Missouri resident or a service member stationed in Missouri (or that member’s spouse).
2. Take a qualifying class. See the training section below. Keep your completion certificate.
3. Apply with your sheriff. Submit the written application under oath, a copy of your training certificate, and the fee. You will be fingerprinted.
4. Wait for the background check. The sheriff must run a NICS check within three working days of a complete application. If approved, the permit is issued within three working days. If checks are not done within 45 calendar days and nothing disqualifying has turned up, the sheriff issues a provisional permit.

Cost: Up to $100 for a new permit and up to $50 to renew, plus any card surcharge. Fees are set by each sheriff within those caps, so call ahead.

Term: Five years, running to the last day of the month it was issued or renewed.

Do You Need A Class For A Missouri Carry Permit?

Yes. RSMo 571.111 sets the training rule for the permit. No class is needed to carry permitless.

• Standard course: At least 8 hours with a qualified instructor, covering safe handling, storage, Missouri law and the use of deadly force.
• Live fire: In person, with the instructor present. You fire at least 20 rounds from 7 yards at a B-27 silhouette target and must hit it at least 15 times.
• Alternative route: A regular or online firearm safety course of at least one hour taught by an NRA-certified instructor, plus an instructor-led session that covers the remaining topics and the live-fire test.

Only that NRA-instructor online option counts toward the classroom part, and the live-fire test is always in person. A general online course does not meet the Missouri permit requirement. Still, a short online safety course is a good primer before you sit for the required class.

Missouri Lifetime And Extended Permits

Under RSMo 571.205, Missouri also has longer permits issued by the sheriff:

• Extended permit: 10 years (up to $200) or 25 years (up to $250). Renewal is up to $50.
• Lifetime permit: Valid for life, up to $500.

The catch: by statute these permits must state they are “only valid within the state of Missouri.” If you travel, the standard five-year permit is the one other states can recognize. You apply for any of these through your county sheriff.

Can Non-Residents Get A Missouri Carry Permit?

No. RSMo 571.101 limits the permit to Missouri residents and to service members stationed in Missouri and their spouses.

Visitors do not need one, though. Missouri’s permitless carry law is not limited to residents, so a visitor 19 or older (18 for military) who can legally have a gun may carry concealed. A valid permit from any other state is also honored under RSMo 571.030.4.

Which States Honor The Missouri Concealed Carry Permit?

About 36 states honor or accept the Missouri permit, according to USCCA’s reciprocity map (a non-official source). Many of them set age limits, often 21. Notable states that do not honor it include California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland and Massachusetts.

Nevada also does not: Missouri is not on Nevada’s 2026 recognition list. Reciprocity changes often, so check each state’s official list before a trip.

Going the other way, Missouri honors every other state’s valid permit or endorsement under RSMo 571.030.4.

Going next door? Read our guides for Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska, or see all state gun laws.

Can You Open Carry In Missouri?

Yes, under state law. Missouri has no statewide open carry permit. However, RSMo 21.750 lets cities and counties pass ordinances that regulate the open carrying of firearms.

Where a local open carry ban exists, it does not apply to someone with a valid Missouri permit or a recognized out-of-state permit. That person must have the permit on them and show it when an officer asks. The same law says police may not disarm or restrain someone carrying lawfully, concealed or open, without reasonable suspicion of a crime, unless the person is under arrest.

Can You Keep A Gun In Your Car In Missouri?

Yes. RSMo 571.030.3 lets anyone 19 or older (18 for military and veterans) carry a lawfully possessed concealable firearm in the passenger compartment of a vehicle. No permit is needed.

• Work parking lots: Under RSMo 571.107.1(15), a business may ban concealed carry on its premises and in company-owned vehicles. Having a gun in a vehicle on the premises is not a crime as long as it is not removed from the vehicle or brandished. We found no Missouri statute that requires employers to allow guns in employee vehicles, so check your workplace policy.
• School parking lots: For permit holders, RSMo 571.107.1(10) says having a firearm in a vehicle on school or college premises is not a crime if it stays in the vehicle and is not brandished. Without a permit, RSMo 571.030 allows a lawfully possessed gun while crossing school premises to pick up or drop off a student. Otherwise keep it unloaded or not readily accessible.

Where You Can’t Carry A Gun In Missouri

RSMo 571.107.1 lists places where a permit does not authorize concealed carry. Permitless carriers are bound by the same list through RSMo 571.030.1(1), plus the stricter church, school and government building rules in 571.030.1(8) and (10).

• Police, sheriff or highway patrol offices without the consent of the officer in charge (571.107.1(1)).
• Within 25 feet of a polling place on election day (571.107.1(2)).
• Jails, prisons and detention facilities (571.107.1(3)).
• Courthouses used solely by circuit, appellate or supreme courts (571.107.1(4)).
• Meetings of a local governing body or the General Assembly, with limited exceptions (571.107.1(5)).
• Government buildings posted under a rule or ordinance (571.107.1(6)).
• The bar area of an establishment primarily devoted to serving liquor, without the owner’s consent. Larger restaurants that earn most of their income from food are excepted (571.107.1(7)).
• Airport areas with controlled access (571.107.1(8)) and anywhere federal law bans firearms (571.107.1(9)).
• Schools and colleges without consent of the governing body or school official (571.107.1(10)).
• Child care facilities without the manager’s consent (571.107.1(11)).
• Riverboat casinos without consent, and gated areas of amusement parks (571.107.1(12)–(13)).
• Churches and places of worship without the consent of the minister or the church’s representatives (571.107.1(14)).
• Private property posted with signs at least 11 by 14 inches in one-inch letters (571.107.1(15)).
• Arenas or stadiums seating 5,000 or more, and hospitals open to the public (571.107.1(16)–(17)).

For most of these places, a gun left in a vehicle on the premises is not a crime if it is not removed or brandished. Having a firearm on you while intoxicated and handling it in a negligent or unlawful manner is a separate offense under RSMo 571.030.1(5).

Duty to inform: Missouri has no duty to tell police you are armed. A permit holder carrying concealed must have the permit on them and show it with photo ID when an officer asks.

Missouri Castle Doctrine And Stand Your Ground Law

Missouri’s self-defense law is RSMo 563.031.

• Deadly force: Allowed when you reasonably believe it is necessary to protect yourself, your unborn child or another person from death, serious physical injury or a forcible felony.
• Castle doctrine: Deadly force is also allowed against someone who unlawfully enters or tries to enter a dwelling, residence or vehicle you lawfully occupy, and in some cases private property you own or lease.
• Stand your ground: You have no duty to retreat from your home, vehicle or private property, or from “any other location such person has the right to be.”
• Limits: The defense is generally not available to the initial aggressor or to someone committing or escaping from a forcible felony.
• Immunity: Under RSMo 563.074, justified force is an absolute defense to criminal prosecution and civil liability. A court that finds the defense applies must award the defendant attorney’s fees and costs in a related civil suit.

None of this prevents an arrest, charges or a lawsuit. You may still have to prove justification, and a defense can be expensive. Many carriers buy self-defense legal protection for that reason.

Missouri Gun Laws FAQ

Is Missouri A Constitutional Carry State?

Yes. Since January 1, 2017, eligible adults 19 and older (18 for military and veterans) may carry concealed without a permit, outside restricted places.

How Much Is A Missouri Concealed Carry Permit?

Up to $100 for a new five-year permit and up to $50 to renew. Extended and lifetime permits cost more. Each sheriff sets its fee within the caps.

Can You Carry A Gun In Church In Missouri?

Only with a permit and with the consent of the minister or the people who represent the church, under RSMo 571.107.1(14). Without a permit, carrying into a church or place of worship is a crime under RSMo 571.030.1(8). Churches that want an armed volunteer team should look into legal protection for church security teams.

Can You Carry A Gun In A Bar In Missouri?

Not in an establishment primarily devoted to serving liquor without the owner’s or manager’s consent. Restaurants that seat at least 50 and earn most of their income from food are excepted.

Did Missouri Gun Laws Change In 2026?

Not for most carriers. SB 1421, signed July 9, 2026, amended RSMo 571.030, but the Senate’s bill summary says the change adds the Attorney General and assistant attorneys general to the law’s exemptions.

Does Missouri Honor Other States’ Permits?

Yes. Missouri honors any valid permit or endorsement issued by another state.

Sources

• RSMo 571.030, Unlawful use of weapons (Missouri Revisor of Statutes)
• RSMo 571.101, Concealed carry permits
• RSMo 571.107, Places a permit does not authorize carry
• RSMo 571.111, Training requirements
• RSMo 571.205, Extended and lifetime permits
• RSMo 21.750, Firearms preemption and open carry
• RSMo 563.031, Use of force in defense of persons
• RSMo 563.074, Justification as an absolute defense
• Missouri Senate, SB 1421 (2026) bill information
• Missouri Governor, SB 1421 signing record
• Nevada 2026 CCW Recognition List
• USCCA, Missouri reciprocity map (non-official, backup)
• Handgunlaw.us, Missouri summary (non-official, backup)