Open Carry Laws by State 2026: Interactive Map
37 of the 51 US jurisdictions let an adult carry a handgun openly with no permit at all, eight more than allow permitless concealed carry.
Data updated August 2026 · 51 jurisdictions · every entry cited to a statute
37 of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions let an adult carry a handgun openly with no permit at all — eight more than the 29 that allow permitless concealed carry. In nine states (Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin) open carry is the more permissive right, and Missouri is the only state in the country where the reverse is true: concealed carry is permitless statewide, but a city ordinance can require you to hold and display a permit to carry the same gun openly.
This map is the working version of that dataset. Pick a layer, click a state, and you get the rule, the minimum age, the vehicle rule, the campus rule, the controlling statute section, a link to the state’s own code or agency page, and a note on anything currently moving in court or in the legislature. Everything the tool shows is also printed as plain HTML further down the page, so it works with JavaScript switched off and can be read by machines.
Open carry of a handgun
- No permit needed 37
- Local option 3
- Permit required 5
- Effectively unavailable 1
- Prohibited 5
Select a state on the map above to see its open-carry rules.
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We re-check every jurisdiction on this page weekly. Enter your email and we will send you a short note when a rule you can see above actually moves — not a newsletter.
How we classified each state
There is no federal definition of “open carry,” so any 50-state chart is really a set of judgment calls about how to bucket 51 different statutory schemes. Here are ours, stated plainly so you can disagree with them:
The rule we applied: a jurisdiction is No permit needed when a non-prohibited adult may carry a loaded handgun visible on their person in an ordinary public place without holding any state license. It is Local option when state law allows that but expressly authorizes cities or counties to ban it. It is Permit required when a license exists that authorizes visible carry. It is Effectively unavailable when a license formally exists but the issuing standard makes it unobtainable for ordinary residents in populated areas. It is Prohibited when no license authorizes visible carry at all.
Three consequences of that rule are worth stating, because they are where most published charts go wrong:
- A carry license does not always authorize open carry. Illinois, New Jersey, Connecticut and the District of Columbia all issue carry licenses that require the firearm to stay concealed. Those jurisdictions are Prohibited here even though thousands of their residents carry legally every day.
- California is its own category. A license to carry “loaded and exposed” may be issued only by a sheriff or police chief in a county of fewer than 200,000 residents. That is a real license, but no resident of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento or San Jose can obtain one, so we call it Effectively unavailable rather than Permit required.
- Local option is not the same as legal. Colorado, Missouri and Oregon each permit open carry as a matter of state law while expressly letting municipalities ban it. In Oregon a concealed handgun license is what exempts you from Portland’s ordinance — so the license is what makes open carry lawful in the state’s largest city.
A worked example
Suppose you live in Kansas, you are 19, and you are driving to visit family in Missouri. Select Kansas on the Open carry layer and the tool returns No permit needed, minimum age 18, citing K.S.A. 75-7c03, which states that licensing “shall not be construed to impose a general prohibition on the carrying of handguns without such license, whether carried openly or concealed, or loaded or unloaded.” Switch to the Permitless concealed layer and Kansas turns to Permit required — because at 19 you are below the 21-year concealed threshold in K.S.A. 21-6302(a)(4) unless you hold a provisional license. Now add Missouri in the compare box. Missouri returns Local option at minimum age 19: state law permits open carry, but RSMo 21.750.3 lets Kansas City and St. Louis regulate it, and in those cities RSMo 21.750.3(2) requires you to hold and display a concealed carry permit in order to carry openly. So the same holstered handgun that is unambiguously lawful on a Wichita sidewalk can put you in violation of a municipal ordinance forty minutes across the state line — and the license that fixes it is a concealed carry license.
Four findings in this dataset that most published charts get wrong.
- Open carry is the broader right. 37 jurisdictions allow it without a permit, against 29 for permitless concealed carry. The nine states where open carry is freer than concealed carry are Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
- Missouri is the only inversion. It is the sole state where concealed carry is permitless statewide but open carry can lawfully require a permit, because RSMo 21.750.3(1) deliberately carves municipal open-carry ordinances out of the state’s preemption statute.
- In Michigan, Pennsylvania and Washington, open carry on foot needs no license but the same handgun in your own car does. MCL 750.227(2) reaches a pistol carried “whether concealed or otherwise, in a vehicle”; 18 Pa.C.S. 6106(a) reaches “a firearm in any vehicle”; RCW 9.41.050(2)(a) says a person “shall not carry or place a loaded pistol in any vehicle” without a concealed pistol license. Visibility does not save you in any of the three. North Carolina belongs in the same conversation with a narrower rule: there the offense turns on concealment, and a handgun in a glove box or console is treated as concealed.
- The minimum age is not 21, and it is not even always 18. Vermont’s only handgun possession-age statute, 13 V.S.A. 4008, sets 16 — the lowest statutory floor in the country, with federal law supplying the practical 18. Alabama, Missouri and New Mexico each land on 19. And in 22 states the age at which you may open carry is below the age at which you could obtain a carry permit, which means an 18-year-old in those states has a lawful way to carry that the licensing system would refuse them.
Open carry by state, 2026
Every row below was verified against the jurisdiction’s own code, legislature, attorney general or state police page in August 2026. Where the official source was unreachable to an automated request — several state code portals block them, and Texas rebuilt its statute site as a JavaScript application — the text was read from the Cornell LII or Justia mirror instead, and that row is marked. 37 rows are official-sourced and 14 come from a mirror.
| Jurisdiction | Open carry, handgun | Min. age (open carry) | Open carry, long gun | Loaded handgun in your own car | Public university campus | Local preemption | Concealed carry | Must you tell police you are carrying? | Controlling citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No permit needed | 19 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Each institution decides | full | no permit needed | Only if asked — must answer truthfully | Ala. Code 13A-11-52, 13A-11-61.3, 13A-11-72, 13A-11-75; former 13A-11-73 repealed by Act 2022-133 | Mirror (LII/Justia) — source |
| Alaska | No permit needed | 21 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Locked vehicle only | full | no permit needed | Yes — must inform immediately | Alaska Stat. 11.61.220, 29.35.145; Univ. of Alaska Regents Policy P02.09.020 | Official — source |
| Arizona | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Locked vehicle only | full | no permit needed | Only if asked | Ariz. Rev. Stat. 13-3102, 13-3108, 13-3111, 13-3112(E)(2), 12-781 | Official — source |
| Arkansas | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Allowed, enhanced permit only | full | no permit needed | When asked for ID (licensees) | Ark. Code Ann. 5-73-119, 5-73-120, 5-73-306, 5-73-322, 14-16-504; Ark. Att'y Gen. Op. 2015-064 | Mirror (LII/Justia) — source |
| California | Effectively unavailable | 21 | prohibited | Not allowed without a permit | Prohibited | partial | permit (restrictive) | No statewide duty (license may impose one) | Cal. Penal Code 25610, 25850, 26150, 26155, 26230, 26350, 26400, 626.9; Gov't Code 53071 | Mirror (LII/Justia) — source |
| Colorado | Local option | 18 | local-option | Allowed, no permit | Prohibited | partial | permit required | No | C.R.S. 18-12-105, 18-12-105.3, 18-12-105.5, 18-12-108.5, 29-11.7-101 to -104; SB 21-256; SB 24-131 | Official — source |
| Connecticut | Prohibited | 21 | prohibited | Permit required | Each institution decides | none | permit (restrictive) | Only if asked, and rarely — an officer must reasonably suspect a crime and have actually seen the pistol before you must present the permit | Conn. Gen. Stat. 29-28, 29-35, 29-38, 53a-217b; P.A. 23-53 s.1; P.A. 23-203 s.1 | Mirror (LII/Justia) — source |
| Delaware | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Prohibited | full | permit (restrictive) | No | 11 Del. C. 1441, 1442, 1448, 1457; 22 Del. C. 111; HB 311 (84 Del. Laws ch. 84) | Official — source |
| District of Columbia | Prohibited | 21 | prohibited | Unloaded and cased only | Prohibited | n/a (single jurisdiction) | permit (restrictive) | Yes | D.C. Code 22-4504, 22-4504.01, 22-4504.02, 7-2502.03, 7-2509.02, 7-2509.07 | Official — source |
| Florida | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Prohibited | full | no permit needed | No proactive duty — show ID on demand | Fla. Stat. 790.01, 790.053 (held unconstitutional), 790.06, 790.25, 790.33; McDaniels v. State (Fla. 1st DCA 2025); Eubanks v. State, No. 4D2025-1698 (Fla. 4th DCA June 17, 2026) | Official — source |
| Georgia | No permit needed | 21 (18–20 w/ armed-forces basic training) | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Allowed, concealed only | full | no permit needed | No | O.C.G.A. 16-11-125.1, 16-11-126, 16-11-127.1, 16-11-129, 16-11-173 | Mirror (LII/Justia) — source |
| Hawaii | Permit required | 21 | prohibited | Unloaded and cased only | Prohibited | none | permit (restrictive) | Yes — disclose immediately when stopped | Haw. Rev. Stat. 134-9, 134-9.1, 134-23, 134-24, 134-25, 134-26; Act 52 (2023) | Official — source |
| Idaho | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Allowed, license required | full | no permit needed | No | Idaho Code 18-3302, 18-3302H, 18-3302J, 18-3302K, 18-3309 | Official — source |
| Illinois | Prohibited | 21 | prohibited | Not allowed without a permit | Prohibited | partial | permit required | Only if asked during a stop | 720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(4),(a)(10); 720 ILCS 5/24-1.6; 430 ILCS 66/10(c), 25, 65, 90; 430 ILCS 65/13.1 | Official — source |
| Indiana | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Each institution decides | full | no permit needed | No — no duty to inform and no duty to display (nothing in IC 35-47-2 imposes either) | IC 35-47-2-1; 35-47-2-1.5; 35-47-2-3; 35-47-11.1-2; 35-47-11.1-4 | Mirror (LII/Justia) — source |
| Iowa | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Prohibited | full | no permit needed | No | Iowa Code 724.4, 724.4B, 724.4C, 724.8(1), 724.22, 724.28 | Official — source |
| Kansas | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Allowed | full | no permit needed | No | K.S.A. 21-6301(a)(14); 21-6302(a)(4),(d); 75-7c03; 75-7c20; 12-16,124 | Official — source |
| Kentucky | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Each institution decides | full | no permit needed | No proactive duty — display license on request | KRS 237.109; 237.115; 527.020; 527.100; 65.870 | Official — source |
| Louisiana | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Prohibited | partial | no permit needed | Yes — must notify officers | La. R.S. 14:95(A)(1)(a),(M); 14:95.2; 14:95.8; 40:1379.3(B)(2),(N); 40:1796; 32:292.1 | Official — source |
| Maine | No permit needed | 18 (federal floor) | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Prohibited | full | no permit needed | Yes if carrying permitless | 25 M.R.S. 2001-A(1),(2)(A-1),(2)(E); 25 M.R.S. 2003(1)(A); 25 M.R.S. 2011; 15 M.R.S. 393 | Official — source |
| Maryland | Permit required | 21 | restricted | Permit required | Prohibited | partial | permit (restrictive) | No — and no duty to display either; Pub. Safety 5-308 requires only that you carry the permit while armed | Md. Code, Crim. Law 4-102, 4-111, 4-203, 4-209; Pub. Safety 5-303, 5-306 | Official — source |
| Massachusetts | Permit required | 21 | restricted | Permit required | Prohibited | none | permit (restrictive) | No | M.G.L. c.140 ss.131(a),(d), 131C; c.269 ss.10(a), 10(j), 10(k), 12D; St. 2024 c.135 | Official — source |
| Michigan | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Permit required | Allowed except dorms and classrooms | partial | permit required | Yes — disclose immediately on contact (licensees) | MCL 750.227(2); 750.227d; 750.234f; 28.425o; 123.1102 | Mirror (LII/Justia) — source |
| Minnesota | Permit required | 18 | permit | Permit required | Each institution decides | full | permit required | Only if asked — display on demand | Minn. Stat. 624.714 subds. 1a, 2, 9, 17, 18, 23; 624.7181; 471.633 | Official — source |
| Mississippi | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Enhanced endorsement only | full | no permit needed | No — display license on demand | Miss. Code 97-37-1, 97-37-7(2), 97-37-14, 45-9-101(13),(24), 45-9-51, 45-9-53 | Mirror (LII/Justia) — source |
| Missouri | Local option | 19 | local-option | Allowed, no permit | Each institution decides | partial | no permit needed | No | RSMo 571.030.1(1), .3, .4; 571.101.2; 571.107.1; 21.750.1-.3 | Official — source |
| Montana | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Each institution decides | partial | no permit needed | No | Mont. Code Ann. 45-8-316, 45-8-321, 45-8-328, 45-8-351, 45-8-361; former 45-8-317 repealed by 2021 Mont. Laws ch. 3 | Official — source |
| Nebraska | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Prohibited | full | no permit needed | Yes — must inform immediately | Neb. Rev. Stat. 28-1201(11), 28-1202.01, 28-1204, 28-1204.04, 13-330; 2023 Neb. Laws LB 77 | Official — source |
| Nevada | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Prohibited | full | permit required | No — present permit if requested | Nev. Rev. Stat. 202.350, 202.3657, 202.3673, 202.265, 202.300, 503.165, 268.418, 244.364 | Official — source |
| New Hampshire | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Each institution decides | full | no permit needed | No | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. 159:4 (repealed 2017), 159:6, 159:12, 159:19, 159:26 | Official — source |
| New Jersey | Prohibited | 21 | prohibited | Unloaded and cased only | Prohibited | full | permit (restrictive) | Yes — disclose and display when stopped | N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5(b), 2C:39-6(e),(g), 2C:58-3(c)(4), 2C:58-4, 2C:58-4.6; 2C:1-5(d); L.2022 c.131 | Mirror (LII/Justia) — source |
| New Mexico | No permit needed | 19 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Prohibited | full | permit required | No | NMSA 1978 30-7-2, 30-7-2.1, 30-7-2.2, 30-7-2.4; N.M. Const. art. II s.6 | Mirror (LII/Justia) — source |
| New York | Prohibited | 21 | restricted | Permit required | Prohibited | none | permit (restrictive) | No | N.Y. Penal Law 400.00(1)(a), 400.00(2)(f), 265.01-b, 265.01-e, 265.03, 265.20(a)(3); N.Y.C. Admin. Code 10-303; 2022 N.Y. Laws ch. 371 (CCIA) | Official — source |
| North Carolina | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Permit required | Prohibited | partial | permit required | Yes — notify on initial contact | N.C. Gen. Stat. 14-269, 14-269.2, 14-269.7, 14-409.40, 14-415.10 to 14-415.27; State v. Lancaster, 385 N.C. 459 (2023) | Official — source |
| North Dakota | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Prohibited | partial | no permit needed | Only if the officer asks — no duty to volunteer; 62.1-04-04(2) binds a permitless carrier only “if the officer inquires” | N.D. Cent. Code 62.1-03-01, 62.1-04-01, 62.1-04-02, 62.1-04-03, 62.1-02-05, 62.1-01-03 | Official — source |
| Ohio | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Locked vehicle only | full | no permit needed | Must disclose when asked during a stop | Ohio Rev. Code 2923.111, 2923.12, 2923.16, 2923.126, 2923.1210, 2923.21, 9.68 | Official — source |
| Oklahoma | No permit needed | 21 (18–20 w/ military service) | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Prohibited | full | no permit needed | Must disclose when asked | 21 Okla. Stat. 1272, 1277, 1289.7, 1289.24, 1290.26; Oklahoma Self-Defense Act 1290.1 et seq. | Mirror (LII/Justia) — source |
| Oregon | Local option | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Locked vehicle only | partial | permit required | No | Or. Rev. Stat. 166.170, 166.171, 166.173, 166.250, 166.291, 166.360, 166.370, 166.377; 2025 Or. Laws ch. 594 (SB 243) | Official — source |
| Pennsylvania | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Permit required | Each institution decides | full | permit required | No — produce license on demand | 18 Pa.C.S. 6102, 6106, 6108, 6109, 6110.1, 6120; 18 Pa.C.S. 912; Commonwealth v. Sumpter, 2025 PA Super 124 | Mirror (LII/Justia) — source |
| Rhode Island | Permit required | 21 | restricted | Permit required | Each institution decides | full | permit (restrictive) | No | R.I. Gen. Laws 11-47-8, 11-47-11, 11-47-18, 11-47-51, 11-47-58, 11-47-60 | Official — source |
| South Carolina | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Prohibited | full | no permit needed | No | S.C. Code Ann. 16-23-20, 16-23-30, 16-23-420, 16-23-430, 23-31-215(A), 23-31-510; 2024 Act No. 111 | Official — source |
| South Dakota | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Allowed, enhanced permit, concealed only | full | no permit needed | No | SDCL 22-14-9, 22-14-10, 22-14-11 (repealed 2019); 23-7-7, 23-7-7.1, 23-7-44, 23-7-45; 13-32-7, 13-53-56, 13-53-57; 9-19-20, 7-18A-36 | Official — source |
| Tennessee | No permit needed | 21 (18 w/ military service — 39-17-1307(g) covers open and concealed alike) | restricted | Allowed, no permit, age 21+ | Prohibited | full | no permit needed | No — display permit on demand | T.C.A. 39-17-1307(a),(g), 39-17-1308(a), 39-17-1309(b),(e)(11), 39-17-1313, 39-17-1314, 39-17-1351(b); 2025 Tenn. Pub. Ch. 356 | Mirror (LII/Justia) — source |
| Texas | No permit needed | 21 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Allowed, LTC required, concealed only | partial | no permit needed | No duty to volunteer — but a license holder asked for identification must hand over the license too (Gov't Code 411.205) | Tex. Penal Code 46.02(a),(a-1),(a-5),(a-6), 46.15(b)(6), 42.01(a)(8); Gov't Code 411.2031; Local Gov't Code 229.001 | Mirror (LII/Justia) — source |
| Utah | No permit needed | 21 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Allowed, concealed only | full | no permit needed | No | Utah Code 76-11-202, 76-11-204, 76-11-205, 76-11-205.5, 76-11-220 (renumbered from 76-10-504/505/505.5 eff. 5/7/2025); 53-5a-102, 53-5a-305, 53B-3-103 | Official — source |
| Vermont | No permit needed | 16 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Each institution decides | full | no permit needed | No | 13 V.S.A. 4003, 4004, 4008, 4020, 4023; 10 V.S.A. 4705; 24 V.S.A. 2295 | Official — source |
| Virginia | No permit needed | 18 | restricted | Allowed, no permit | Each institution decides | partial | permit required | No — display permit and ID on demand | Va. Code 18.2-287.4, 18.2-308(A),(C)(8), 18.2-308.1, 18.2-308.7, 15.2-915; 8VAC85-20-30 | Official — source |
| Washington | No permit needed | 21 | permitless | Permit required | Prohibited | full | permit required | No | RCW 9.41.050, 9.41.240, 9.41.270, 9.41.290, 9.41.300, 9.41.305; WAC 478-124-020 | Official — source |
| West Virginia | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Allowed, license required | partial | no permit needed | No | W. Va. Code 61-7-3 (repealed 2026), 61-7-6, 61-7-7(c), 61-7-8, 61-7-11a, 8-12-5a, 18B-4-5b; 2026 W. Va. Acts ch. 75 (HB 4106) | Official — source |
| Wisconsin | No permit needed | 18 | permitless | Allowed, no permit, but must stay visible | Each institution decides | full | permit required | No — display license on request | Wis. Stat. 941.23, 947.01(2), 167.31(2), 175.60(3)(a),(16), 943.13(1m)(c), 948.60, 948.605, 66.0409 | Official — source |
| Wyoming | No permit needed | 18 (federal floor) | permitless | Allowed, no permit | Allowed, Wyoming permit required | full | no permit needed | No — carry permit + ID, produce on request | Wyo. Stat. 6-8-104(a),(b)(ii),(t),(y)(ii), 6-8-105, 6-8-401(c); 2025 Wyo. Sess. Laws ch. 61 (HB 172) | Official — source |
These are open-carry ages, and concealed carry is a different question in several states. Where a state’s statute governs both modes at once — Tennessee and Georgia among them — the same military and residency conditions apply here as on our reciprocity map. Where it does not, the two numbers can legitimately differ: Arizona is 18 to open carry and 21 to conceal. Read both before you travel.
What each state’s rule actually says
| Jurisdiction | The rule, precisely |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Act 2022-133 repealed Ala. Code 13A-11-73 effective Jan 1, 2023: no permit to carry a loaded handgun openly or concealed. 13A-11-52 still bars a pistol on another's private property without consent or a permit. |
| Alaska | Alaska DPS: no permit required to carry openly or concealed for anyone 21+ who may lawfully possess a firearm. Must immediately inform a contacting officer if carrying concealed. |
| Arizona | ARS 13-3102 criminalizes only concealed carry in narrow circumstances. Open carry of a loaded handgun by an adult is lawful statewide, no permit, no holster requirement. 18-20 year olds may not carry concealed, so they must carry openly or in a case. |
| Arkansas | Ark. Code 5-73-120(a) criminalizes possessing a handgun in public only with 'a purpose to attempt to unlawfully employ the handgun as a weapon against a person.' AG Op. 2015-064 and a 2017 gubernatorial directive to the State Police take that position. |
| California | Penal Code 25850 bans loaded open carry and 26350 bans unloaded open carry in any incorporated city and in prohibited areas of unincorporated counties. A license to carry loaded and exposed may issue only in a county under 200,000 residents, so open carry is legally impossible in every major California metro. |
| Colorado | State law does not prohibit open carry: C.R.S. 18-12-105 reaches only concealed carry. But SB 21-256 restored local authority, so counties and municipalities may enact carry ordinances at least as strict as state law. Denver and others restrict open carry. |
| Connecticut | A state permit is required to carry any pistol (C.G.S. 29-35(a)), and P.A. 23-53 added an offense of knowingly carrying a firearm 'with intent to display' it, so even a permit holder must keep it concealed. Neither a fleeting glimpse nor an imprint through clothing violates the statute. |
| Delaware | 11 Del. C. 1442 reaches only weapons carried concealed, so a loaded handgun carried openly needs no license. A 1441 license (Superior Court, discretionary, five character references, certified training) is required to conceal. |
| District of Columbia | D.C. Code 22-4504(a) bars carrying a pistol 'either openly or concealed' without a license, and 7-2509.07(a) provides that a licensee 'shall not carry a pistol openly or otherwise in a manner that is not concealed.' Open carry is unavailable to anyone. |
| Florida | Open carry became lawful by JUDICIAL DECISION, not statute. In McDaniels v. State (Fla. 1st DCA, Sept 10, 2025) the court declared Fla. Stat. 790.053 unconstitutional; on Sept 15, 2025 AG James Uthmeier directed all Florida law enforcement to stop arresting law-abiding citizens carrying visibly. 790.053 remains printed in the code but is unenforceable. |
| Georgia | Since SB 319 (2022) a 'lawful weapons carrier' (anyone licensed or merely eligible for a Georgia weapons carry license) may carry a loaded handgun openly or concealed with no license. No holster requirement. |
| Hawaii | HRS 134-9 lets a county police chief issue an unconcealed-carry license only where the applicant establishes 'the urgency or need to carry a firearm unconcealed' and is 'engaged in the protection of life and property.' Such licenses are effectively never issued to private citizens. |
| Idaho | Idaho Code 18-3302(4)(a) exempts 'any deadly weapon located in plain view' from concealed-weapons licensing, so loaded open carry is lawful statewide with no permit. Permitless concealed carry is also allowed for U.S. citizens 18+. |
| Illinois | A pistol that is uncased, loaded and immediately accessible in public is aggravated unlawful use of a weapon unless the carrier holds a Concealed Carry License, and the license itself authorizes only a firearm carried 'fully concealed or partially concealed' (430 ILCS 66/10(c)). Illinois is one of the few states where a carry license does NOT authorize open carry. |
| Indiana | Since P.L.175-2022 no license is required to carry a handgun openly or concealed, loaded, by anyone not within the prohibited categories of IC 35-47-2-1.5(b). Licenses remain available for reciprocity and NICS-exemption. |
| Iowa | The 2021 permitless-carry act rewrote Iowa Code 724.4, which now criminalizes going armed only when the weapon is 'used in the commission of a crime.' Loaded open or concealed carry needs no permit. |
| Kansas | K.S.A. 75-7c03(a) states that licensing 'shall not be construed to impose a general prohibition on the carrying of handguns without such license, whether carried openly or concealed, or loaded or unloaded.' Open carry is lawful at 18; only CONCEALED carry is restricted to 21 (or 18 with a provisional license). |
| Kentucky | No Kentucky statute prohibits open carry: KRS 527.020 reaches only concealed deadly weapons. The Kentucky State Police permitless-carry page states 'The laws governing the open carry of deadly weapons remain unchanged.' 18-20 year olds may open carry but may not carry concealed. |
| Louisiana | R.S. 14:95(A)(1)(a) criminalizes only 'the intentional concealment' of a firearm, so open carry has never required a permit. Act 2024 No. 6 added 14:95(M) exempting anyone 18+ not prohibited from possessing a firearm, making concealed carry permitless as of July 4, 2024. |
| Maine | 25 M.R.S. 2001-A reaches only 'threatening display' and concealed carry, so open carry of a loaded handgun is not regulated and needs no permit. Permitless CONCEALED carry requires 21 (or 18+ with military service). |
| Maryland | Md. Criminal Law 4-203(a)(1) makes it an offense to 'wear, carry, or transport a handgun, whether concealed or open, on or about the person' or in a vehicle on a public road. A Public Safety wear-and-carry permit is the principal exception. |
| Massachusetts | M.G.L. c.269 s.10(a) makes carrying a firearm outside one's residence or business without a license a felony. A Class A license entitles the holder to 'carry firearms' without requiring concealment, so open carry is technically lawful for an LTC holder, but it is rare in practice and can carry licensing consequences. |
| Michigan | MCL 750.227(2) prohibits carrying a pistol 'concealed on or about his or her person, or, whether concealed or otherwise, IN A VEHICLE' without a license. Open carry on foot is lawful without a CPL – but the same sentence means a CPL IS required to have a pistol in a vehicle even if openly displayed. |
| Minnesota | Minn. Stat. 624.714 subd. 1a requires a permit to carry for anyone who 'carries, holds, or possesses a pistol in a motor vehicle… or otherwise in possession or control in a public place.' The single permit covers BOTH open and concealed carry; Minnesota has no separate open-carry authority. |
| Mississippi | Miss. Code 97-37-1 punishes only carrying a weapon 'concealed,' and 97-37-1(4) expressly excludes a weapon 'carried upon the person in a sheath, belt holster or shoulder holster that is wholly or partially visible.' 45-9-101 adds that no license is required for a holstered or fully-enclosed-case handgun. |
| Missouri | State law permits it – RSMo 571.030.1(1) needs no permit to carry openly or concealed – BUT RSMo 21.750.3(1) expressly preserves any local ordinance 'which regulates the open carrying of firearms readily capable of lethal use,' and 21.750.3(2) requires a person openly carrying in such a jurisdiction to hold AND DISPLAY a valid concealed carry permit. Kansas City and St. Louis use this carve-out. |
| Montana | After 2021 HB 102 repealed MCA 45-8-317, MCA 45-8-316 states that the concealed-carry offense 'does not apply to a person eligible to possess a firearm under state or federal law,' so both loaded open and concealed carry are permitless. |
| Nebraska | Nebraska has never required a license to open carry, and LB 77 (2023) made concealed carry permitless: 28-1202.01(1) lets 'a person, other than a minor or a prohibited person' carry concealed anywhere in Nebraska with or without a permit. But 'minor' is defined as under 21, so permitless CONCEALED carry is 21+ while open carry is 18+. |
| Nevada | NRS 202.350(1)(d)(3) makes it unlawful only to 'carry concealed upon his or her person' a firearm without a permit. Open carry of a loaded handgun is unregulated by state law. 'Concealed' means carried 'in such a manner as not to be discernible by ordinary observation.' |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire never required a license for open carry, and RSA 159:4 was repealed by 2017 N.H. Laws ch. 1 s.3, making loaded concealed carry permitless as well. RSA 159:6 licenses remain available chiefly for reciprocity. |
| New Jersey | Carrying a handgun without a permit is a second-degree crime, and even a permit does not authorize open carry: 2C:58-4 authorizes carry 'in a holster concealed on their person' and 'shall not be construed to authorize a holder to carry a handgun openly,' treating only 'a brief, incidental exposure' as de minimis. |
| New Mexico | NMSA 30-7-2(A) prohibits only 'carrying a concealed loaded firearm'; open carry of a loaded handgun requires no license anywhere in New Mexico. 30-7-2(A)(2) separately allows concealed carry in a private automobile for lawful protection. |
| New York | New York issues handgun licenses only 'to have and carry concealed' (Penal Law 400.00(2)(f)); unlicensed possession of a loaded handgun outside the home or business is a felony. There is no open-carry license category, and official county sheriff licensing pages state that 'New York State is not an open carry state.' |
| North Carolina | North Carolina requires no permit to carry a handgun openly; G.S. 14-269(a1) reaches only weapons 'carried concealed about his or her person.' The common-law offense of going armed to the terror of the public survives but under State v. Lancaster (N.C. 2023) requires an unusual and dangerous weapon carried to terrify: 'the carrying of a gun per se constitutes no offense.' |
| North Dakota | CONDITIONAL. NDCC 62.1-03-01(1) says a handgun may be carried only 'unloaded and in plain view or secured' – but 62.1-03-01(2)(a) exempts anyone 'not otherwise precluded from possessing a class 2 firearm and dangerous weapon license' who 'possesses a valid driver's license or nondriver identification card.' So loaded open carry is permitless in practice for eligible adults holding a driver's license or state ID. |
| Ohio | Ohio has no statute requiring a license to carry a handgun openly, and R.C. 9.68(A) affirms a person may 'transport, store, carry' a firearm 'without further license, permission, restriction, delay, or process' except as specifically provided. Permitless CONCEALED carry requires being a 'qualifying adult' (21+). |
| Oklahoma | 21 O.S. 1272(A) excepts from unlawful carry 'the carrying of a firearm, concealed or unconcealed, loaded or unloaded, by a person who is twenty-one (21) years of age or older' (or a qualifying military member 18+) who is not disqualified and not carrying in furtherance of a crime. |
| Oregon | Statewide, open carry needs no license – ORS 166.250(1)(a) reaches only firearms 'concealed upon the person,' and 166.250(3) confirms 'firearms carried openly in belt holsters are not concealed.' BUT ORS 166.173(1) expressly authorizes a city or county to 'regulate, restrict or prohibit the possession of loaded firearms in public places,' and such ordinances do not apply to concealed handgun licensees. |
| Pennsylvania | Outside Philadelphia AND outside a vehicle, open carry of a loaded handgun is lawful without a license: 18 Pa.C.S. 6106(a) reaches only a firearm 'in any vehicle' or 'concealed on or about his person.' TWO CARVE-OUTS: 6108 barred unlicensed carry on public streets in Philadelphia, and carrying ANY firearm in a vehicle, openly or concealed, requires a 6109 license. |
| Rhode Island | R.I. Gen. Laws 11-47-8(a) bars carrying a pistol 'in any vehicle or conveyance or on or about his or her person whether visible or concealed' without a license. The only license authorizing visible carry is the AG permit under 11-47-18(a), issued on 'a proper showing of need' – a discretionary scheme. Local licenses under 11-47-11 authorize concealed carry only. |
| South Carolina | As rewritten by 2024 Act No. 111 (H.3594), effective March 7, 2024, S.C. Code 16-23-20(A) now bars carrying a handgun 'whether concealed or not' only into eleven enumerated places. Carrying openly or concealed elsewhere is not prohibited. |
| South Dakota | South Dakota repealed its carrying-without-a-permit offenses in 2019 (SL 2019 ch. 113), and SDCL 23-7-7 now states that issuing a concealed permit 'does not impose a general prohibition on the carrying of a pistol without a permit.' Open carry of a loaded handgun is unregulated by statute. |
| Tennessee | T.C.A. 39-17-1307(a)(1) makes it an offense to carry a firearm 'with the intent to go armed'; subsection (g) excepts a person 'carrying, whether openly or concealed, a handgun' who is 21+ (or 18-20 with qualifying military service), lawfully possesses it, and is lawfully present. |
| Texas | Since HB 1927 (2021), Penal Code 46.02(a) makes carrying a handgun an offense only for a person under 21 (or with a qualifying recent conviction) off their own premises. 46.02(a-5) is the holster rule: displaying a handgun in plain view in a public place is an offense unless 'the handgun was partially or wholly visible but was carried in a holster.' |
| Utah | Utah recodified its weapons law into Title 76 ch. 11 effective May 7, 2025. Open carry of a loaded handgun is unrestricted at 21+: 76-11-202 criminalizes unpermitted concealed carry only for actors under 21, and 76-11-220 makes carrying a loaded firearm on a public street an offense only for actors 18-20 without a provisional permit. |
| Vermont | Vermont has never required a license to carry, openly or concealed. 13 V.S.A. 4003 criminalizes only carrying 'a dangerous or deadly weapon… with the intent to injure another.' There is no general carry offense, no holster requirement and no loaded/unloaded distinction for handguns. |
| Virginia | Va. Code 18.2-308(A) reaches only weapons carried 'hidden from common observation,' so openly carrying a loaded handgun requires no permit. Local carve-outs matter: 15.2-915(E) lets a locality ban carry in its own government buildings, public parks, recreation centers, and on streets adjacent to permitted events, with posted notice. |
| Washington | RCW 9.41.050(1)(a) requires a concealed pistol license only to 'carry a pistol concealed on his or her person,' so open carry of a loaded pistol needs no license. But the location bans are unusually broad, including a ban on open carry at and within 250 feet of a permitted demonstration and on the west capitol campus. |
| West Virginia | West Virginia has had permitless carry since 2016. HB 4106 (2026 Reg. Sess., ch. 75, effective June 12, 2026) repealed 61-7-3 entirely and amended 61-7-7(c) so that any person 18+ who is a U.S. citizen or legal resident and not federally prohibited may carry concealed without a license. Open carry was already unregulated for adults. |
| Wisconsin | Wis. Stat. 941.23(2) criminalizes carrying only 'a concealed and dangerous weapon'; open carry requires no license. 947.01(2) removes the old disorderly-conduct trap: absent other facts indicating criminal or malicious intent, a person 'is not in violation of' disorderly conduct for going armed, loaded or not, concealed or openly carried. |
| Wyoming | No Wyoming statute prohibits open carry. W.S. 6-8-104(a) penalizes only wearing or carrying 'a concealed deadly weapon,' and (a)(iv) exempts a person without a permit who is a U.S. resident meeting the listed criteria – the 2021 amendment extended permitless concealed carry to non-residents. |
What is currently moving
Carry law is not static, and a chart without dates is a chart you cannot trust. Every jurisdiction on this page carries a watch note. These are the ones that changed most recently or are most likely to change next:
| Jurisdiction | Watch note |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 13A-11-52 was never conformed to the 2022 permitless act and still references a concealed permit; 13A-11-72 amended again by Act 2025-273. |
| Alaska | No Alaska statute expressly sets an open-carry age. Only explicit bars are concealed carry under 21 and possession by an unemancipated minor under 16. Whether an 18-20 year old may open carry is unresolved; DPS frames the threshold as 21. |
| Arizona | Permit age is 21 (19 with military service) but a permit is optional. Last substantive amendment year not verifiable from the official site. |
| Arkansas | Open-carry legality rests on AG opinions and executive guidance, not binding case law: no Arkansas appellate decision has squarely settled it. AG opinion of Nov 14, 2025 clarified open carry in municipal parks and at athletic events. Campus carry requires the enhanced-carry endorsement; permitless carriers may not. |
| California | SB 2 (2023) rewrote 26150/26155 and added the 26230 sensitive-places list. Per Cal DOJ Bulletin 2025-DLE-06, nine categories are enforceable and six remain enjoined after the Ninth Circuit's Jan 23, 2025 ruling in May/Carralero v. Bonta. SCOTUS decided Wolford v. Lopez June 25, 2026, implicating 26230(a)(26). |
| Colorado | SB 24-131 (eff. July 1, 2024) narrowed 18-12-105.5 so permit holders may carry only in college and university PARKING areas, not buildings, reversing the practical effect of Regents v. Students for Concealed Carry (2012). Because SB 21-256 restored local control, statewide open-carry statements are unreliable: check the municipality. |
| Connecticut | The 2023 'intent to display' ban is new and the outer limits of 'reasonable measures to conceal' are largely unlitigated. Connecticut has NO express firearms preemption statute; 'none' rests on the absence of a statute plus conflict-preemption case law (Dwyer v. Farrell, 193 Conn. 7 (1984)) and should be treated as provisional. |
| Delaware | AGE IS UNSETTLED. 11 Del. C. 1448's under-21 possession ban was held unconstitutional by the Delaware Superior Court on Aug 29, 2025; the Delaware Supreme Court heard argument in Del. DSHS v. Birney on June 10, 2026 and had not ruled as of Aug 19, 2026. Also unverified: whether a loaded handgun in a glovebox counts as concealed under 1442. |
| District of Columbia | There is no public-carry authority for rifles or shotguns at all: 22-4504.01 authorizes possession only in a residence, place of business, lawful recreational use, or statutorily authorized transport. |
| Florida | 790.053 has NEVER been repealed, so the status rests entirely on DCA precedent: a conflicting decision from another DCA or Florida Supreme Court review would unsettle it. Eubanks v. State (4th DCA, June 17, 2026) held 790.06(2)(b)'s age-21 rule unconstitutional as applied to 18-20 year olds and the AG announced no further review, which is why the age is 18. SB 954 and HB 321 both died in committee Mar 13, 2026. |
| Georgia | 16-11-129(b)(2) bars 'lawful weapons carrier' status under 21 unless the person is 18+ with qualifying military service, so 18-20 year olds generally may not carry a HANDGUN in public though they may carry a long gun. Campus carry is concealed-only and excludes dorms, Greek housing, athletic events and faculty offices. |
| Hawaii | In Wolford v. Lopez (U.S. June 25, 2026) the Supreme Court held HRS 134-9.5(a), barring licensed carry on private property open to the public absent express authorization, unconstitutional. Other Act 52 sensitive-place provisions remain in litigation. HRS ch. 134 contains no express preemption section; 'none' is inferred from its absence plus county-by-county licensing. |
| Idaho | PENDING TEXT CHANGE: 18-3302 was amended by 2026 Idaho Sess. Laws ch. 79 s.16 effective Jan 1, 2027; that text is NOT in force yet. Campus carry is license-gated, not permitless, and excludes residence halls and venues seating 1,000+. |
| Illinois | 720 ILCS 5/24-1 and 24-1.6 were amended by P.A. 103-822 effective Jan 1, 2025. Readers relocating from a permitless open-carry state should note the concealment requirement in 430 ILCS 66/10(c). |
| Indiana | IC 35-47-11.1-4's preserved local powers do not mention state educational institutions, so public universities regulate by policy (Indiana U. policy PS-03 prohibits firearms regardless of permit). 35-47-2-1.5 also bars carry by persons under 23 with certain juvenile adjudications. |
| Iowa | Campus prohibition rests on the Board of Regents rule (Iowa Admin. Code 681-9.1(2)(g)), not statute, so it can change without legislation. Iowa Code 724.22 (minors and pistols) was amended by 2025 Iowa Acts ch. 27. |
| Kansas | The open-carry/concealed-carry age split (18 vs 21) is the most commonly misstated point in Kansas law. Institutions may still ban OPEN carry on campus (Kan. Att'y Gen. Op. 2014-6) even though concealed carry is protected. |
| Kentucky | KRS 527.020 was amended effective July 15, 2024. Watch the 18-20 gap: open carry lawful, concealed not (KRS 237.109 and a CCDW license are both 21+). KRS 237.115 lets each public university write its own campus rule. |
| Louisiana | Louisiana's permitless carry applies at 18, not 21 – unusually low. R.S. 14:95.2 defines 'school' to include any college or university, so campus carry is a crime. A 2025 act (Act 420 / SB 101) further amended firearm-free-zone provisions; confirm current text before relying on campus guidance. |
| Maine | OPEN-CARRY AGE IS GENUINELY UNSETTLED on the face of Maine statute: 2001-A's 21-year threshold governs CONCEALED carry only, and no Maine statute sets an open-carry age. Maine also inverts the usual pattern – 18-20 year olds can get a concealed permit but cannot carry concealed permitlessly. Campus bans rest on University of Maine System policy, not statute. |
| Maryland | The 4-111 location bans created by 2023 Md. Laws ch. 680 (SB 1) have been in federal litigation since enactment (Novotny/Kipke line); confirm which subsections are currently enjoined. 4-209(b) preserves local regulation within 100 yards of a park, church, school or public building – the main source of local variation. |
| Massachusetts | PREEMPTION UNVERIFIED: no general firearms-preemption statute was located in M.G.L. c.140 or c.269, and Massachusetts municipalities have historically adopted their own firearm ordinances under home rule. Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024 reworked licensing, added c.269 s.10(k) prohibited areas and raised the semiauto rifle age to 21; EOPSS guidance is still evolving. |
| Michigan | THE VEHICLE RULE IS THE SINGLE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD POINT IN MICHIGAN LAW. MCL 123.1102's preemption list does not include the word 'carrying' and reaches only 'local unit[s] of government'; public universities have asserted they fall outside it, litigated in Wade v. University of Michigan. |
| Minnesota | The printed statute says 21, but the Revisor's official note states that the portion barring issuance to persons 18-20 was found unconstitutional in Worth v. Jacobson, 108 F.4th 677 (8th Cir. 2024), cert. denied 2025. Sheriffs must issue to qualified 18-20 year olds; the code text and the operative law diverge. |
| Mississippi | Enhanced endorsement vs standard permit is the key distinction for campus and courthouse carry: only enhanced-endorsement holders may carry into college and university facilities. 45-9-101 was amended more recently (Laws 2023, ch. 517). |
| Missouri | MISSOURI IS THE ONLY STATE WHERE CONCEALED CARRY IS PERMITLESS STATEWIDE BUT OPEN CARRY CAN REQUIRE A PERMIT. The 19 age floor is operative wherever a municipal open-carry ordinance applies, because escaping it requires a CCW permit and RSMo 571.101.2 sets 19 (or 18 military). A new 571.030 from 2026 S.B. 1421 takes effect Aug 28, 2026. |
| Montana | Bd. of Regents v. State, 2022 MT 128 held HB 102's campus-firearm provisions unconstitutionally infringed the Board of Regents' authority, so campus firearm policy is set by Regents policy, not the Legislature. 45-8-351(2)(a) preserves local authority over unconcealed carry into publicly owned and occupied buildings. No Montana statute sets a minimum open-carry age; 18 is derived from the permit age and federal law. |
| Nebraska | 28-1202.01 was amended by 2026 Neb. Laws LB 1237 operative July 18, 2026 (Capitol-security provisions); confirm the operative location list. 28-1204.04 does not define 'school,' though its carve-outs for college shooting-team members confirm higher-education institutions are covered. |
| Nevada | NRS 202.265 contains no locked-vehicle exception for Nevada System of Higher Education property, so even storing a firearm in a car parked on an NSHE campus appears to require written presidential permission – an under-litigated question. CCW permits require 21. |
| New Hampshire | No New Hampshire statute prohibits an 18-20 year old from possessing or carrying a handgun; the practical floor of 18 comes from federal 18 U.S.C. 922(x), not state law. HB 1793 (2026) would bar public colleges from restricting campus carry: it passed the House Feb 2026 and was substantially amended in the Senate, final outcome not yet confirmed. |
| New Jersey | Chapter 131's sensitive-place and private-property-default provisions remain in litigation (Koons/Siegel v. Platkin); portions have been enjoined at various points. Verify which subsections of 2C:58-4.6 are enforceable. The age of 21 is derived from 2C:58-3(c)(4), not stated in the carry statute itself. |
| New Mexico | The 2023-24 executive orders suspending carry in Albuquerque-area parks were narrowed after federal litigation and lapsed in October 2024; there is currently no state park or plaza carry ban, but the governor has signaled further action. The 19 age floor comes from 30-7-2.2 (handgun possession under 19 unlawful), which is unusual. |
| New York | SCOTUS denied certiorari in Antonyuk v. James in April 2025, leaving the Second Circuit's largely pro-CCIA ruling in place; Christian v. James continues to test the CCIA's private-property default rule. The Senate's page for 400.00 shows a revision date of July 11, 2025 – confirm whether substantive. New York has no general preemption statute; NYC maintains its own licensing regime. |
| North Carolina | SB 50 (Freedom to Carry NC) would create permitless CONCEALED carry: vetoed June 20, 2025, Senate overrode 30-19 July 29, 2025, but the House repeatedly calendared and withdrew the override without voting (most recently placed on calendar for 04/21/2026). SB 50 IS NOT LAW. 14-409.40(f) preserves local bans on public property, so open carry can be barred in city parks and buildings. |
| North Dakota | THE DRIVER'S-LICENSE CONDITION IS THE TRAP: an otherwise-eligible adult without a valid driver's license or state ID falls back to the 'unloaded and in plain view or secured' rule. 62.1-01-03 voids local ordinances on purchase, sale, ownership, possession, transfer, registration or licensure – notably NOT 'carrying' or 'transportation.' 62.1-02-05(3) lets the Board of Higher Education adopt a LESS restrictive campus policy. |
| Ohio | R.C. 9.68 was amended effective April 9, 2025 by S.B. 58 and 2923.126 effective April 9, 2025 – re-check the location list. The 18-to-20 open-carry age is INFERRED: no Ohio statute prohibits an 18-20 year old from openly carrying a handgun, and 2923.21 only bars selling or furnishing one to a person under 21. |
| Oklahoma | 21 O.S. 1277 was amended TWICE in 2025 (SB 742 and HB 1095), producing two published versions – confirm which controls the prohibited-places list. Persons 18-20 are limited by 1289.7(B) to transporting an UNLOADED firearm. |
| Oregon | Portland, Multnomah County, Beaverton, Salem, Tigard and others have loaded-firearm-in-public ordinances, and a CHL exempts the holder – so in Oregon the license is what makes OPEN carry lawful in the biggest cities. SB 243 (2025) amended 166.377 and delayed Measure 114's transfer-permit and magazine provisions to March 15, 2026 or later; the Oregon Supreme Court heard argument Nov 2025 with no decision located. |
| Pennsylvania | MAJOR CHANGE: In Commonwealth v. Sumpter, 2025 PA Super 124 (June 23, 2025) the Superior Court held 18 Pa.C.S. 6108 unconstitutional AS APPLIED on equal-protection grounds 'insofar as it prohibits the unlicensed open carry of firearms on public streets and public property in the city of Philadelphia,' expressly reserving the constitutionality of a statewide open-carry licensing requirement. 6108 remains on the books and further appellate review was not confirmed – Philadelphia open carry is NOT settled. |
| Rhode Island | O'Neill v. Neronha, D.R.I. (Aug 1, 2025): the court upheld the 11-47-18 need-based open-carry permit scheme against a post-Bruen challenge, holding an open-carry permit is a privilege with no protected liberty interest; plaintiffs announced a First Circuit appeal. 11-47-60(c) expressly exempts colleges and universities from the school-grounds ban. |
| South Carolina | NAMING CAUTION: the constitutional-carry law is 2024 Act No. 111 (H.3594), not 'Act 63.' 16-23-20 sets no age itself; the 18 floor derives from 16-23-30 and from 23-31-215(A), which Act 111 lowered from 21 to 18 for CWPs. 16-23-20(D) lets anyone not otherwise prohibited store a firearm anywhere in a vehicle, loaded, no permit. |
| South Dakota | SB 100 (SL 2025 ch. 86), effective July 1, 2025, created SDCL 13-53-56/-57 – the state's first campus-carry mandate, for enhanced/restricted-enhanced/reciprocal permit holders, CONCEALED ONLY. Board of Regents implementing policy and institutional restricted-area designations are still being worked out. |
| Tennessee | AGE IS UNSETTLED. 39-17-1307(g) still reads 21, but 2025 Tenn. Pub. Ch. 356 (HB 1332) amended 39-17-1351(b) so any resident 18+ may apply for a handgun carry permit. Read 21 as the permitless floor and 18 as the permit floor until the legislature conforms them. The 1307(g) exception covers HANDGUNS ONLY: open carry of a loaded long gun with intent to go armed is not clearly protected. 2026 Tenn. Pub. Ch. 1100 is a use-of-force change, not a carry change. |
| Texas | FPC v. McCraw struck the LTC age restriction, not 46.02 itself, so 18-20 year olds can now obtain an LTC and carry via the 46.15(b)(6) license exemption – but PERMITLESS carry at 18-20 remains a criminal offense under the text of 46.02(a). Campus carry requires an LTC; permitless carry does not extend to campuses. Local Gov't Code 229.001(b) preserves municipal authority over non-license-holders at public parks, public meetings, political rallies and school or professional athletic events. |
| Utah | CITATION CHURN: HB 128 (2025) moved the entire weapons part from Title 76 ch.10 pt.5 into Title 76 ch.11 effective May 7, 2025 – any reference to 76-10-504/505/505.5 is now stale. NEW 76-11-205.5 makes OPENLY carrying a dangerous weapon at an institution of higher education a class C misdemeanor effective May 6, 2026, with an exception for lawful concealed carry inadvertently exposed. |
| Vermont | Vermont's only handgun possession-age statute is 13 V.S.A. 4008: a child under 16 shall not, without parental consent, possess a pistol or revolver – hence the 16 figure, the lowest statutory floor in the country. Federal 18 U.S.C. 922(x) independently makes 18 the practical floor. 13 V.S.A. 4020 restricts SALES to persons under 21 but not possession or carry. |
| Virginia | MAJOR PENDING CHANGE: a second version of 18.2-287.4 is already codified effective July 1, 2027 and is far broader – it bans carrying an 'assault firearm' on any public street, sidewalk, park or place open to the public STATEWIDE, with no locality list and NO concealed-handgun-permit exemption. The current version applies only in 8 named cities and 5 counties and exempts permit holders. Expect litigation. |
| Washington | RCW 9.41.050(2)(a) bars carrying or placing a LOADED pistol in any vehicle without a CPL – open carry on foot is free, in the car it is not. Two dated changes are already codified: a revised RCW 9.41.270 effective May 1, 2027, and HB 1163 (2025) creating a permit-to-purchase system operative May 1, 2027. RCW 9.41.240(2) bars 18-20 year olds from possessing a pistol outside their abode or business, which is why the age is 21. |
| West Virginia | HB 4106 IS BRAND NEW – signed April 1, 2026, effective June 12, 2026 – and drops the permitless-carry age from 21 to 18. Reference materials and third-party charts published before mid-2026 still show 21. Note the interaction: the Campus Self-Defense Act still conditions campus carry on holding a LICENSE, so an 18-20 year old relying on permitless carry cannot use it on a public campus. |
| Wisconsin | 167.31(2)(b) expressly allows a LOADED HANDGUN in a vehicle without a permit – but concealing it still requires a 175.60 license, so an unlicensed person must keep it in plain view. 943.13(1m)(c)2 exempts university buildings and grounds from armed trespass, but (c)4 lets the state post buildings it owns, which is how UW System campuses bar firearms indoors. |
| Wyoming | HB 172 (2025 ch. 61), effective July 1, 2025, repealed most Wyoming gun-free zones and repealed W.S. 21-3-132 outright; Governor Gordon let it become law without signature. 6-8-105(c)(iii) covers public college facilities only for holders of a Wyoming-issued permit, not permitless carriers, and 6-8-105(d)(iii) preserves a governmental entity's power to prohibit OPEN carry on its campus. No Wyoming statute sets a minimum open-carry age; 18 derives from the permit age and federal law. |
How to read this and where it stops being useful
A green square means the state does not require a license for the act of carrying a handgun visibly. It does not mean you may carry it anywhere in that state. Every jurisdiction on this map has a list of places where carry is barred regardless of license — courthouses, schools, secured airport areas, polling places, licensed premises, federal property — and those lists are long, they differ, and several of them are actively enjoined in part by federal courts. This tool maps the licensing question. It does not map the sensitive-places question, and no responsible chart should try to compress both into one color.
Three further limits. First, private property overrides everything: a business that posts a firearms notice can exclude you, and in some states ignoring that notice is itself a criminal offense rather than mere trespass. Second, local ordinances are real law in the eleven jurisdictions we mark as partial or no preemption, and this map cannot enumerate every city ordinance in the country. Third, the “going armed to the terror of the public” family of offenses survives in several states; North Carolina’s Supreme Court held in State v. Lancaster (2023) that “the carrying of a gun per se constitutes no offense,” but the offense still exists for conduct beyond merely being armed.
Frequently asked questions
Which states allow open carry without a permit?
Thirty-seven of the fifty-one U.S. jurisdictions: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Colorado, Missouri and Oregon allow it as a matter of state law but let cities ban it. Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Rhode Island require a license. California’s open-carry license is unobtainable in any populated county. Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, New Jersey and New York prohibit it outright.
Is open carry legal in Florida now?
Yes, and the route it took there is unusual. Florida Statute 790.053 banned open carry, and it is still printed in the Florida Statutes today. On 10 September 2025 the First District Court of Appeal declared it unconstitutional in McDaniels v. State, and on 15 September 2025 Attorney General James Uthmeier issued guidance to every Florida law enforcement and prosecuting authority directing them not to arrest or prosecute law-abiding citizens carrying visibly. So the statute exists but is unenforceable. Separately, on 17 June 2026 the Fourth District Court of Appeal held in Eubanks v. State that the age-21 requirement in section 790.06(2)(b) is unconstitutional as applied to law-abiding 18-to-20-year-olds, and the Attorney General announced the state would not seek further review — which is why the minimum age shown here is 18. Because the whole position rests on district-court-of-appeal precedent rather than a repeal, a conflicting decision from another district or review by the Florida Supreme Court would unsettle it.
Can I open carry in Philadelphia?
This is genuinely unsettled and you should treat it that way. Pennsylvania’s general rule is that open carry needs no license, but 18 Pa.C.S. 6108 barred unlicensed carry on public streets and public property in a city of the first class, which means Philadelphia. On 23 June 2025 the Superior Court held in Commonwealth v. Sumpter, 2025 PA Super 124, that section 6108 is unconstitutional as applied, on equal-protection grounds, “insofar as it prohibits the unlicensed open carry of firearms on public streets and public property in the city of Philadelphia.” The court expressly reserved the question of a statewide open-carry licensing requirement. Section 6108 remains on the books and further appellate review was not confirmed as of August 2026. Separately, carrying any firearm in a vehicle anywhere in Pennsylvania requires a section 6109 license, concealed or not.
How old do you have to be to open carry?
It ranges from 16 to 21 and it is frequently different from the concealed-carry age in the same state. Vermont’s only handgun possession-age statute sets 16, though federal law makes 18 the practical floor. Alabama, Missouri and New Mexico set 19. Twenty-nine jurisdictions land on 18 and seventeen on 21. In 22 states the open-carry age is below the age at which the state would issue you a carry permit — Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Maine is the one jurisdiction with no open-carry age in statute, and that is a finding rather than a gap. We read 25 M.R.S. §2001-A in full on the Maine Legislature’s own server: every age it sets — 21, or 18 for active military, the National Guard and honorably discharged veterans — attaches to carrying a handgun concealed. The section sets no age for carrying openly, and no other section of Title 25 does either. The entry therefore reads no statutory minimum rather than unverified. 25 M.R.S. §2001-A
If open carry is legal, can I keep the gun in my car?
Not necessarily, and this is the trap that catches the most people. In Michigan, Pennsylvania and Washington a license is required to have a handgun in a vehicle even though carrying it openly on foot is free — and in Michigan and Pennsylvania it makes no difference whether the gun is visible. North Carolina applies a narrower version: the offense turns on concealment, and courts there treat a handgun in a glove box or console as concealed. At the other end, South Carolina is unusually explicit in the opposite direction: section 16-23-20(D) says a person not otherwise prohibited “may lawfully store a firearm anywhere in a vehicle whether occupied or unoccupied,” loaded, with no permit.
Does my state’s carry permit let me open carry?
In most permit states, yes. In four it does not. Illinois’ concealed carry license authorizes only a firearm carried “fully concealed or partially concealed” under 430 ILCS 66/10(c). New Jersey’s permit statute says in terms that it “shall not be construed to authorize a holder to carry a handgun openly.” The District of Columbia’s license provides that a licensee “shall not carry a pistol openly.” Connecticut goes further still: Public Act 23-53 created a separate offense of carrying a firearm “with intent to display” it, which applies to permit holders, though the statute expressly protects a fleeting glimpse or an imprint through clothing.
What changed most recently?
West Virginia is the newest change on this map. House Bill 4106, signed 1 April 2026 and effective 12 June 2026, repealed W. Va. Code 61-7-3 outright and lowered the permitless-carry age from 21 to 18. Any chart or guide published before mid-2026 still shows 21 for West Virginia. Two dated changes are already codified and worth diarising: Utah’s new section 76-11-205.5 makes openly carrying a dangerous weapon at an institution of higher education a class C misdemeanor from 6 May 2026, and a much broader version of Virginia’s section 18.2-287.4 takes effect 1 July 2027, banning carry of an “assault firearm” in any public place statewide with no concealed-handgun-permit exemption — against the current version, which applies only in eight named cities and five counties and does exempt permit holders.
Can I reuse this data?
Yes. The CSV button above downloads the complete dataset — all 51 jurisdictions, every field on this page, with the citation, the source URL and the source tier for each row. It is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license, the same terms as our reciprocity dataset. If you are a journalist, a researcher or a competing publisher and you find an entry you think is wrong, tell us and we will correct it and log the correction with a date.
Related on Freedoms Lodge
Each state gun-law page is authoritative on that state carry rules in full: permits, reciprocity, sensitive places and duty to inform. This page is authoritative on open carry: whether a permit is required to carry openly, and the words of the statute that decide it. See also the concealed carry reciprocity map, the magazine capacity map, the pepper spray map and the carry law change log.
Sources
Every jurisdiction row links to its own primary source in the table above and in the tool’s detail panel. Thirty-seven rows cite an official state code portal, legislature, attorney general or state police page; fourteen cite the Cornell Legal Information Institute or Justia mirror because the official source blocked automated retrieval or served no text. Decisions and enactments relied on for the classifications that changed since 2024:
- McDaniels v. State, Fla. 1st DCA (10 Sept. 2025), and Florida Attorney General guidance memorandum (15 Sept. 2025)
- Eubanks v. State, No. 4D2025-1698, Fla. 4th DCA (17 June 2026)
- Commonwealth v. Sumpter, 2025 PA Super 124 (23 June 2025)
- W. Va. H.B. 4106, 2026 W. Va. Acts ch. 75 (eff. 12 June 2026)
- Wolford v. Lopez, 609 U.S. ___ (25 June 2026)
- Worth v. Jacobson, 108 F.4th 677 (8th Cir. 2024), cert. denied 145 S. Ct. 1924 (2025)
- State v. Lancaster, 385 N.C. 459 (2023)
- Bd. of Regents of Higher Educ. v. State, 2022 MT 128
- S.C. 2024 Act No. 111 (H.3594); La. Acts 2024 No. 6; S.D. 2025 SL ch. 86 (SB 100); Wyo. 2025 Sess. Laws ch. 61 (HB 172); Utah 2025 HB 128 recodification
This is not legal advice. Freedom’s Lodge is a publisher, not a law firm, and nothing on this page creates an attorney-client relationship. Carry law changes constantly, courts enjoin parts of statutes without the statutes being amended, and municipal ordinances are not comprehensively cataloged anywhere — including here. Several entries above rest on attorney-general opinions, non-enforcement guidance or as-applied appellate rulings rather than on statutory text, and we have said so where that is the case. Verify against the linked primary source and, if anything about your situation is unusual, consult a lawyer licensed in the jurisdiction before you carry. Data last verified August 2026.
Spotted something out of date?
Laws move faster than anyone can sweep for them, and the people who notice first are usually the people who live there. Tell us what changed. A person checks every one of these against the state's own statute before a word on this page moves, and the date at the top only changes when that happens.