Wyoming Gun Laws

• Constitutional Carry Expansion (18+): Wyoming is a foundational constitutional carry state that continues to aggressively expand its Second Amendment protections. A defining update for the 2026 legal landscape is the passage of HB 0096, which officially lowered the age for permitless concealed carry. Effective July 1, 2026, any law-abiding individual who is 18 years of age or older may carry a concealed handgun statewide without a permit.
• The 2025 "Repeal Gun Free Zones" Act: During the 2025 legislative session, Wyoming passed landmark legislation (HB 0172) fundamentally altering sensitive places. The law legalized concealed carry by valid permit holders inside public K-12 schools, as well as on public college and university campuses (like the University of Wyoming). Universities are only allowed to ban the open carry of firearms, completely ending their status as mandatory gun-free zones for concealed carriers.
• Uncompromising State Preemption: Wyoming fiercely defends its state preemption statutes. The state legislature holds the exclusive right to regulate firearms, actively preventing cities and counties from creating confusing, localized patchwork ordinances.

Wyoming is a "Shall Issue" state for the Concealed Firearm Permit (CFP). While no longer required for in-state carry by adults 18+, it remains highly sought after for interstate reciprocity, bypassing the NICS check, and legally carrying in K-12 schools and universities under the 2025 law.

• Minimum Age: 21 years old (or 18 if recommended by the local sheriff, though constitutional carry applies universally at 18 starting July 2026).
• Training Requirements: Applicants must demonstrate firearm familiarity. This is easily satisfied by completing a hunter safety course, an NRA-certified firearms safety class, or providing proof of military/law enforcement small arms training.
• Background Checks: A mandatory state and federal (FBI NICS) fingerprint-based background check is conducted by the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).
• Fingerprints: A complete set of electronic or rolled fingerprints is required.
• Application Fees: The initial application fee is $64.00 (valid for 5 years). The renewal fee is $45.00.
• Processing Times: By law, the state has up to 60 days to issue or deny the CFP after receiving a complete application.

Wyoming maintains an exceptionally permissive hardware framework with zero state-level restrictions on modern sporting rifles or magazine capacities.

• Magazine Capacity: No restrictions. Any capacity magazine is completely legal to possess, buy, sell, and carry.
• "Assault Weapon" Bans: None. Wyoming does not regulate or ban semi-automatic firearms based on cosmetic features or military appearance.
• Restricted Ammunition: Wyoming defers entirely to federal law regarding standard ammunition. Standard hollow-point ammunition is fully legal and encouraged for self-defense.
• Banned Models / NFA Items: No specific firearm models are banned by name. Suppressors, SBRs, and machine guns are fully legal provided they comply strictly with federal National Firearms Act (NFA) registration.

Wyoming provides incredibly strong "Stand Your Ground" and "Castle Doctrine" protections for individuals forced to use deadly force in self-defense.

• Stand Your Ground: Yes. Under legislation passed in 2018, Wyoming law explicitly states that a person who is not engaged in illegal activity and is attacked in a place where they have a lawful right to be has no duty to retreat before using reasonable defensive force, including deadly force.
• Castle Doctrine: Yes. The law grants an absolute legal presumption that an individual held a reasonable fear of imminent peril if they use deadly force against an intruder who unlawfully and forcefully enters their home, habitation, or occupied vehicle.
• Duty to Retreat: No. State statute explicitly removes any legal duty to retreat from a threat.
• Civil Immunity: Yes. Wyoming provides statutory immunity from civil lawsuits for individuals who use justified force in self-defense, preventing attackers or their surviving relatives from successfully suing for damages.

Transportation laws in Wyoming are highly permissive due to constitutional carry, though wildlife laws govern long guns.

• Handguns: Any law-abiding adult 18 or older may transport a loaded handgun, openly or concealed, anywhere inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle without a permit.
• Long Guns: May generally be transported loaded in standard vehicles, but Wyoming Game and Fish laws restrict carrying loaded long guns on certain off-road vehicles (like snowmobiles and ATVs) during hunting seasons to prevent illegal spotting and poaching.
• Federal Gun-Free School Zone Act: Constitutional carry does not satisfy the federal GFSZA exemption. To legally drive within 1,000 feet of a K-12 school in Wyoming without violating federal law—or to legally carry onto the grounds under the new 2025 state law—an individual must possess a state-issued CFP.

Wyoming defers entirely to federal law for commercial firearm transactions and fiercely protects private sales.

• Dealer Sales: All purchases through a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) require a standard NICS background check.
• Private Sales: No background check, paperwork, or government registration is required for private, face-to-face firearm transfers between two Wyoming residents.
• Waiting Periods: There are no mandatory waiting periods for purchasing any type of firearm in Wyoming.
• CCW Bypass: A valid Wyoming CFP qualifies as an exemption to the NICS background check at a dealer, allowing for the immediate transfer of the firearm.

Wyoming does not have an Extreme Risk Protection Order (Red Flag) law. State leadership and the legislature have actively opposed any civil legal mechanism that would allow for the preemptive confiscation of an individual's firearms without full criminal due process.

Because Wyoming operates under constitutional carry, eligible adults (18+) face no penalties for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. However, if a "prohibited person" (such as a convicted felon) is caught in possession of a firearm, it is a felony punishable by up to 3 years in state prison and a $5,000 fine.

Carrying a firearm into a statutorily prohibited zone (like a secure police facility or a bar area) is prosecuted as a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a $750 fine. Ignoring private property signs is treated as criminal trespass.