Alabama - AL Gun Laws

No state permit or license is required to buy a rifle, shotgun, or handgun in Alabama. Dealer purchases run through the standard federal NICS background check (Form 4473), with federal age minimums of 18 for a long gun and 21 for a handgun. There's no state waiting period and no state-added purchase restrictions beyond what federal law already requires.

Alabama does not require a background check for private, face-to-face firearm sales between people who can legally possess firearms. Federal law still applies — a private seller may not knowingly transfer to someone they believe is a prohibited possessor.

Alabama follows the standard federal prohibited-persons categories: felony conviction, certain domestic violence convictions or active protective orders, unlawful drug users, individuals adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution, fugitives from justice, dishonorable military discharge, undocumented immigration status, and renunciation of U.S. citizenship. Alabama has no red-flag/extreme risk protective order law.

Legal without a permit statewide for anyone who can otherwise legally possess a firearm.

Permitless since January 1, 2023 (Act 2022-133) for anyone 19 or older (18 if active-duty military, an honorably discharged veteran, or a law enforcement officer) who can legally possess a firearm — no permit, background check at the point of carry, or training requirement. Alabama still issues an optional pistol permit (Ala. Code § 13A-11-75) on a shall-issue basis, which remains useful both for reciprocity when traveling and for carrying on private property under Alabama's default-no-carry-without-consent rule (see Restricted Locations).

Loaded handguns may be carried in a vehicle in Alabama without a permit, provided the carrier meets the same age and eligibility requirements as concealed carry generally. The same sensitive-location and private-property rules apply to vehicle carry as anywhere else.

Alabama prohibits firearms in schools, courthouses, police stations, and other restricted government properties. Alabama also defaults to no-carry on private property (Ala. Code § 13A-11-52) unless the carrier holds a valid pistol permit or the property owner consents to firearms on the premises — a real practical restriction even though open/concealed carry itself is otherwise permitless. Federal restrictions still apply regardless of state law — federal buildings and other federal property remain off-limits under federal statute.

Alabama Code § 13A-11-72 prohibits minors from possessing a firearm except in specific circumstances — competition, supervised range use, hunting, and similar enumerated activities. Outside those exceptions, the federal purchase-age framework applies (18 for long guns, 21 for handguns through a dealer).

None. Alabama has no magazine capacity limit and no assault weapons ban, and state preemption keeps local governments from enacting firearms laws stricter than state law.

Alabama's castle doctrine and stand-your-ground protections (Ala. Code § 13A-3-23) remove the duty to retreat before using force, including deadly force, in any place a person has a legal right to be, provided they are not engaged in unlawful activity — this applies both inside and outside the home.

Alabama has state preemption — municipalities cannot enact firearms ordinances stricter than state law, keeping carry, purchase, and possession rules uniform statewide. The one meaningful local-level variable that survives is private property owners' own right to prohibit firearms on their premises under Ala. Code § 13A-11-52, which is a property-owner consent rule rather than a government regulation.

Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), pistol permit resources: alea.gov
Code of Alabama, Title 13A, Chapter 11 (full text): alison.legislature.state.al.us
Your county Sheriff's Office: for optional pistol permit applications
ATF: for federal NFA questions — Alabama does not add state-level restrictions on suppressors beyond federal requirements