Missouri - MO Gun Laws

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

Missouri does not require a background check for private firearm sales or transfers between Missouri residents. Buying from a private party rather than a licensed dealer means no NICS check, no state permit, and no paperwork trail under state law. Federal law still applies — a private seller may not knowingly transfer to someone they believe is a prohibited possessor.

Missouri 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. Missouri does not layer significant additional state-specific categories on top of the federal list, and the state has no red-flag/extreme risk protective order law.

Legal statewide without a permit for anyone who can otherwise legally possess a firearm. One local wrinkle worth knowing: while cities generally can't ban open carry outright under state preemption, a municipality is allowed to require a valid Concealed Carry Permit specifically to open carry within its limits — so the rule isn't perfectly uniform city to city the way concealed carry is.

Permitless since 2017 under RSMo § 571.030 — anyone 19 or older (18 for active-duty military) who can legally possess a firearm may carry concealed without a permit, background check at the point of carry, or training requirement. Missouri also runs a shall-issue Concealed Carry Permit program (RSMo § 571.101) with Standard (5-year), Extended (10 or 25-year), and Lifetime options — useful for reciprocity when traveling to states that don't recognize Missouri's permitless standard, and for satisfying the open-carry permit requirement some municipalities impose.

No permit or license is required to carry a firearm, loaded or unloaded, concealed or openly, in a vehicle in Missouri — the state's permitless carry framework covers vehicle transport the same as carrying on foot. The main restrictions are the same sensitive-location rules that apply anywhere else (see Restricted Locations) and the standard prohibition on possession by someone legally disqualified.

Missouri's sensitive-places list includes K-12 schools, courthouses, jails and correctional facilities, law enforcement facilities, and establishments where alcohol is the primary business (unless the carrier isn't drinking and the establishment doesn't post otherwise). Concealed carry permit holders who accidentally enter a restricted area are typically just asked to leave (with a modest fine for refusing); people carrying without a permit in a restricted zone can face more serious misdemeanor exposure — one more reason the optional permit is worth having even though it isn't required.

Missouri does not set a comprehensive statewide minimum age for possessing a firearm beyond the federal purchase-age framework (18 for long guns, 21 for handguns through a dealer). Supervised possession and use by minors — for hunting, target shooting, or firearms safety instruction under adult supervision — is common practice and not separately restricted by a dedicated state age-floor statute.

None. Missouri has no magazine capacity limit and no assault weapons ban, and state preemption law blocks cities and counties from enacting firearm regulations stricter than state law.

Missouri has one of the strongest stand-your-ground frameworks in the country (RSMo § 563.031) — no duty to retreat from any place you're lawfully present before using deadly force, if you reasonably believe it's necessary to protect yourself or others from death, serious physical injury, or a forcible felony. Castle Doctrine adds a statutory presumption of reasonable belief when defending your home, vehicle, or place of business.

Missouri has state preemption — local municipalities cannot enact firearms laws stricter than state law. The one notable local carve-out: some municipalities may still require a valid Concealed Carry Permit specifically to open carry within city limits, even though the general open-carry right is protected statewide. Otherwise, expect statewide consistency on purchase, possession, and carry rules.

Missouri State Highway Patrol, firearms-related resources: mshp.dps.missouri.gov
Missouri Revised Statutes, Chapter 571 (full text): revisor.mo.gov
Your local Sheriff's Office or Police Department: for Concealed Carry Permit applications and municipal open-carry requirements
ATF: for federal NFA questions — Missouri does not add state-level restrictions on suppressors beyond federal requirements