Arizona gun laws: a plain-English guide for buyers

Arizona is one of the least restrictive states in the country for buying and owning firearms. There is no permit to purchase, no registration, no state waiting period, no magazine limit and no state list of banned rifles, and since 2010 most adults have been able to carry concealed without a license. That does not mean there are no rules. This guide covers buying, owning, carrying and transporting firearms in Arizona as of September 2026. It is general information, not legal advice; when in doubt, read the statute or ask an Arizona attorney.

Buying from a licensed dealer

Every firearm you order from us ships to a federally licensed dealer, an FFL, that you pick at checkout. At the counter you show a valid photo ID, fill out ATF Form 4473 and the dealer runs a federal NICS background check. Federal law sets the dealer minimum age at 18 for rifles and shotguns and 21 for handguns. Arizona adds nothing on top: no purchase permit, no owner identification card, no registration with any state or local agency and no waiting period. Once the check comes back as proceed, the dealer can hand you the gun that day. If NICS returns a delay, federal rules apply and many dealers hold the firearm until they get a final answer.

The dealer is also the person who tells you whether a transfer can go ahead. A prohibited possessor under A.R.S. 13-3101 includes anyone with an unrestored felony conviction, anyone serving a term of probation for a domestic violence or felony offense, anyone found by a court to be a danger to self or others whose rights have not been restored, and several other categories. If any of that applies, the transfer stops at the counter.

Private sales between residents

Arizona does not require a background check when one Arizona resident sells a firearm to another in a private sale. The rules that do apply are worth knowing:

• Prohibited buyers: under A.R.S. 13-3102 it is an offense to sell or transfer a deadly weapon to a prohibited possessor.
• Minors: transfers to people under 18 are governed by A.R.S. 13-3111, which also sets out when a minor may carry a firearm at all.
• Out-of-state buyers: federal law requires a sale between residents of different states to go through a licensed dealer, which is exactly what an online order does.

Plenty of private sellers still meet at a dealer and pay for a transfer, because a logged transfer protects both sides.

Age rules

At a dealer you must be 21 for a handgun and 18 for a rifle or shotgun. Carrying concealed is limited to 21 and older under A.R.S. 13-3102, although a person 19 or older with current or honorable prior military service can hold an Arizona Concealed Weapons Permit. People under 18 may only carry or possess a firearm in the situations listed in A.R.S. 13-3111, which include lawful hunting, marksmanship practice at an established range, agricultural work, and being accompanied by a parent, grandparent, guardian or a certified instructor with parental consent.

What Arizona does not regulate

There is no state magazine capacity limit, no state ban on semi-automatic rifles and no gun registry. Just as important, A.R.S. 13-3108 preempts local rules: cities, towns and counties may not regulate the transportation, possession, carrying, sale, transfer, purchase, storage, licensing or registration of firearms or ammunition. Tucson, Phoenix, Flagstaff and Yuma therefore all follow the same purchase rules as the smallest ranching town in the state. Local government keeps a narrow set of powers, such as regulating where a firearm may be discharged inside a park or preserve and regulating a commercial range the way it regulates any other business.

Carry, in short

Arizona is a permitless carry state. At 21, if you can lawfully own a firearm, you can carry it concealed or openly with no license, no class and no fee. The state still issues the Concealed Weapons Permit through the Department of Public Safety because it carries benefits, including reciprocity with other states. Our Arizona concealed weapons permit guide walks through the cost, the class and the paperwork.

Where you cannot carry matters more here than any permit question. A.R.S. 13-3102 puts school grounds, polling places on election day, court facilities and nuclear or hydroelectric generating stations off limits, and makes it an offense to keep a weapon in a public establishment or at a public event after being asked to remove it. Federal buildings, secure airport areas and the Nogales, San Luis and Douglas border crossings follow federal rules. Private property owners can post their own rules, and a posted sign is worth respecting even where the penalty is a trespass charge rather than a weapons charge.

Transporting a firearm

For anyone 21 or older a loaded handgun in the console, the glovebox or a holster is lawful. Under 21, a concealed firearm in a vehicle is an offense, so younger adults carry it in plain sight or cased. If you are driving into California or Mexico, stop and research before you cross; Arizona rules end at the state line and the Mexican border in particular treats a single cartridge as a serious matter.

Hunting and shooting on public land

Arizona is mostly public land, but that land has managers. The Arizona Game and Fish Department sets hunting seasons and the game management units, the Forest Service and the BLM control target shooting on their ground, and both close areas near towns, campgrounds and trailheads. Our deer and elk rifle guide covers the draw and the units, and the Tucson buying guide covers what is open near the city.

Buying online and picking up at home

Ordering from us works the same way anywhere in the state. Choose the firearm, choose your dealer at checkout, and we ship it to that dealer. You complete Form 4473 there, the dealer runs NICS, and you take it home the same day, with no permit and no waiting period. Ammunition, optics, magazines and most parts ship straight to your door. Browse the full catalog or pick your town from the city list to see what applies locally.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.