Last Updated: Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Indiana Gun Laws

STATE CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION - Article 1 Section 32.

“The people shall have a right to bear arms, for the defense of themselves and the State.”

Gun Laws Overview

	RIFLES & SHOTGUNS	HANDGUNS
Permit to Purchase	No	No
Registration of Firearms	No	No
Licensing of Owners	No	No
Permit to Carry	No	No*
Indiana is a constitutional carry state allowing permitless carry of firearms for all individuals legally allowed to possess a firearm. Indiana permits to carry are available for purposes of concealed carry in other states that offer permit reciprocity. The list and map below are included as a tool to assist you in validating your information. We have made every effort to report the information correctly, however reciprocity and recognition agreements are subject to frequent change. The information is not intended as legal advice or a restatement of law and does not include: restrictions that may be placed on non-resident permits, individuals under the age of 21, qualifying permit classes, and/or any other factor which may limit reciprocity and/or recognition. For any particular situation, a licensed local attorney must be consulted for an accurate interpretation. YOU MUST ABIDE WITH ALL LAWS: STATE, FEDERAL AND LOCAL.

	STATE STATUS
Castle Doctrine	Enacted
Right to Carry Confidentiality	Provisions Enacted
Right to Carry in Restaurants	Legal
Right To Carry Laws	Shall Issue
Right To Carry Reciprocity and Recognition	Outright Recognition

Concealed Carry Reciprocity

Laws on Purchase, Possession and Carrying of Firearms

Hardware Bans and Equipment Restrictions

Indiana has no laws regulating semi-automatic firearms or so-called "assault weapons," "large capacity magazines," "ghost guns," bump stocks, or similar items. Machine guns are legal as long as possessed under applicable federal statutes.

Ammunition

Indiana does not generally regulate or restrict ammunition except for armor piercing ammunition.

Indiana does not require a license for the sale, purchase, or possession of ammunition nor have any age minimums for the purchase or possession of ammunition.

Indiana generally prohibits people from knowingly or intentionally manufacturing, possessing, transferring or offering to transfer armor-piercing ammunition. Ind. Code Ann. § 35-47-5-11.5

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Licensing/Permitting & Possession/Acquisition of Firearms

No state permit is required for the possession or purchase of a rifle, shotgun, or handgun.

A person in possession of a valid Indiana License to Carry a Handgun is exempt from a federal NICS check when purchasing a firearm; see ATF Brady Chart (2025) at Brady Permit Chart | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

It is unlawful for an adult to provide a firearm to a child or for a child to possess a firearm EXCEPT while the child is: attending a hunter safety or firearms safety course and an adult is supervising the child during the course; target shooting at an established range or in an area where the discharge of a firearm is not prohibited or supervised by a qualified firearms instructor or adult while at the range; engaging in an organized firearm competition or practicing for a performance by an organized group that uses firearms as a part of a performance; lawfully hunting or trapping with a license; traveling with an unloaded firearm to or from an activity described in this section; on real property that is under the control of the child’s parent, an adult family member, or legal guardian and has permission from the child’s parent or legal guardian to possess a firearm; at the child’s residence and has the permission of the child’s parent, an adult family member or legal guardian to possess a firearm.

Indiana law does have possession limitations for the following:

IC 35-47-4-5 Unlawful possession of firearm by serious violent felon
IC 35-47-10-5 Dangerous possession of a firearm
IC 35-47-4-6 Unlawful possession of firearm by domestic batterer

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Registration

Indiana does not require the registration of firearms.

Right to Carry

Indiana is a permitless carry state. Anyone 18 years-of-age or older who is not prohibited from firearm possession by state or federal law may generally carry a concealed handgun in public.
Open carry of firearms is legal.

People who are not prohibited under state or federal law are generally authorized to carry handguns as well as long guns without a license or permit. Ind. Code Ann. §§ 14-16-1-23, 35-47-2-3, effective July 1, 2022

A person must not be a prohibited person as defined by IC 35-47-2-1.5. See the following for more information: Permitless-Carry-Website-Messaging.pdf

License to Carry a Handgun applications are available online at IN Application

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Prohibited Places

No person, including a person with a license to carry a handgun, may possess a firearm in the following places: Commercial or charter aircraft; In an area of an airport where access is controlled by the inspection of persons and property; On board a riverboat gambling operation; On the fairgrounds during the annual state fair; In or on port areas or port property; or In a children’s home or child caring institution run or overseen by Child Welfare Services. Ind. Code Ann. § 35-47-6

Indiana has no statutes prohibiting the possession of firearms in the following locations, although administrative regulations may apply in Parks; Hospitals; Places of worship; Bars or restaurants where alcohol is served; Sports arenas; or Polling places

Indiana generally prohibits people, including those who have a license to carry a handgun, from knowingly or intentionally possessing a firearm in or on: School property (including private and public schools and preschools); or Property that is being used by a school for a school function or on a school bus.

Indiana law includes exceptions to this general restriction, including for people who are not students at the school and are otherwise legally eligible to possess firearms, if they: Are specifically authorized by a school board or charter school administrative body to carry a concealed firearm in or on school property; Possess a firearm in a motor vehicle; Are school resource officers. Ind. Code Ann. § 35-47-9-2

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Private Transfers

Indiana has no law that requires a background check on the purchaser of a firearm when the seller is not a licensed firearms dealer.

State Firearms Preemption

No unit of government may regulate in any manner firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories; the ownership, possession, carrying, transportation, registration, transfer, and storage of firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories; and commerce in and taxation of firearms, firearm ammunition, and firearm accessories. Ind. Code Ann. § 35-47-11.1-2

Ind. Code 35-47-11.1-2: Regulation by political subdivisions prohibited

Except as provided in section 4 of this chapter, a political subdivision may not regulate:

(1) firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories;

(2) the ownership, possession, carrying, transportation, registration,

transfer, and storage of firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories; and

(3) commerce in and taxation of firearms, firearm ammunition, and firearm accessories.

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Stand Your Ground

Indiana has a stand your ground law that removes the duty to retreat before using force, including deadly force, in self-defense or in defense of another when in a place you have a legal right to be and force is necessary based on a reasonable belief of imminent serious bodily harm. Ind. Code Ann. § 35-41-3-2(c).

Red Flag Law

Indiana has a "red flag" law that allows law enforcement to remove firearms from people who are deemed 'dangerous' under Ind. Code Ann. § 35-47-14-1.

Under Indiana law, a “dangerous individual” is defined to include a person who:

Presents an imminent risk of personal injury to himself, herself or another person; or

It is probable that the individual will present a risk of personal injury to himself, herself or another person in the future and he or she:

– Has a mental illness that may be controlled by medication, and has not demonstrated a pattern of voluntarily and consistently taking the individual’s medication while not under supervision; or

– Is the subject of documented evidence that would give rise to a reasonable belief that he or she has a propensity for violent or suicidal conduct.

A circuit or superior court may issue a warrant to search for and seize a firearm in the possession of a “dangerous individual” if:

A law enforcement officer provides the court a sworn affidavit describing the facts that have led the officer to believe the individual is dangerous and in possession of a firearm. The affidavit must also describe the officer’s interactions and conversations with:

– The individual who is alleged to be dangerous; or

– Another individual, if the law enforcement officer believes that information obtained from this individual is credible and reliable;

The affidavit specifically describes the location of the firearm; and

The circuit or superior court determines that probable cause exists to believe that the individual is dangerous and in possession of a firearm.2

Law enforcement officers may seize firearms from any individual whom the law enforcement officer believes to be dangerous without obtaining a warrant. In such an instance, the officer must submit to the court having jurisdiction over the individual an affidavit describing the basis for the officer’s belief that the individual is dangerous within 48-hours of the seizure.

If the court finds that probable cause exists to believe the individual is dangerous, the court shall order the law enforcement agency having custody of the firearm to retain the firearm.

Following the seizure of firearms with or without a warrant, a law enforcement agency must file a search warrant return with the court setting forth the quantity and type of each firearm seized.

If the court finds that there is no such probable cause, the court shall order the law enforcement agency having custody of the firearm to return the firearm to the individual.

After the filing of a search warrant return or an affidavit following a warrantless search, the court shall conduct a hearing as soon as possible but no later than 14 days following the filing of the return or affidavit.6 At the hearing, the state must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the individual is dangerous as defined.

If the court determines that the state has met its burden of proof, the court shall issue a written order:

ordering the law enforcement agency having custody of the seized firearm to retain the firearm;

ordering the individual’s license to carry a handgun, if applicable, suspended; and

prohibiting the individual from possessing, owning, purchasing, or receiving a firearm.

The court must also determine whether the individual should be referred to further proceedings to consider whether the individual should be involuntarily detained or committed.

If the court finds that the individual is dangerous, the clerk shall transmit the order to the office of judicial administration for transmission to NICS.

If a court orders a law enforcement agency to retain individual’s firearm, the individual may petition the court for a determination that he or she is no longer dangerous at least 180 days after the initial ruling. The petitioner must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that he or she is not dangerous to obtain the firearm.

Prior to one year from the date the order is issued, the state must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the individual is still dangerous and, if the court finds the state has met its burden of proof, the order will be continued and the respondent must wait 180 days to petition to terminate the order as described above.

If the court has ordered the law enforcement agency to retain possession of the firearm, the respondent may petition the court to require the agency to transfer the firearm(s) to a “responsible third party” or a federally licensed gun dealer. A “responsible third party” is someone who:

does not cohabitate with the person found to be dangerous in the hearing;

is a proper person (as defined under section 35-47-1-7) who may lawfully possess a firearm; and is willing to enter into a written court agreement to accept the transfer of the firearm as a responsible third party

Ind. Code Ann. § 35–47–14–1 to 35–47–14–13

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