It is a crime to knowingly possess, manufacture, transport, repair, or sell any of the following in violation of federal law: a machine gun, a short-barreled rifle or shotgun, or a firearm silencer. A “machine gun” means any firearm that is capable of firing more than one shot automatically, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger; a “short barreled rifle or shotgun” is defined as one having a barrel length of less than 16 inches for a rifle and 18 inches for a shotgun, both measured from the face of the bolt or standing breech, or an overall rifle or shotgun length of less than 26 inches. Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 571.020.1(6), 571.010 (14), (18) (definitions).

It is a felony to possess or use a “metal-penetrating bullet” during the commission of a crime. A “metal-penetrating bullet” means handgun bullet or projectile of 9 mm, .25, .32, .38, .357, .41, .44, or .451 or other caliber which is comprised of a hardened core equal to the minimum of the maximum attainable hardness by solid red metal alloy which purposely reduces the normal expansion or mushrooming of the bullet’s or projectile’s shape upon impact. It does not include any bullet or projectile composed of copper or brass jacket with lead or lead alloy cores or any bullet or projectile composed of lead or lead alloys. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 571.150.

“Felony” includes an offense committed in another jurisdiction that would be a felony if committed in Missouri. The convicted felon prohibition does not apply to the possession of an antique firearm, where “antique firearm” means any firearm not designed or redesigned for using rim fire or conventional center fire ignition with fixed ammunition and manufactured in or before 1898, said ammunition not being manufactured any longer; this includes any matchlock, wheel lock, flintlock, percussion cap or similar type ignition system, or replica thereof; Mo. Rev. Stat. § 571.010 (1) (definition).

It is a crime to possess a firearm while also knowingly in possession of a controlled substance that is sufficient for a felony violation of section 579.015 (generally, possession of any controlled substance except thirty-five grams or less of marijuana or any synthetic cannabinoid). Mo. Rev. Stat. § 571.030.1(11).

Intoxication: It is an offense to knowingly have, on the person, a firearm readily capable of lethal use while intoxicated, and handle or otherwise use the gun in either a negligent or unlawful manner, or discharge the gun unless acting in self-defense. This does not apply to transporting guns in a nonfunctioning state or in an unloaded state when ammunition is not readily accessible or when such weapons are not readily accessible. Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 571.030.1(5), 571.030.3, 571.030.5.

Minors are not prohibited from possession of firearms but state law prohibits certain transfers and sales of firearms to minors; see the section on Private Transfers.

Pursuant to Mo. Rev. Stat. § 21.750.3(1), a county, city, town, village, municipality or other political subdivision may regulate the “open carrying of firearms readily capable of lethal use.” Such ordinances cannot restrict a person in possession of a valid concealed carry endorsement or permit (from Missouri or another jurisdiction) who is open carrying a firearm or the use of a firearm in the defense of person or property. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 21.750.3(2)(a).

Permitless carry. Effective January 2017, Missouri repealed its law that required a permit to carry a concealed firearm, although the state laws on prohibited persons (persons who cannot legally possess a firearm), minimum age to possess, restricting carrying in certain locations, and other carry prohibitions are still in force. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 571.030.1(1). 

Permits: Issuing agency/official: The sheriff or sheriff’s designee in the county or city in which the applicant resides

Minimum age: 19, or 18 for an applicant who is a member of or honorably discharged from the United States Armed Forces 

State residency required: Yes, unless the applicant qualifies as a member of the Armed Forces stationed in Missouri, or the spouse of such member of the military

Objective disqualifications: Applicant is disqualified if he or she: is not a US citizen or lawful permanent resident; has been convicted of, pled guilty to or entered a plea of nolo contendere to a crime punishable by imprisonment for over one year (other than a crime classified as a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment of two years or less that does not involve an explosive weapon, firearm, firearm silencer or gas gun); within a five-year period immediately preceding the application has been convicted of, pled guilty to or entered a plea of nolo contendere to one or more misdemeanor offenses involving crimes of violence or two or more misdemeanor offenses involving driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs or the possession or abuse of a controlled substance; is a fugitive from justice or currently charged in an information or indictment with a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year (other than a crime classified as a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment of two years or less that does not involve an explosive weapon, firearm, firearm silencer, or gas gun); has been discharged under dishonorable conditions from the U.S. Armed Forces; has been adjudged mentally incompetent at the time of application or for five years prior to application, or has been committed to a mental health facility or a similar institution in another state following a hearing at which the defendant was represented by counsel or a representative; is the respondent of a valid full order of protection which is in effect; or is otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law.

Non-objective disqualifications: The sheriff may deny the application if the applicant has “engaged in a pattern of behavior, documented in public or closed records, that causes the sheriff to have a reasonable belief that the applicant presents a danger to himself or others,” or the sheriff has a “substantial and demonstrable reason to believe that the applicant has rendered a false statement” in the application

Training /Familiarity requirement: § 571.111 outlines the firearms training course requirements, which must be at least 8 hours long and include a live-fire requirement. The training requirement may also be satisfied in other ways, like proof of completion of a firearms safety course given by or under the supervision of any state, county, municipal, or federal law enforcement agency, or proof that the applicant is a qualified firearms safety instructor or currently holds any type of valid peace officer license.  

Fingerprints required: Yes

Maximum processing time: 45 days. If the processing time exceeds this limit and the applicant is not otherwise disqualified, the sheriff must issue a provisional permit valid until the permit applied for is issued or denied (see below under Special Provisions).

Fees: For a standard permit, the processing fee cannot exceed $100 ($50 for a renewal); for extended permits, the fee cannot exceed $200 for a ten-year permit (($50 for a renewal), $250 for a 25-year permit (($50 for a renewal), and $500 for a lifetime permit  

Duration of permit: Five years (standard permit), 10 or 25 years for the extended concealed carry permit, and a lifetime permit

Mandatory notifications: Any person issued a Missouri concealed carry permit must carry the permit at all times the person is carrying a concealed firearm and must display the permit and a state or federal government-issued photo identification upon the request of any peace officer; §§ 571.121 and 571.230 (lifetime or extended permits). If a permit holder moves, he or she must notify the sheriff of the new jurisdiction of the permit-holder’s change of residence within 30 days after the changing of a permanent residence to a location outside the county where the permit was initially issued. The sheriff shall report the residence change to the concealed carry permit system, take possession of and destroy the old permit, and then issue a new permit to the permit holder. A permit holder must notify the sheriff of a name or address change within 30 days of the change and the permit automatically becomes invalid after 180 days if the holder has failed to give this notice. A permit holder must notify the sheriff in his or her county/city of residence within seven days after actual knowledge of a loss or destruction of their permit.

Special Provisions: Missouri law allows for the issuance of “provisional permits” if the permit processing time exceeds the 45-day limit and the applicant is not otherwise found to be disqualified. Provisional permits are not NICS-exempt and are valid only until the permit applied for is granted or denied. See Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 571.101(5)(2), 571.205(6)(2).

Non-resident carry. Missouri’s permitless carry law applies to non-residents of the state.

Missouri honors all other states’ carry permits/licenses. Missouri will only issue non-resident permits to active-duty military personnel stationed in Missouri or the spouse of such member of the military.

Places where carrying is prohibited.  The law on “unlawful use of a weapon,” Mo. Rev. Stat. § 571.030.1(1), (8) and (10), prohibits:

Concealed carrying into any area where firearms are restricted under section 571.107, but this does not apply to any person at least 19 years old (18 or older and a member of the US Armed Forces or honorably discharged) transporting a lawfully possessed concealable firearm in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle. It does not apply to possession of an exposed firearm or projectile weapon for the lawful pursuit of game, or possession in a person’s dwelling unit or other premises owned or controlled by the person, or anyone traveling in a continuous journey peaceably through the state.

Carrying a firearm into any church or place where people have assembled for worship; a school, a school bus, or onto the premises of any function or activity sponsored/sanctioned by school officials or the district school board; or into any election precinct on election day, or into any building owned or occupied by any government agency (federal, state or local). These restrictions don’t apply to a person with a valid permit to carry (Missouri-issued or by another state), or to a lawfully possessed firearm by a person traversing school premises for the purposes of transporting a student to or from school, or possessed by an adult for the purposes of facilitation of a school-sanctioned firearm-related event or club event, or anyone transporting a firearm in a nonfunctioning state, or in an unloaded state when ammunition is not readily accessible.

Other places in which firearms are prohibited under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 571.107, which applies to persons carrying with a valid permit or as allowed under the permitless carry law, include the following:

A police, sheriff, or highway patrol office or station without the consent of the chief law enforcement officer in charge, or any adult or juvenile detention or correctional institution, prison or jail. A firearm in a vehicle on the premises is allowed if it is not brandished or removed from the vehicle.

Within 25 feet of any polling place on any election day, unless the firearm is kept in a vehicle and not brandished or removed.

A courthouse and any place used for court offices or court business, except a firearm kept in a vehicle and not brandished or removed.

A meeting of a local government’s governing body or a meeting of the general assembly or its committees, except that a member with a valid permit may carry to a meeting of the body of which he or she is a member. Certain full-time employees of the general assembly and statewide elected officials and their employees who have a valid permit to carry may carry in the state capitol building, or at a meeting of the full body of a house of the general assembly or of a committee held in the state capitol building. A firearm in a vehicle on the premises is allowed so long as it is not brandished or removed from the vehicle.

The general assembly, supreme court, county or municipality may by rule, administrative regulation, or ordinance prohibit or limit the carrying of concealed firearms by permit holders by clearly posting the affected portion of a building owned, leased or controlled by that unit of government. The restriction cannot apply to any building used for public housing by private persons, highways or rest areas, firing ranges, and private dwellings owned, leased, or controlled by that unit of government.

Any establishment licensed to dispense intoxicating liquor for consumption on the premises, unless the person is the licensee or the owner or manager has given consent. This does not apply to a “bona fide restaurant open to the general public having dining facilities for not less than 50 persons and that receives at least 51 percent of its gross annual income from the dining facilities by the sale of food.” A firearm in a vehicle on the premises is allowed so long as it is not brandished or removed from the vehicle.

Any area of an airport to which access is controlled by the inspection of persons and property. A firearm in a vehicle on the premises is allowed so long as it is not brandished or removed from the vehicle.

Any higher education institution or elementary or secondary school facility, except (1) a teacher or administrator of an elementary or secondary school with a concealed carry permit and designated by the school district as a school protection officer, carrying a firearm in a school within that district, (2) a person with the consent of the governing body of the higher education institution or a school official or the district school board, or (3) possession of a firearm in a vehicle on the premises if the firearm is not removed from the vehicle or brandished.

Any portion of a building used as a child care facility without the consent of the manager, although an operator of a facility in a family home may own and possess a firearm.

Any riverboat gambling operation open to the public, unless the owner or manager has given permission (as permitted by the gaming commission). Possession of a firearm in a vehicle on the premises is allowed if the firearm is not removed from the vehicle or brandished.

Any gated area of an amusement park. Possession of a firearm in a vehicle on the premises is allowed so long as the firearm is not removed from the vehicle or brandished.

A church or other place of religious worship without the consent of the minister or authorized person, although possession of a firearm in a vehicle on the premises is allowed where the firearm is not removed from the vehicle or brandished.

Any sports arena or stadium with a seating capacity of at least 5,000 people, although possession of a firearm in a vehicle on the premises is allowed if the firearm is not removed from the vehicle or brandished.

Any hospital accessible by the public, but possession of a firearm in a vehicle on the premises is allowed if the firearm is not removed from the vehicle or brandished.

Any place where firearms are prohibited by federal law.

Any private property where the owner or authorized person has posted the necessary “no guns” signs. These apply to persons with a concealed carry permit, including employees not authorized to carry by the employer. Possession of a firearm in a vehicle on the premises is allowed if the firearm is not removed from the vehicle or brandished, although an employer may prohibit employees or other persons holding a concealed carry permit or endorsement from carrying in vehicles that are owned by the employer.

It is unlawful to carry a firearm in or on any public mass transportation facility or conveyance of the Bi-State Development Agency (including MetroBus and MetroLink) without authorization from the agency, although the rules exclude an unloaded rifle or shotgun “carried in any enclosed case, box or other container which completely conceals the item from view and identification as a weapon.” Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 70.441.3(11) and 70.441.2(1) (authorization).

A passenger who boards a passenger bus or coach bus for hire with a dangerous or deadly weapon concealed upon his or her person or effects commits a felony, unless he or she is a law enforcement officer or commercial security personnel, or otherwise has the consent of the owner of the bus or his agent, or of the lessee or bailee of such bus. It is a felony to possess a deadly or dangerous weapon within a bus terminal or aboard a bus. A “terminal” means a bus station or depot or any facility operated or leased by or operated on behalf of a bus transportation company, including a reasonable area immediately adjacent to any designated stop along the route traveled by any coach operated by a bus transportation company, and parking lots or parking areas adjacent to a terminal. Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 577.703.4, 577.712 and 577.700 (definitions). 

Except as permitted by state law, a county, city, town, village, municipality, or other political subdivision of the state is prohibited from adopting any order, ordinance or regulation concerning the sale, purchase, purchase delay, transfer, ownership, use, keeping, possession, bearing, transportation, licensing, permit, registration, taxation other than sales and compensating use taxes, or other controls on firearms, components, ammunition and supplies. State law allows ordinances which conform exactly to state firearms laws, and ordinances that regulate the open carrying of firearms readily capable of lethal use or the discharge of firearms within that jurisdiction. However, any open carry ordinance cannot restrict a person who, at the time is in possession of a valid Missouri concealed carry permit or a permit from another state that is recognized by Missouri, and any discharge ordinance cannot prohibit or preclude the use of a firearm in the lawful defense of person or property. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 21.750.3. 

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 571.155 allows a municipality to regulate the shooting of “pneumatic guns” within its boundaries when the municipality is, in the opinion of the governing body, “so heavily populated that such conduct is dangerous to the inhabitants,” but no such ordinance may prohibit the use of pneumatic guns at facilities approved for shooting ranges. “Pneumatic gun” is not defined but generally this means air guns.

City or county housing authorities (authorities that administer or use public monies provided by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to fund very low, lower, and moderate income public rental housing assistance) and any landlord receiving public funds from a housing authority cannot prohibit a lessee or a member of the lessee’s immediate household or guest from personally possessing firearms within an individual dwelling unit, common areas, or from carrying or transporting firearms to and from such residence in a manner allowed by law. Any provision of a lease, policy, rule, or agreement in violation of this restriction is void and unenforceable.  Mo. Rev. Stat. § 571.510.

A county, municipality, or other governmental body, or an agent of such entity, cannot participate in any gun “buyback” program (where individuals are given a thing of value in exchange for surrendering a firearm) unless the county, municipality, or governmental body has adopted a resolution, ordinance, or rule authorizing participation in the program and directs that any firearm received is then offered for sale or trade to a licensed firearms dealer. Any firearm remaining after being offered for sale or trade to at least two licensed firearms dealers may be destroyed. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 571.067.

It is a crime to knowingly sell, lease, loan, give away or deliver a firearm or ammunition to a person who is intoxicated or who is a prohibited person under state law, or to sell, lease, loan, give away or deliver any firearm to anyone under the age of 18 unless the child’s custodial parent or guardian has consented or the person is a member of the Armed Forces or National Guard while on official duty; Mo. Rev. Stat. § 571.060.

It is a crime to knowingly solicit, persuade, encourage or entice a private seller of firearms or ammunition to transfer a firearm or ammunition under circumstances which the person knows would violate the state or federal law, or to provide a private seller with what the person knows to be materially false information with intent to deceive the seller about the legality of a transfer of a firearm or ammunition; or to “willfully procure another” to commit such violations; § 571.063.

With respect to concealable firearms (those with a barrel less than 16 inches in length, measured from the face of the bolt or standing breech), it is a state crime to transfer any such firearm in violation of federal law at 18 U.S.C. Section 922(x) (transfers of handguns or handgun ammunition to those aged under 18 years of age); Mo. Rev. Stat. § 571.080.