Do you need a new gun permit in every state?

I’m not talking about concealed carry here. I’m asking about the permit to own a gun. If I have a gun permit in one state and I cross into another with my firearm, do I need a new permit in that state? Also, what other things might need separate state-by-state permits?

First, you should know that only a few states require a permit to own a gun.

Eight states ban state-level gun registries. Hawaii is the only state that requires registration for all firearms, while some others require it for specific guns. Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Jersey need a license for all guns, while New York only asks for a handgun license.

@Ben
In New York City, you need a permit for every type of gun, even rifles and shotguns.

@Ben
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Only Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York need permits to own a gun.

California and Washington ask for a safety certificate, but 29 states have Constitutional carry laws.

Oakley said:
Only Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York need permits to own a gun.

California and Washington ask for a safety certificate, but 29 states have Constitutional carry laws.

Washington’s ‘Safety Certificate’ is only needed for purchases. Honestly, it’s a joke.

If you’re just traveling through a state as a non-resident and the firearm is locked up, no permit is needed—except maybe in New York.

Zeke said:
If you’re just traveling through a state as a non-resident and the firearm is locked up, no permit is needed—except maybe in New York.

Not true for New York either. Federal law says you’re fine transporting through any state, but New York still tends to give people a hard time.

@Ziv
Yeah, I’d be super careful in New York. When I got my Connecticut permit, they warned me that even stopping for gas in NY could get you into trouble with the police.

@Ziv
That’s because federal law doesn’t cover certain things like how much ammo you have or specific types of guns. So yeah, even with federal protection, you could still face legal issues.

Zeke said:
If you’re just traveling through a state as a non-resident and the firearm is locked up, no permit is needed—except maybe in New York.

It depends on the state. If you have a concealed carry license and the state you’re traveling in has reciprocity, you don’t need to lock your gun up.

For states without a license, they might have a ‘passing through’ law where you’re allowed to have the firearm in your car as long as you’re just passing through.

It depends on the state. Some states have reciprocity laws, meaning they recognize gun permits from other states. For example, Utah has reciprocity with a bunch of states, so you wouldn’t need a new license. But places like New York, New Jersey, California, and Connecticut don’t have reciprocity, so you’d need a new license for each state.

You can find a list of states that accept other states’ gun permits from the NRA or Gun Owners of America.

Most states don’t require a permit to own a gun, only for concealed carry. States on the West Coast, plus NY, NJ, PA, CT, RI, MA, MD, and IL, have more rules, so check to be sure.

Which states are you asking about? Most states don’t require a license or permit to buy a gun. You just go through a background check and if there’s a waiting period, you wait. If not, you get the gun after the check is done.

If you’re going to a state that needs a permit to own a gun, you’ll have to check if that applies to non-residents. Only two or three states might have this rule.

The term you’re looking for is ‘Concealed Carry Reciprocity.’ Search that with ‘map’ on Google, and you’ll see which states accept permits from other states.

Yes, if the state requires a permit to own a gun, you’d need a new one for each state.