Gun Laws in Nebraska
Gun Friendliness Score
How We Calculate Gun Friendliness Scores
The Gun Friendliness Score ranges from 0 to 100 and represents how favorable a state's laws are toward gun ownership and use. We evaluate each state across 50 key gun policies, assigning points based on how these policies affect gun owners:
- Policies that support gun rights, reduce restrictions, or expand legal protections for gun owners receive positive points
- Policies that restrict firearm ownership, limit purchase options, or add regulatory burdens receive negative points
Nebraska's solid score of 74 reflects the state's shall-issue concealed carry system, constitutional carry laws enacted in 2024, minimal restrictions on firearm types, and strong preemption laws that prevent local gun control ordinances.
Nebraska Gun Laws Summary
Nebraska has established itself as a moderately gun-friendly state with a balanced approach to Second Amendment rights. The state generally avoids duplicating federal regulations while maintaining reasonable restrictions on firearms and ammunition purchases and possession.
Nebraska is a shall-issue state for concealed handgun permits, administered by the Nebraska State Patrol. Qualifying applicants will receive their permits without discretionary denial. As of September 10, 2024, permits are optional for concealed carry, though obtaining one provides advantages including reciprocity with other states and streamlined firearm purchases.
Effective September 10, 2024, Nebraska became a constitutional carry state when Governor Pete Ricketts signed LB 77 into law (later amended and signed by Governor Pillen). Any law-abiding citizen who is at least 21 years old and legally permitted to possess a firearm can carry a concealed handgun without a permit. Open carry was already legal without a permit for those 18 and older, making Nebraska a more comprehensive constitutional carry state.
Permitting, Sales and Transfers
No permits are required to purchase firearms or ammunition in Nebraska. Background checks are conducted for sales through federally licensed dealers (FFLs) as required by federal law, using the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
Private sales between individuals require no background check, permit, or registration. Nebraska law does not require registration of firearms or maintain a registry of firearm transfers or ownership.
Firearms in Public and in the Home
As of September 2024, Nebraska is a constitutional carry state where no permit is required for concealed carry of handguns. Residents aged 21 and older who can legally possess firearms may carry concealed without a permit. Open carry is legal without a permit for anyone 18 years or older who can legally possess a firearm.
Certain locations prohibit carry, including federal buildings, schools, courthouses, government meetings, financial institutions, and establishments that derive more than half their income from alcohol sales. For those who choose to obtain a permit, Nebraska requires completion of a handgun safety training course. The permit provides reciprocity with numerous other states and exempts holders from the federal background check requirement when purchasing firearms from dealers.
Firearm, Feature and Accessory Bans
Nebraska has no bans on semi-automatic firearms, detachable magazines, or firearms with specific features. There are no magazine capacity restrictions. Most NFA items (suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns) are legal to own provided federal requirements are met, though machine guns manufactured after 1986 are prohibited. Nebraska law prevents local governments from enacting most regulations more restrictive than state law.
Local Laws
Nebraska has strong statewide preemption of firearms laws. State law explicitly prohibits counties, cities, villages, and other political subdivisions from regulating the ownership, possession, storage, transportation, sale, or transfer of firearms and ammunition. This ensures uniform gun laws throughout the state and prevents local governments from creating conflicting regulations, though some exceptions exist for government buildings and property.
2025 Gun Law Checklist
Nebraska Gun Policy Profile: 50 Key Legislative Points
Purchasing and Sales Regulations
Background Check for Any Firearm Sale
State requires any firearm sale to go through a licensed dealer (FFL) and be subject to a background check. (Federal law requires those "engaged in the business" of buying/selling firearms to perform a background check during a sale). A private sale or transfer of any firearm between individuals (non-family members) must be also conducted through an FFL.
Background Check for Any Handgun Sale (Including Private Sales)
All handgun sales and most transfers are subject to a background check. Private sales of handguns between individuals (non-family members) must be conducted through an FFL.
Background Check Extensions
State will halt the transfer of a firearm if a background check is delayed. Some states will halt the process indefinitely, some for a set amount of time.
Failed Background Check Reported to Law Enforcement
The firearm dealer (or state agency conducting the background check) has a responsibility to notify local law enforcement of a failed background check.
Must be 21 or Older to Purchase
Most firearms–including rifles, shotguns, and handguns–cannot be sold to anyone under the age of 21. (Federal laws permit long guns to be sold to those over the age of 18.)
Permit to Purchase
State requires a permit (single-use or renewable) for all firearms or specifically for handguns. States typically charge a fee for the permit and a background check is performed during the application.
Mandatory Waiting Periods
Prior to purchasing a firearm, an individual must wait a specified period (typically between 3-14 days) between initiating the purchase and taking possession of the firearm.
State Licenses All Gun Dealers
State has a licensing system for firearms merchants above and beyond the federal (FFL) system.
Purchase Rejected for Public Safety Reasons
State officials able to block sales of firearms if the purchaser is deemed to be a threat to themselves or to public safety (according to the judgment of the official)
Approved Handgun Roster
State controls what make and model handguns are sold; according to their own criteria. Often, this involves a "roster" of approved handguns with the right "safety" features, such as a loaded chamber indicator, or even the amount of metal in the firearm (Maryland). Often, LE are exempt from these requirements.
Strict Unfinished Frames and Receivers Laws
State sets a lower threshold for unfinished frames and receivers (beyond ATF rule 2021R-05F). Includes ban on 3D-printing of these parts in some states.
Ownership and Registration Requirements
Permit to Possess
Several states require a permit just to possess: a handgun (New York); any firearms or ammunition (Illinois).
State Firearm or Handgun Registry
State keeps a record of every firearm or handgun sold. Includes states with a permit to purchase and states that keep records of purchases.
Mandatory Firearms Training
Prior to purchasing a firearm, an individual must prove they completed the state ordered training. Often, this is part of the application process for a Permit to Purchase.
Secure Storage Requirement
Gun owners must lock up firearms in the home (or anywhere else a minor or prohibited person may have access).
Magazine Capacity Limits
State limits magazine capacity for some or all firearms.
"Assault Weapons" Ban
Magazine fed, semi-automatic, centerfire rifles cannot have other "features" (pistol grip, flash hider, etc.) or they are considered "assault weapons." New guns cannot be registered as "assault weapons." Possession is prohibited with limited exceptions.
Microstamping Law
State has a law banning the sale of a new pistol unless its firing can imprint its serial number somewhere on the cartridge case during firing. This technology is make-believe at present, but these laws will effectively ban the sale of new handguns in the state if/when they become effective
Penalties for Not Reporting a Lost or Stolen Firearm
Gun owners must report the loss or theft of firearms–usually within several days of the incident or first discovering the loss–or potentially face a criminal penalty.
Carry and Location Restrictions
Mandatory Permit for Concealed Carry
State requires a permit to carry a concealed pistol. This includes all states that "may issue" a permit (where officials may deny a permit for subjective reasons).
Officials Can Deny Carry Permit
State allows the carry permit officials to deny an application based on the state's own criteria.
Open Carry Limited or Banned
State restricts open carry to rifles and shotguns or bans open carry completely unless you are LE or special permit holder.
No Carry Mandate for College Campuses
State has not passed a blanket law permitting concealed carry on college campuses.
Gun Ban on Most Public Property
State limits or bans any type of carry in and around government facilities (state, county, municipal) and/or limits carry of firearms in parades and demonstrations
Guns Banned in Bars
State prohibits carry inside bars or consumption of alcohol while carrying.
No Guns in K-12 Schools
Only LE (and in some states, specially licensed school officials) may carry on school property.
Does Not Recognize Other States' Carry Permits
State doesn't consider concealed carry permits from other states valid
Prohibited Persons and Possession Restrictions
Felons are Also Prohibited Persons at State Level
State has a law prohibiting felons from owning guns and ammo, even though federal law already does this.
Fugitives are Also Prohibited Persons at State Level
State has a law prohibiting fugitives from justice from owning guns and ammo, even though federal law already does this.
Involuntarily Committed are Also Prohibited Persons at State Level
State has a law prohibiting those who have been involuntarily committed (to a psychiatric hospital or mental institution), or those found to be a danger to themselves or others from owning guns and ammo. Federal law already prohibits anyone found to be mentally defective or committed to a mental institution at 16 years or older.
Violent Offenders Cannot Possess
State will take away firearms, deny future possession, or at minimum deny future purchase of firearms for certain misdemeanor crimes of violence (besides domestic violence violence).
Domestic Violence Offenders Also Prohibited Persons at State Level
State has a law prohibiting those convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence from owning guns and ammo, even though federal law already does this
Stalkers are Prohibited Persons at the State Level
State has either made stalking a felony (instant prohibitor) or makes an individual convicted of misdemeanor stalking a prohibited person.
Intervention and Seizure Provisions
Red Flag Law
Law enforcement (and others, depending on the state) is allowed to request that firearms be taken away from others with limited due process.
Emergency Gun Seizure Before Restraining Orders
Similar to a red flag law, state will take away guns before an actual conviction. This is often during domestic disputes, before a restraining order takes effect, and in similar situations.
Guns Seized for Hate Crimes
State will take away all firearms from an individual in response to a misdemeanor hate crime conviction.
Guns Seized After Becoming Prohibited
State will quickly respond when an individual's status changes to prohibited and take away all firearms belonging to that person.
Guns Seized After Domestic Violence Conviction
State will quickly respond to take away firearms from an individual if they are convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence.
Guns Seized Amid Restraining Orders
State will take away all firearms from anyone who is subject to a restraining order, even though federal law already does this.
No Stand Your Ground Law
State imposes a "duty to retreat" before using force or requires "proportional force" when responding to an attack or dangerous situation with force.
Monitoring and Threat Assessment
Mental Health Database
State maintains records of anyone that has been committed or involuntarily committed to psychiatric hospitals. They send this information to the FBI for use by the NICS (or when conducting a state background check, if applicable).
School Officials Conduct Threat Assessments
Teams of mostly school officials are empowered by law to refer children for mental health assessments or take more drastic action if they believe the child poses a threat to themselves or others.
Mandatory Tracing of "Crime Guns"
Law enforcement must use either a state system or the federal firearm tracing system to research any firearm recovered from a crime scene or used in a crime.
Law Enforcement Oversight and Accountability
No LE Officers Bill of Rights
Some states never passed (or passed and later repealed) a set of basic protections for public safety officers. These protections vary by state. They often include the right to engage in political activity and run for public office, and the right to refuse a lie detector test, among other things.
Heavy Restrictions on LE Use of Deadly Force
State laws severely limit the discharge of firearms to apprehend criminals, including against individuals suspected of murder or fleeing a felony in many cases.
Reports for LE Deadly Force Incidents
Law enforcement agencies are required to report any officer-involved shootings that result in serious injury or death. Monthly or annual reports are compiled using this data and made available to the public.
No Qualified Immunity Defense Laws
In civil court, LE officials may not use a defense of qualified immunity if they are accused of certain civil rights violations. This includes situations in which a firearm was used.
Prevention and Support Programs
Dedicated Office of Gun Violence Prevention
Some states have passed legislation creating gun violence prevention offices that target "community gun violence." Taxpayer funds are used to support these programs, which may have little to no effect on violent crime.
Funding for Services of Victims of Gun Violence
Some states maximize the use of federal money intended for victims of violent crime by increasing pool of eligible claimants. Money is paid out to families of convicted felons in many cases.
Local Control
Counties / Cities / Towns Can Pass Stricter Gun Laws
Local governments are free to pass their own gun control laws in addition to any existing laws at the federal and state levels. Some states prohibit local governments from passing laws about specific things-including guns. This is known as preemption.
Conclusion
This piece covers the ammunition and firearms-related laws in Nebraska. To do so, the piece starts off with NE’s ammunition laws with an aim at explaining the processes and requirements for having ammunition shipped to a residential address in the state. From there, the piece covers the firearms laws first in terms of the processes for buying guns in the state and, second, the legalities of carriage of firearms in the state, whether openly or concealed. To wrap things up, the piece concludes with some information and resources that we think will be useful for folks who want to legally purchase, own, and carry firearms and ammo in Nebraska.
We do not intend this piece as legal advice. Instead, we hope that you can use the information here to make your own informed decisions.
Nebraska, like many other states, has preemption. This means that the state legislature has declared that no localities, such as counties, cities, and towns, can make firearm laws that are stricter than those at the state level. For gun owners, this means that once you know the relevant state laws and how to follow them, that understanding is applicable in the entire state. There is one noteworthy exception in Nebraska, however: the preemption statute allows for local laws from 1991 or before to continue to be enforced.
The good news with that exception is that, whether in the 90s or today, Nebraska is one of the more gun-friendly states in the country. Thus, the local laws pre-1991 tend to be of the sort that prohibit the discharge of firearms without a good reason inside city limits, and do not ban certain types of firearms. Since the state has few regulations on firearms and ammunition, the state is a permissive one, and many of the laws that govern the purchase of firearms and ammo in the state come from the federal level.
Ammo Laws/Buying Ammo in Nebraska
First, we will cover the ammo laws of Nebraska.
Nebraska has some of the most permissive ammunition laws in the country: the state does not ban any specific types of ammunition, or categories of ammunition. Thus, the processes for buying ammo in the state follow the federal guidelines set out by the ATF.
To satisfy the ATF’s regulations, buyers have to meet two sets of qualifications. The first is an age requirement: people have to be eighteen years of age or older to purchase long gun ammo (for shotguns and rifles) and at least twenty-one to buy handgun ammo. Additionally, ammo buyers cannot be prohibited persons, which the ATF defined generally as people who have been convicted of felonies or domestic violence, people who’ve been found mentally deficient in a court of law, or those who have been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility for inpatient care.
As long as the buyer meets those requirements, then the state of Nebraska is fine with having ammunition shipped to a residential address. Do keep in mind that some carriers can and do impose additional restrictions. Commonly, carriers might ask for an adult with valid identification to be present to sign for a package that contains ammo.
Since Nebraska does not place additional restrictions above those enforced by the ATF at the Federal level, Nebraska is about as permissive with ammunition as the Federal framework will allow.
Gun Laws/Buying Guns in Nebraska
Next, we will do the same analysis for NE’s gun laws.
Nebraska is similarly permissive in its gun laws when compared to the ammunition laws in the state. There are no magazine bans in the state. Similarly, there’s no assault weapons ban that either prohibits weapons by name or by a list of features. Nebraska is also fine with its residents owning NFA items as long as the still-applicable Federal laws are followed.
There is one exception to Nebraska’s permissiveness: the state requires that people have a permit to purchase or possess a handgun.
Generally, buying a gun in Nebraska from an FFL follows the Federal process. To buy a gun in the state, the buyer should bring both a valid form of identification and a form of payment to the gun store. There, the FFL will have the buyer fill out Form 4473 for a background check and to make a record of the transaction. As soon as the background check clears and the payment is received, the buyer can go home the same day with their new firearm. Note: handgun buyers have to get a Firearm Purchase Permit before going to the gun store: while the fee is only $5, it does, in effect, enforce a de-facto waiting period that is dependent on local law enforcement.
Those selling long guns to private parties do not have to do a background check. Technically, neither do folks selling handguns, but the seller should see, and consider keeping a record of, the buyer’s firearm purchase permit. There is also an exception to that permit for immediate family in the above-linked statute.
While the Firearm Purchase permit is something of a hiccup in terms of permissiveness, Nebraska is still fairly permissive in terms of its gun laws, since it has no major bans.
The state is very permissive when it comes to the carriage of firearms. No permit is required to carry a firearm in the state, whether openly or concealed. Of course, folks with handguns should have either the Purchase Permit, Concealed Carry Permit, or a good explanation as to how they legally acquired their handguns, so as to not run afoul of the statutes.
Like most states with permitless carry, Nebraska still offers its concealed carry permit. In Nebraska, this offers two benefits: the concealed carry permit acts as a substitute for the Firearm Purchase Permit, and is also fairly widely accepted as a valid carry permit in other states. Many folks in Nebraska, we surmise, will still get the concealed carry permit to take advantage of those two benefits.
The vast majority of states have a list of places where it is generally forbidden to carry a firearm, and Nebraska is no exception here. Folks in this state cannot carry a firearm legally in the following places:
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Police facilities
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Correctional facilities
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Polling places
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Courtrooms
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K-12 schools
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Colleges and universities
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Hospitals
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Bars
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Political rallies
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Legislative meetings
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Private property with notice
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Professional athletic events
While lists like these are not unusual, Nebraska’s list is a little longer than most. Some might take issue with the inclusion of political events, since, for example, the creation and enforcement of the Second Amendment was a political act, and thus the law disarms pro-gun demonstrators by default, which is more than a little bit questionable on both First and Second Amendment grounds.
Nebraska is also home to Hornady, which is a testament to the state’s gun and ammo policies.
Overall, Nebraska is on the more permissive end of the states in terms of its ammunition and firearms laws. The ammunition buying process in the state is as simple as it gets, and carrying firearms is extremely permissive. The remaining requirement to have a Firearm Purchase or concealed carry permit to buy a handgun is a slight ding against the overall permissiveness of the state, however.
Sales Tax on Guns/Ammo in Nebraska
The general sales tax in Nebraska is 5.5%, and some localities impose additional taxes that take the effective tax rate up to 6.8%. The state does not compose additional, special taxes on firearms and ammo, though some might consider the $5 fee for the Firearm Purchase Permit a defacto tax on handgun owners in the state.
More Resources:
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The ATF keeps a list of every FFL in the country, including in Nebraska. The list is kept up to date and can be used to locate local gun stores, which are usually Type One or Type Two FFLs.
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Wheretoshoot.org is an excellent tool for finding ranges that are convenient for you. Use the city, zip code, and mileage filters to find a range that is close to where you want to shoot. Users can add more ranges, too, and the information is fact-checked for accuracy.
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There are a number of well-rated gun stores in the state.
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There is a somewhat active subreddit that caters to the local events and knowledge of the Nebraska firearms community.