Gun Laws in Oklahoma
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
Oklahoma's outstanding score of 94 reflects the state's constitutional carry laws, minimal restrictions on firearm types, strong preemption laws, and comprehensive self-defense protections.
Oklahoma Gun Laws Summary
Oklahoma has established itself as one of the most gun-friendly states in the nation, ranking #2 nationwide. The state has minimal restrictions on firearms and ammunition, often avoiding duplication of federal regulations and not imposing additional burdens beyond what federal law requires.
Oklahoma is a shall-issue state for concealed carry permits, though permits are entirely optional for residents. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) handles permit issuance, and qualifying applicants will receive their permits without discretionary denial. While not required, obtaining a permit provides advantages including reciprocity with other states and streamlined firearm purchases.
Since November 1, 2019, Oklahoma has been a constitutional carry state when Governor Kevin Stitt signed SB 12 into law. Any law-abiding citizen or legal resident who is at least 21 years old (or 18 if military/veteran) and legally permitted to possess a firearm can carry a concealed weapon without a permit. Oklahoma became the 15th state to adopt constitutional carry, further cementing its reputation as a state that strongly protects Second Amendment rights.
Permitting, Sales and Transfers
No permits are required to purchase firearms or ammunition in Oklahoma. 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. Oklahoma law explicitly prohibits any state or local governmental unit from maintaining a registry of firearm transfers or firearm ownership.
Firearms in Public and in the Home
Oklahoma is a constitutional carry state where no permit is required for open or concealed carry. Residents aged 21 and older (or 18 if active military or honorably discharged veterans) who can legally possess firearms may carry without a permit. Oklahoma honors concealed carry permits from all states.
Open carry is legal without a permit for anyone 21 years or older who can legally possess a firearm (18 for military/veterans). Certain locations prohibit carry, including federal buildings, schools, government buildings (unless authorized), and businesses that serve alcohol for on-premises consumption. For those who choose to obtain a permit, Oklahoma requires a firearms safety training course. Active duty military members and veterans receive expedited processing and reduced fees.
Firearm, Feature and Accessory Bans
Oklahoma has no bans on semi-automatic firearms, detachable magazines, or firearms with specific features. There are no magazine capacity restrictions. All NFA items (suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, machine guns, etc.) are legal to own provided federal requirements are met. Oklahoma law specifically prevents local governments from enacting any regulations more restrictive than state law.
Local Laws
Oklahoma has strong statewide preemption of firearms laws. State law explicitly prohibits counties, cities, towns, and other political subdivisions from enacting any ordinance, regulation, tax, or rule relating to firearms that is more restrictive than state law. This ensures uniform gun laws throughout the state and prevents local governments from creating a patchwork of regulations that could confuse gun owners and potentially criminalize otherwise lawful behavior.
2025 Gun Law Checklist
Oklahoma 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
In this piece, we discuss the ammunition and firearms laws relevant to residents of the state of Oklahoma. To do so, we first go through the laws that govern the sale of ammunition with the aim of explaining the process for having ammo shipped to a home in the state. From there, we turn to the firearm laws, looking at the legal processes for both purchasing and carrying guns in the state. To wrap up, we leave you with some resources that will be useful for folks who want to buy, own, and carry firearms and ammo in Oklahoma.
We do not intend this piece as legal advice. Instead, we hope that you find the information here useful in making your own, informed decisions.
Like many states, Oklahoma has preemption. This means that the state government forbids local political divisions such as counties, cities, and towns from making or enforcing their own gun laws that are stricter than those at the state level. Preemption is good news for gun owners in Oklahoma, as it means that the permissive laws of the state apply to the entire state on a practical level.
Oklahoma’s state-level ammo and firearms laws are permissive. Though there is one small ammunition ban, the state does little to regulate the sale, possession, and carriage of firearms and ammo beyond the rules set at the federal level. This makes the state a highly permissive one.
Ammo Laws/Buying Ammo in Oklahoma
First, we will cover the ammo laws of the state.
The state of Oklahoma prohibits the sale, manufacture, and possession of bullets that are coated in polymer and intended to pierce body armor. This is the state’s only ammo ban and does not make the state much less permissive.
Aside from that niche ban, the state is otherwise permissive in terms of its ammo laws, and buying ammo in Oklahoma is governed by the rules set forth at the federal level, which are enforced by the ATF.
The ATF has two sets of requirements for ammunition buyers. The first is an age requirement: buyers have to be eighteen years of age or older to purchase long gun ammo (for shotguns or rifles) and at least twenty-one to buy handgun ammo. Secondly, buyers cannot be prohibited persons, which the ATF defines as people who have been convicted of felonies or domestic violence, people who have been found mentally unfit in a court, or those who have been involuntarily committed to mental health treatment at an inpatient facility.
Assuming that both requirements are met, Oklahoma does not prevent ammunition from being shipped to a residential address in the state, and thus buyers are welcome to shop online as well as in person. The carrier might well ask for an adult with a valid form of identification to sign for the package containing ammo, though.
Oklahoma’s ban on polymer-coated ammunition might make it very slightly less permissive than is theoretically possible, but the ammo laws of the state are otherwise permissive. It is completely possible for most buyers to have ammunition shipped directly to their door in the state, assuming that the buyer meets the requirements set forth by the federal government.
Gun Laws/Buying Guns in Oklahoma
Now we’ll do the same for the gun laws in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma is similarly permissive in terms of its gun laws when compared to its laws concerning ammunition. There are no major bans at the state level. Oklahoma is fine with its residents owning and using magazines of any size. There are no assault weapons bans in the state, either by a listing of prohibited firearms or the drawing up a list of prohibited features. The state is also welcoming of NFA items, so residents are free to own machine guns, suppressors, and short-barreled rifles and shotguns assuming that the relevant federal rules and regulations are followed.
Buying a firearm at a gun store in Oklahoma follows the standard federally mandated process. Buyers should bring a valid form of identification as well as payment to the local gun store. There, the FFL will insist that the buyer fill out Form 4473 from the ATF to record the purchase and begin a background check. Once the background check is cleared and the payment has been processed, the buyer can leave with their new firearm the same day.
Those selling firearms as private parties do not need to run background checks on buyers, though it is always advisable to ensure that the buyer meets age requirements and is not a prohibited person.
The Carriage of Firearms in Oklahoma is similarly simple. The state allows for both the open and concealed carriage of firearms, and neither method requires a permit. Like most states with permitless concealed carry, Oklahoma still offers concealed carry permits on a shall-issue basis. The primary benefit of having an Oklahoma concealed carry permit is that it allows the permitted person to legally carry a concealed firearm in the states that recognize Oklahoma’s permit.
Like most states, Oklahoma has a list of places where it is forbidden to carry a firearm generally. In Oklahoma, this list includes:
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State and Local Government Buildings
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Federal Buildings (Which includes your local post office, by the way)
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K-12 Schools
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Casinos
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Public Sporting Events
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Fenced-off/Controlled areas
This list is not an unusual one, even for permissive states. One small, unique part of Oklahoma’s restrictions is that it makes special exceptions that allow people who have concealed carry permits to carry a firearm on private school property and in private school vehicles. Might be wise to double-check the policy of any individual school, though, as the state allows people who own private property to disallow firearms on that property.
Overall, Oklahoma is very gun-friendly. The small ding against the state’s permissiveness comes from a ban on a fairly niche type of ammunition. Otherwise, both buying and carrying firearms in the state is governed mostly by federal law, which, because federal law applies in the US as a whole, means that Oklahoma is nearly as permissive as it is legally possible to be within the US. There are no major gun bans in the state, either: residents are free to buy, own, and carry any firearm that is allowed by the federal government, within the state of Oklahoma. Thus, it can be considered a highly permissive state.
Sales Tax on Guns/Ammo in Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s base sales tax rate is 4.5%. Many localities institute additional taxes, sometimes making the effective sales tax rate as high as 11.5%. This makes it worthwhile to shop around for an FFL in one of the lower-taxed parts of the state.
Oklahoma does not have special, additional taxes on the sale of firearms or ammunition.
More Resources:
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The ATF maintains a list of all of the FFLs in the country, including in Oklahoma. This list can be used to find 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 mileage, city, and zip code filters to find ranges that work for you. Users can add new ranges, and the site frequently checks submitted information for accuracy.
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There are a number of well-reviewed gun stores in the state.
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The Oklahoma Shooters Forum is an active space to find relevant local information about firearms events and places to shoot in the state.