Alaska concealed carry laws and reciprocity
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Quick answers
- Does Alaska have permitless (constitutional) carry?
- Yes. Alaska allows permitless carry, also called constitutional carry, for people 21 and older. Anyone 21 or older who may legally possess a firearm may carry it concealed without a permit. A person under 21 may not carry a concealed deadly weapon except in limited situations such as at home or while lawfully hunting or fishing. (Verified Oct 18, 2026.)
- Does Alaska honor out-of-state concealed carry permits?
- Yes. Alaska honors concealed carry permits from every state, for holders 21 or older. A person holding a valid concealed handgun permit from another state is treated as an Alaska permittee; DPS states out-of-state permit holders must be 21 or older for the permit to be valid in Alaska. (Verified Oct 18, 2026.)
- Do I have to tell police I'm carrying a gun in Alaska?
- Yes. In Alaska you must tell an officer you are carrying as soon as you are stopped or approached, without being asked. A person 21 or older carrying a concealed deadly weapon must immediately inform a peace officer of it when stopped, detained, questioned, or addressed for an official purpose, and must allow the officer to secure it. This applies with or without a permit. (Verified Oct 18, 2026.)
- Can I carry a loaded handgun in my car in Alaska?
- Yes. In Alaska a loaded handgun may be carried in a private vehicle without a permit. No permit is required for adults 21+ to carry a concealed firearm. It is a crime to possess a firearm on the person or in the interior of a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or a controlled substance. (Verified Oct 18, 2026.)
Out-of-state permits
All statesAlaska honors carry permits from every state. A person holding a valid concealed handgun permit from another state is treated as an Alaska permittee; DPS states out-of-state permit holders must be 21 or older for the permit to be valid in Alaska.
- The holder must be 21 or older.
At a traffic stop
Duty to inform police
Must inform immediatelyA person 21 or older carrying a concealed deadly weapon must immediately inform a peace officer of it when stopped, detained, questioned, or addressed for an official purpose, and must allow the officer to secure it. This applies with or without a permit.
Loaded handgun in a vehicle
AllowedNo permit is required for adults 21+ to carry a concealed firearm. It is a crime to possess a firearm on the person or in the interior of a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or a controlled substance.
Carrying
Permitless carry
Yes (21+)Anyone 21 or older who may legally possess a firearm may carry it concealed without a permit. A person under 21 may not carry a concealed deadly weapon except in limited situations such as at home or while lawfully hunting or fishing.
Permit issuance
Shall issueThe Department of Public Safety shall issue a permit to an applicant who meets the statutory qualifications, including being 21 or older and an Alaska resident for the preceding 90 days.
Non-resident permits
NoApplicants must have been Alaska residents for more than 90 days; DPS issues no non-resident permits.
Open carry
AllowedDPS states that Alaska law does not prohibit anyone 21 or older who may legally possess a firearm from carrying it concealed or open, and no permit is required.
Vehicles
Places
No-gun signs carry force of law
NoAlaska Statutes 11.61.190-11.61.250 contain no provision giving legal effect to a posted no-firearms sign; the only private-premises rule is AS 11.61.220(a)(1)(B), which makes it an offense to carry a concealed deadly weapon inside another person's residence without the express permission of an adult who lives there. A person who enters or remains unlawfully on premises after the owner withdraws permission commits criminal trespass in the second degree, a class B misdemeanor (AS 11.46.330).
Restaurants that serve alcohol
RestrictedPossessing a loaded firearm where liquor is sold for on-premises consumption is a crime; it is an affirmative defense if the firearm was a concealed handgun carried in a licensed restaurant or eating place and the person did not drink there.
State parks
AllowedThe Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation FAQ answers 'Yes' to whether a gun may be carried into a state park, but discharging a firearm within one-quarter mile of a developed facility (campgrounds, picnic areas, trailheads, parking areas, etc.) is prohibited and some parks are closed to discharge entirely.
Places of worship
AllowedThe misconduct-involving-weapons statutes (AS 11.61.210 and 11.61.220) list the places where carrying is prohibited (on-premises liquor establishments, K-12 schools, child care facilities, courthouses, state-funded shelters, another person's residence without permission) and do not include churches or other places of worship, so this value rests on the absence of a statutory ban; a place of worship, as private property, may still exclude firearms.
College campuses
Not yet verifiedNot yet verified from an official source.
Prohibited places
See listState law bars firearms in courtrooms and Alaska Court System offices or court-only courthouses, state-funded domestic violence and sexual assault shelters, licensed child care facilities and adjacent parking lots, and K-12 school buildings, grounds, parking lots, and buses without administrator permission (limited vehicle exceptions for adults 21+). Carrying a concealed weapon into another person's residence requires an adult resident's express permission, and a loaded firearm may not be carried where liquor is sold for on-premises consumption.
Self-defense
Stand your ground
Yes, no duty to retreatThere is no duty to leave the area before using justified deadly force in self-defense in any place where the person has a right to be.
Magazines, rifles & NFA items
Magazine capacity limit
No limitAlaska's weapons statutes contain no magazine-capacity limit, and firearm regulation, including ammunition, is reserved to the state.
Assault weapons ban
NoAlaska's list of prohibited weapons does not include semiautomatic assault-style firearms, and municipalities may not regulate firearm possession.
Suppressors (state law)
LegalDevices that muffle a firearm's report are listed as prohibited weapons, but possession in accordance with National Firearms Act registration is an affirmative defense.
Short-barreled rifles (state law)
LegalRifles with barrels under 16 inches (or overall length under 26 inches) are listed as prohibited weapons, but possession in accordance with National Firearms Act registration is an affirmative defense.
Short-barreled shotguns (state law)
LegalShotguns with barrels under 18 inches (or overall length under 26 inches) are listed as prohibited weapons, but possession in accordance with National Firearms Act registration is an affirmative defense.
Getting a Alaska permit
Issued by Alaska Department of Public Safety, Concealed Handgun Permits.
- Alaska Concealed Handgun Permit (residents only)