Arizona concealed carry laws and reciprocity

When contacted by an officer during a traffic or criminal investigation, arrest, detention, or investigatory stop, a person carrying a concealed deadly weapon must accurately answer if asked whether they are carrying one. Permit holders must present the permit on request when carrying in a liquor-licensed establishment.

Adults 21+ may carry a concealed firearm in a vehicle without a permit; people under 21 may carry a firearm in a vehicle in a case, holster, pack, or storage compartment such as the glove box or trunk.

Carrying a concealed deadly weapon without a permit is lawful for people 21 and older who are not prohibited possessors; concealed carry under 21 is a misdemeanor with limited exceptions.

DPS shall issue a permit to an applicant who is 21 or older (19 with qualifying military service), not a prohibited possessor, and documents firearms training or competence.

Applicants must be Arizona residents or U.S. citizens, so non-resident U.S. citizens may apply; DPS prioritizes in-state applications.

No permit is required to carry a firearm openly; the under-21 concealed-carry offense does not apply to a firearm or holster that is wholly or partially visible.

Signs have force of law only at specific places: A.R.S. 4-229 makes it an offense to carry a firearm on the premises of an on-sale liquor licensee that has posted the state-prescribed no-firearms sign next to its liquor license, and A.R.S. 13-3102(A)(10) makes it misconduct involving weapons to carry into a public establishment or public event after a reasonable request by the operator to store the weapon. Other private property owners can only exclude an armed visitor through criminal trespass after a request to leave or reasonable notice prohibiting entry (A.R.S. 13-1502).

Only a concealed weapons permit holder may carry a concealed handgun in an on-sale liquor establishment, and only if no 4-229 'no firearms' sign is posted; anyone possessing a firearm there may not consume alcohol.

Arizona State Parks rule R12-8-119 allows firearms in state parks consistent with state law, but in an 'improved recreation area' (campgrounds, roads, picnic areas, beaches, boat ramps) a person must surrender a firearm to a park ranger or leave the area after a reasonable request made because the ranger believes the person poses a danger to others; firearms may be transported or stored in vehicles as allowed by A.R.S. 13-3102(F).

A.R.S. 13-3102, which lists the places where carrying a deadly weapon is an offense (public establishments and events after a request to store the weapon, polling places, K-12 school grounds, nuclear and hydroelectric stations), contains no provision on churches or 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.

A.R.S. 13-2911(D) requires the governing board of each public university, college and community college to adopt rules governing conduct on campus and makes any deadly weapon possessed in violation of those rules subject to forfeiture; the public universities and community colleges use this authority to prohibit weapons on campus. Under 13-2911(I) a governing board may not prohibit lawful possession of a firearm on a public right-of-way or inside a person's vehicle.

State law bars deadly weapons at election polling places on election day, on K-12 school grounds (an unloaded firearm may stay in a locked vehicle under an adult's control), and in nuclear or hydroelectric generating stations. Government buildings and publicly permitted events may require weapons to be checked into secure storage, and on-sale liquor establishments may prohibit firearms by posting the A.R.S. 4-229 sign.

A person has no duty to retreat before threatening or using justified deadly force if they are in a place where they may legally be and are not engaged in an unlawful act.

Arizona law sets no magazine-capacity limit, and political subdivisions may not regulate firearms, ammunition, components, or related accessories.

Arizona's statutory list of prohibited weapons does not include semiautomatic assault-style firearms, and local governments may not prohibit firearm ownership or sale.

Devices that muffle a firearm's report are prohibited weapons under state law unless possessed, manufactured, or transferred in compliance with federal law.

Rifles with barrels under 16 inches (or modified firearms under 26 inches overall) are prohibited weapons unless possessed in compliance with federal law.

Shotguns with barrels under 18 inches (or modified firearms under 26 inches overall) are prohibited weapons unless possessed in compliance with federal law.