 Weapon Laws Title 6, Ch. 8 Wyoming does not have any form of pistol/firearm licensing, gun registration, an assault weapons ban or magazine restrictions. There is no waiting period mandated for firearm purchases and private gun sales are legal. Concealed firearm permits are shall-issue and Wyoming residents do not need a permit to conceal a firearm. Open carry is legal, does not require a permit, and is less regulated than concealed carry is. Prohibited Locations (public buildings) 6-5-209 You may not take a firearm (openly or concealed) into a jail, a state penal institution, the Wyoming boys' school, Wyoming girls' school, or a private correctional facility, the state hospital, or a courtroom. Judges may carry a concealed firearm in their courtroom and may grant others permission to carry a concealed weapon in their courtroom. State Capitol WAC 006-041-006 (Sec. 2) No dangerous weapon may be carried in the State Capitol building or in any capitol complex buildings. Police are authorized to request that any persons carrying a dangerous weapon in any state building relinquish and check the weapon. If a person carrying a dangerous weapon refuses to relinquish the weapon, they will be denied access to the capitol. 6-8-104(t) Where concealed firearms are prohibited "No person authorized to carry a concealed weapon pursuant to paragraphs (a)(ii) through (iv) of this section shall carry a concealed firearm into:
Schools, colleges/universities Wyoming has no other laws prohibiting where firearms cannot be openly carried, including schools, and colleges. Open carry is not regulated except at the state capitol, courts, mental health and correctional institutions. Schools, universities, and government employers may regulate their employees and students behavior under threat of discipline or termination/expulsion. K-12 students may be expelled for bringing a firearm onto campus, 21-4-305(a). College/university students should check their campus's policies or student code. There is no law prohibiting open carry by parents/adults at a school or by non-students on a college/university campus. Use caution, however, as you may be harassed by staff and law enforcement. Can I carry a gun near a school? Don't I have to be 1000 feet away? This is a federal law that is not enforced by Wyoming law enforcement and there is no applicable similar Wyoming law (unlike some states). You generally will not be prosecuted unless you are doing something else illegal, such as involved in gang activity or drug violations, that interest federal law enforcement. The law was intended to apply to drug dealers and gang members, not the law abiding citizen. The Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 basically states that one cannot "knowingly to possess a firearm [...] in "a school zone." 'School zone' is defined as "in, or on the grounds of, a public, parochial or private school; or (B) within a distance of 1,000 feet from the grounds of a public, parochial or private school." It includes all public roads and sidewalks within that 1,000 foot buffer zone. It does not apply on private property, to a licensed concealed firearm permittee (state law does prohibit guns on campuses except with written authorization), or an unloaded weapon in a locked container/rack. The law was found unconstitutional in its original version, so, to skirt the constitutional issue, the language was altered to say that it was a matter of 'interstate commerce' as all guns have moved in interstate travel as part of manufacturing and shipping and thus under the authority of Congress. Can I carry in a bar? Can I drink while armed? You may not carry a loaded firearm ("with a cartridge therein") or hunt while intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance, 23-3-307 (a hunting regulation, but nonetheless applicable). You can openly carry a firearm in a bar or restaurant, though concealed firearms are more strictly regulated. 6-8-104(t)(vii) prohibits concealed carry only in "any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic liquor and malt beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to that purpose." This would define bars and bar areas of restaurants, but not the main dining areas of restaurants. Car carry, home/business carry Concealed carry is prohibited in a vehicle (no distinction is made by the law), but open carry and loaded rifles/shotguns is not regulated. There also is no exemption for home or business concealed carry. Generally, a homeowner, private property owner, or businessman is not interfered with for open carry. Do 'no guns' signs have the force of law? There is no law prohibiting guns in places posted 'no guns.' Failure to leave or disarm when requested to do so would be a trespassing violation, 6-3-303: (a) A person is guilty of criminal trespass if he enters or remains on or in the land or premises of another person, knowing he is not authorized to do so, or after being notified to depart or to not trespass. For purposes of this section, notice is given by: (i) Personal communication to the person by the owner or occupant, or his agent, or by a peace officer; or (ii) Posting of signs reasonably likely to come to the attention of intruders. This section would have to be liberally applied to allow a sign banning a particular behavior, carrying a firearm, to constitute trespassing. Common understanding of the law in Wyoming a 'no guns' sign is a request and a verbal warning by security or the property owner/management is the warning that must be heeded to avoid a violation. A guest or patron of a public business is not an intruder. Frontier Carry is not aware of any case law or legislative intent regarding firearms and this section. Read More |