Florida firearm laws for buyers and owners in 2026

Florida is one of the country's largest gun markets, and its laws have changed a lot in the last few years. The state added a minimum age of 21 for all dealer purchases in 2018, moved to permitless concealed carry in 2023, and saw its open carry ban struck down by an appeals court in 2025. This guide explains what those changes mean for buying, carrying and storing a firearm. It is current to the best of our knowledge as of September 2026 and is not legal advice; check the statutes and the agencies named below for anything that matters to you.

Buying from a dealer

You must be 21 to buy any firearm, rifle, shotgun or handgun, from a Florida dealer. Federal law also requires handgun buyers to be residents of the state where they buy. At the counter you complete ATF Form 4473 and show a government photo ID, and the dealer runs your background check through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which checks both state and federal records. Florida has no purchase permit, no firearm owner ID card and no gun registry.

The three-day waiting period

Florida's constitution and statutes set a waiting period of three business days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, or until the background check clears, whichever takes longer. It applies to all firearms since 2018. You are exempt if you hold a Florida Concealed Weapon License, if you are trading in a firearm, or if you are buying a rifle or shotgun and have completed a hunter safety course or hold a valid Florida hunting license. Some counties, including Miami-Dade and Alachua, set up to five days for sales inside the county, so ask your dealer.

Permitless concealed carry

Since July 1, 2023, anyone who meets the eligibility requirements for a Concealed Weapon License may carry a concealed handgun without one. You must carry valid identification and show it to a law enforcement officer who asks. The eligibility rules are the same as for the license: generally age 21, no disqualifying criminal history, and no disqualifying mental health or protective order history. See our Concealed Weapon License guide for the details.

Open carry

Florida long banned open carry in most places. In September 2025 a state appeals court held the ban unconstitutional, and state officials said they would not enforce it. Rules about where firearms are prohibited still apply, and local practice can vary, so read up before you carry openly.

Guns in vehicles

Florida lets adults carry a handgun or long gun in a private vehicle if it is securely encased or not readily accessible, and under permitless carry an eligible person may carry a concealed handgun in the car as on foot. Employers generally may not bar employees from keeping a lawfully owned gun locked in a private car in the company lot, with some exceptions.

Where you cannot carry

Even with a license, Florida bars carry in places such as courthouses, polling places, police stations, jails, school and college property with narrow exceptions, government meetings, bars and the drinking area of restaurants, and the secure area of airports. Federal buildings and post offices are off limits under federal law.

Storage and minors

Florida law makes it a crime to store a loaded firearm where a minor under 16 can reach it if the minor gets it and uses it or carries it in public, with some exceptions. A lock box or safe keeps you inside the law. We carry safes and lock boxes in the catalog.

Risk protection orders

Since 2018 Florida courts can issue risk protection orders, on petition from law enforcement, that require a person to surrender firearms for a period. The respondent has a right to a hearing.

Magazines and rifles

Florida has no magazine capacity limit and no state ban on semi-automatic rifles, so standard magazines and AR-pattern rifles ship to Florida normally.

Hunting

Deer seasons in Florida run on four zones with very different dates. Read our deer zones and rifles guide, and for the Panhandle and Big Bend see North Florida hunting guns.