Concealed Carry Reciprocity

Educational information, not legal advice. Gun laws change often and vary by state, county and city. Check current law where you are and talk to a firearms attorney before acting. Full disclaimer

Last reviewed November 1, 2026

Concealed Carry Reciprocity: Where It Stands in 2026

Concealed carry reciprocity is the patchwork of agreements and laws that decide whether a carry permit issued by one state is honored in another. There is still no national standard. A law-abiding citizen who carries legally at home can become a felon by crossing a state line, which is why gun-rights advocates compare the situation to a driver’s license that stopped working at the border. A right protected by the Constitution should not disappear at a state line.

Each state sets its own rules. Some honor every valid permit from any state, some honor only states with similar training standards or signed agreements, and a few, including California, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts and Hawaii, generally honor no other state’s carry permits. Permitless carry is also local: the right to carry without a permit in a constitutional carry state does not travel with the carrier. Many travelers hold a nonresident permit (Utah, Florida and Arizona are common choices) to expand the number of states where they can carry, but rules change, as when Colorado stopped recognizing permits issued to nonresidents of the issuing state.

This map has friends. Lots of friends. Meet the State Gun Law Maps

Honors All Permits (30): Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming

Honors Some Permits (10): Colorado, Delaware, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin

Honors No Permits (12): California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island

How this map is researched, from statute to state note: How We Research.

The first map shows which states honor carry permits from every other state, which honor only some, and which honor none. The second shows which states will issue a carry permit to someone who lives elsewhere, the usual way travelers fill the gaps a home-state permit leaves open. Tap any state for details, or open 2A Maps to see every state gun law map on one screen.

In Congress, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38), introduced by Rep. Richard Hudson on January 3, 2025, would require states to honor permits from other states and let residents of constitutional carry states carry with a government photo ID. The House Judiciary Committee approved it 18-9 on March 25, 2025, and it was formally reported and placed on the House calendar on October 3, 2025. As of October 31, 2026, it had not received a House floor vote in the 119th Congress. A prior version passed the House on December 6, 2017, but died in the Senate.

Key Facts

  • No federal law currently requires states to honor each other’s carry permits.
  • 1986: The Firearm Owners Protection Act created federal “safe passage” (18 U.S.C. 926A) for transporting an unloaded firearm, locked away and not readily accessible, through states where the traveler may not carry, between places where possession is legal.
  • 2004: The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (18 U.S.C. 926B and 926C) allowed qualified active and retired officers to carry nationwide; private citizens have no equivalent.
  • December 6, 2017: H.R. 38 (115th Congress) passed the House 231-198 but was never taken up by the Senate.
  • March 25, 2025: The House Judiciary Committee ordered H.R. 38 (119th Congress) reported, 18-9. October 3, 2025: Reported (H. Rept. 119-337) and placed on the Union Calendar.
  • As of October 31, 2026: No House floor vote on H.R. 38 has been recorded.

What Gun Owners Should Know

  • Check reciprocity for every state on your route, not just your destination, and check again before each trip. Agreements change.
  • Recognition often depends on age, residency and the type of permit (resident, nonresident or enhanced).
  • Learn each state’s rules on duty to inform, prohibited places, magazine limits and ammunition, which apply to visitors too. See Gun Free Zones.
  • When passing through a non-reciprocity state, follow 18 U.S.C. 926A exactly: unloaded, locked case, out of reach, and keep stops to a minimum. Some states have arrested travelers despite federal safe passage.
  • Traveling with an NFA item? Suppressors and SBRs have their own rules; see NFA Buyers Guide.com and Suppressor Buyers Guide.com.
  • Compare state permit numbers at CCW Permits by State, and see Constitutional Carry.

Across the Gun Websites Network

Sources

Concealed carry reciprocity map