Is firearms legal in West Virginia?

Q: Is firearms legal in West Virginia?

Firearms in West Virginia is permitted. West Virginia has permitless carry: no license is required, and anyone 21 and older who may lawfully possess may carry concealed. A Provisional license covers those 18 to 20, and an optional license is available.

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WEST VIRGINIA · FIREARMS

Firearms

Permitted: West Virginia has permitless carry: no license is required, and anyone 21 and older who may lawfully possess may carry concealed.

Permitted

Summary

West Virginia has permitless carry: no license is required, and anyone 21 and older who may lawfully possess may carry concealed. A Provisional license covers those 18 to 20, and an optional license is available.

Source: https://ago.wv.gov/photo-call-out/gun-reciprocity-information · Updated July 12, 2026

West Virginia Firearms topics

Concealed Carry in West Virginia →Permitted
West Virginia has permitless carry: no license is required, and anyone 21 and older who may lawfully possess may carry concealed.
Open Carry in West Virginia →Permitted
Open carry of a handgun is legal in West Virginia without a license at 18 and older for anyone who may lawfully possess one.
Magazine Capacity in West Virginia →Permitted
No state law limits magazine capacity in West Virginia — standard-capacity and high-capacity magazines are legal to buy and possess under state law.
Gun Possession in West Virginia →Permitted
West Virginia has no red-flag law (also called an Extreme Risk Protection Order, or ERPO), and no assault-weapon ban or limit on magazine capacity.
Transporting Firearms in West Virginia →Permitted
In West Virginia, anyone 21 or older who may lawfully possess a handgun may carry it concealed in a vehicle without a license or permit.
Duty to Inform Police in West Virginia →Info
West Virginia has no statutory duty to inform and — unusually — no duty to carry or display the license at all: W. Va. Code §§ 61-7-4 and 61-7-4a contain no requirement to inform, to carry the license on your person, or to display it on demand.
Suppressors & Silencers in West Virginia →Conditional
Suppressors are legal in West Virginia, where no statute bans possession of a registered suppressor, as long as you comply with the federal National Firearms Act (NFA).
Reciprocity — where is my West Virginia permit honored? →
State-by-state map of which states honor a West Virginia concealed-carry permit.

Other West Virginia laws

Firearms in nearby states

Browse all state laws →

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