A gun law reciprocity map shows which states will honor your concealed carry permit and which will not, filtered by the specific permit you hold. As of 2025, 29 states allow permitless carry, meaning no license is needed to carry concealed there. The rest vary widely, and a few refuse to recognize any out-of-state permit. A map is the fastest way to check before you cross a state line, but it only answers one question. The rules waiting for you on the other side matter just as much as whether your card is recognized.
How to Read the Colors on a Reciprocity Map
Every map uses its own palette, so read the legend before you read the map. Underneath the colors, states fall into four categories.
- Permitless carry. No license is required. Anyone legally eligible to possess a firearm and old enough to carry can do so concealed, and visitors usually get the same treatment as residents. Most of the 29 permitless states still issue permits, because a permit can unlock reciprocity elsewhere.
- Mutual reciprocity. Two states have agreed to honor each other’s permits. Carry privileges run both ways.
- Unilateral recognition. One state honors permits from another, but the favor is not returned. This trips people up because they assume recognition is always mutual.
- No recognition. The state does not accept your permit, and carrying concealed there is a crime. Visitors either obtain a state-specific permit or leave the firearm at home.
What to Check on Your Permit Before You Trust the Result
The map only works if you enter the right details about the card in your wallet.
Resident versus non-resident is the biggest variable. Many states only recognize permits issued to residents of the issuing state. If you moved and your permit still lists an old address, or if you obtained a non-resident permit from another state to broaden your reciprocity, the map’s answer changes. The designation is printed on the card near the address or permit-type field.
Standard versus enhanced also matters. Enhanced permits usually require additional live-fire training and a deeper background check. Some states that refuse a standard permit from your state will honor the enhanced version because it clears a higher training bar. If your card says “enhanced” or carries an endorsement code, pick that option in the tool.
Age is a separate filter. Several states refuse to honor any out-of-state permit held by someone under 21, even when the issuing state licenses at 18. And your permit must be current. An expired permit has no legal weight anywhere, and some states treat carrying on one the same as carrying with none.
Where to Find a Map You Can Rely On
The most trustworthy maps come from state attorney general websites and state police or department of public safety portals. Official sources update as legislation changes and reciprocity agreements are signed. Most work the same way: choose your issuing state and permit type from a dropdown, and the map redraws for your specific credential.
Third-party tools that aggregate all 50 states into one interactive map are useful for planning a multi-state trip, but cross-reference them against official state sources before you travel. Reciprocity shifts when a state changes its carry laws, and aggregators sometimes lag by weeks or months.
A few habits keep the map honest:
- Check within a week of your trip. Agreements change with new legislation, so a map you looked at three months ago may not be current.
- Select the right permit type every time. A resident and non-resident permit from the same state often produce different maps, and so do enhanced and standard versions.
- Read the state-specific notes. Good tools include expandable details on age restrictions, prohibited locations, and conduct requirements. The color tells you whether you’re recognized. The notes tell you what the state expects of you once you’re there.
- Call when in doubt. State attorney general offices and state police agencies usually publish a phone number or email for concealed carry questions.
Federal Prohibitions No Map Will Show
No state permit overrides a federal firearms prohibition. If federal law bars you from possessing a firearm, the reciprocity map is irrelevant. The people most often caught by this are those who assume a valid state permit means they’ve been fully vetted.
Federal law prohibits possession by anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison, anyone subject to a domestic violence restraining order, and anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. That last one surprises people. The word “misdemeanor” sounds minor, but the federal ban is absolute. A guilty plea, a no-contest plea, or a sentence of probation for a qualifying offense triggers a lifetime prohibition on firearms and ammunition.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts
The prohibition also reaches anyone who uses or is addicted to a controlled substance under federal law. Marijuana is the trap. Even in states that have legalized recreational or medical use, federal law still classifies it as a controlled substance, and a user in possession of a firearm is committing a federal offense. That reality never shows up on a reciprocity map.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts
Other prohibited categories include fugitives from justice, anyone dishonorably discharged from the military, anyone adjudicated as mentally incompetent, and anyone who has renounced U.S. citizenship.
Driving Through a State That Doesn’t Honor Your Permit
Federal law offers a narrow safe-passage protection when you need to transport a firearm through a state that won’t recognize you. Under the Firearm Owners Protection Act, you may transport a firearm through any state as long as you can legally possess it at both your starting point and your destination. During transport, the firearm must be unloaded, and neither the gun nor the ammunition may be readily accessible from the passenger compartment.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms
If your vehicle has a trunk, the gun goes there. If it doesn’t, as with an SUV or hatchback, the firearm and ammunition must be in a locked container. A glove compartment or center console does not qualify, even if it locks.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms
FOPA functions as an affirmative defense, not an immunity shield. A state can still arrest you, and you would raise the federal protection later in court. Several jurisdictions with strict gun laws have arrested travelers who appeared to be complying. The practical guidance from firearms attorneys is to treat FOPA as a last resort. Route around non-recognizing states when you can. When you can’t, keep the firearm locked, unloaded, separated from ammunition, and don’t stop longer than necessary for fuel or rest. FOPA also does not cover magazines or accessories that the state you’re passing through has banned.
Federal Property the Map Doesn’t Flag
Federal property runs on its own rules, layered on top of state law. These restrictions apply even in permitless carry states, and reciprocity maps rarely account for them.
Federal Buildings
Carrying a firearm into a federal facility is a federal crime punishable by up to one year in prison. For a federal courthouse, the ceiling rises to two years. Federal buildings must post notices at every public entrance, but lack of signage is a defense only if you also had no actual knowledge of the prohibition.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
School Zones
Federal law bars firearms in a school zone, which extends to the surrounding area, not just the building. There’s a key exception: if you hold a permit issued by the state where the school sits, and that state’s licensing process includes a law enforcement background verification, you’re exempt. Read that carefully. The permit must come from the state where the school is located. An out-of-state permit does not trigger the exception, even if that state recognizes your permit for general carry.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts
National Parks and Forests
Firearms in national parks follow the law of the state where the park is located. If the state allows concealed carry with your permit, you can carry in the park. If the state is permitless, you can carry without a permit.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 54 U.S. Code 104906 – Protection of Right of Individuals To Bear Arms Buildings inside the parks are a different matter. Visitor centers, ranger stations, and fee offices are federal facilities and fall under the federal building prohibition. These areas are supposed to be marked at public entrances. National forests follow the same pattern.
Local Rules Once You’re Across the Border
Confirming recognition is step one. Step two is learning what the destination state requires of you. Your home state’s rules do not travel with you.
Duty to Inform
Roughly a dozen states plus the District of Columbia require you to tell a law enforcement officer, without being asked, that you’re carrying a concealed firearm during any official encounter. In these states, failing to volunteer that information is a separate offense that can bring criminal charges or permit revocation, even if you were doing nothing else wrong. Other states only require disclosure if the officer asks. Check the destination state before you go, because on a traffic stop the distinction can turn a routine encounter into a criminal one.
Prohibited Locations
Every state maintains a list of places where firearms are banned regardless of permit status. Schools, courthouses, and government buildings are near-universal. From there, lists diverge. Some states prohibit carry in bars, churches, hospitals, polling places, or public parks. Many also let private business owners prohibit firearms through posted signage. In some states, ignoring a “no weapons” sign is a trespassing offense; in others, a standalone firearms violation. Treat every posted sign as legally binding until you’ve confirmed otherwise for that state.
Alcohol and Firearms
Most states restrict carrying while intoxicated, but the standards vary. Some set a specific blood alcohol threshold. Others use a vaguer “impaired” standard tied to the officer’s judgment. A few prohibit carry in any establishment that serves alcohol, regardless of whether you’re drinking. The safest approach on the road is simple: don’t drink while carrying.
Self-Defense Laws
At least 31 states have stand-your-ground laws, meaning no obligation to retreat before using force in self-defense when you’re in a place you have a legal right to be. The rest impose some version of a duty to retreat, requiring you to try to safely withdraw from a threat before using deadly force when you’re outside your home. In a duty-to-retreat state, using deadly force when escape was possible can bring criminal charges even if the underlying threat was real. This never appears on a reciprocity map, but it reshapes the legal framework around carrying in that state.
Vehicle Storage
When you leave a firearm unattended in a vehicle, storage requirements shift by state. Some require a locked container separate from ammunition. Others are more permissive. A few mandate that a firearm left in an unattended vehicle be stored out of plain view. Failing to comply can lead to seizure of the firearm and improper-storage charges, even in a state that recognizes your permit.