Constitutional Carry in Kansas

Kansas is a permitless carry (constitutional carry) state. If you are at least 21 years old and legally permitted to possess a firearm under state and federal law, you may carry a handgun, openly or concealed, anywhere in Kansas a permit holder could carry, without applying for any license. The change took effect July 1, 2015 under Senate Bill 45.

That does not mean Kansas became a "no rules" state. The state still issues a Concealed Carry Handgun License (CCHL) through the Office of the Attorney General, federal prohibitions under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) still bar certain people from possession, and prohibited locations under K.S.A. 75-7c10 and 75-7c20 still apply. Constitutional carry waives the state license requirement. It does not waive every other limit on where, when, and by whom a handgun may be carried.

The Statutory Hook

Permitless carry in Kansas does not appear as a freestanding "constitutional carry act." It is built into two statutes that work together:

• K.S.A. 21-6302 (criminal carrying of a weapon) sets out what carrying conduct is criminal. Concealed carry by a person under 21 is a Class A nonperson misdemeanor under 21-6302(a)(4). For a person 21 or older who is otherwise legally allowed to possess a firearm, no equivalent prohibition exists. There is no Kansas statute that makes adult permitless concealed carry a crime.
• K.S.A. 75-7c03(a) (Personal and Family Protection Act) confirms it expressly. After describing the CCHL system, the statute states: "The availability of licenses to carry concealed handguns under this act shall not be construed to impose a general prohibition on the carrying of handguns without such license, whether carried openly or concealed, or loaded or unloaded."

Read together, these two provisions are the operative source of constitutional carry in Kansas. The Attorney General's office issues licenses, but the licensing system is not the only lawful route to carry. Adults who meet the eligibility floor may carry without one.

Who Can Carry Without a Permit

You can carry concealed in Kansas without a license if you meet all of the following:

• You are at least 21 years of age. K.S.A. 21-6302(a)(4) makes concealed carry of a handgun by anyone under 21 a misdemeanor, with narrow exceptions for your own land, your abode, or your fixed place of business.
• You are not a prohibited person under federal law. 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) bars firearm possession by convicted felons, persons subject to qualifying domestic-violence misdemeanors or protective orders, persons adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution, unlawful users of controlled substances, fugitives, persons dishonorably discharged, persons who have renounced U.S. citizenship, and unlawful aliens.
• You are not a prohibited person under Kansas law. K.S.A. 21-6304 (criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon) and related provisions cited at K.S.A. 21-6301 carry their own bars on possession.
• You are carrying a handgun, not a category of weapon that remains prohibited regardless of permit status. K.S.A. 21-6302(a)(5) still criminalizes possession of short-barrel shotguns (less than 18 inches) and machine guns outside the National Firearms Act framework.

If any of those four conditions fails, constitutional carry does not protect you. The fix is not "get a permit instead." A felon who could not legally possess a firearm at all cannot fix that with a CCHL. An 18-to-20-year-old in Kansas has two real options: open carry (legal at 18+ without any license) or apply for a CCHL provisional license under K.S.A. 75-7c04(a)(3)(A). The provisional license, when held, exempts the holder from K.S.A. 21-6302(a)(4)'s under-21 concealed prohibition per K.S.A. 21-6302(d).

The 18-to-20 Gap

This is the part students most often get wrong. Kansas constitutional carry covers adults 21 and up. It does not cover 18-to-20-year-olds for concealed carry. Three rules interact:

1. Concealed carry under 21 is a crime. K.S.A. 21-6302(a)(4) makes it a Class A nonperson misdemeanor to knowingly carry "any pistol, revolver or other firearm concealed on one's person if such person is under 21 years of age, except when on such person's land or in such person's abode or fixed place of business."
2. Open carry under 21 is generally allowed. Kansas has no minimum age for open carry of a long gun or handgun beyond the federal possession rules. An 18-year-old who is not federally prohibited can openly carry a handgun in public in Kansas.
3. The provisional CCHL is the 18-to-20 pathway. Kansas added a provisional concealed-handgun-license track for applicants 18 to 20 in 2023 HB 2058 (signed April 27, 2023, effective July 1, 2023), codified at K.S.A. 75-7c04(a)(3)(A). The Attorney General has been issuing provisional licenses since that date. K.S.A. 21-6302(d) exempts permit holders from the (a)(4) under-21 concealed-carry prohibition, so a provisional CCHL is the direct fix to the under-21 concealed-carry bar. 2025 HB 2052 (signed April 2, 2025) added the formal mechanism for a provisional license to transition to a standard CCHL when the holder turns 21. An 18-to-20-year-old who wants to carry concealed in public should apply for the provisional CCHL; if they do not, they remain limited to the open-carry-only and home/business/own-land carve-outs.

The Attorney General's pre-2023 opinion (Kan. AG Op. 2017-18) was issued before the 2023 HB 2058 provisional-CCHL track existed; the operative rule for 18-to-20 since July 1, 2023 is the provisional CCHL pathway under K.S.A. 75-7c04(a)(3)(A).

If you are 18, 19, or 20: you can possess and openly carry a handgun in public in Kansas if you are not federally prohibited, and you can apply for a provisional CCHL to carry concealed in public. Without the provisional CCHL, you remain limited to the home/business/own-land carve-out for concealed carry.

What Constitutional Carry Does Not Change

Permitless carry strips out the licensing requirement. It does not strip out the rest of Kansas firearms law. The following all still apply.

Federal Prohibitions

18 U.S.C. § 922(g) is unaffected by any state's permitless-carry law. If you fall into any of the federal prohibited-person categories, you cannot lawfully possess a firearm in Kansas at all, with or without a permit. The same applies to the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act, federal restrictions in post offices, federal courthouses, federal facilities, military installations, and the secure areas of airports.

Prohibited Locations

K.S.A. 75-7c10 and 75-7c20 govern where concealed handguns may be carried inside buildings in Kansas. The framework is the same whether you carry under a CCHL or under permitless carry:

• A building can prohibit concealed carry only if it is "conspicuously posted in accordance with rules and regulations adopted by the attorney general." K.S.A. 75-7c10(a).
• For state and municipal buildings, the prohibition is enforceable only if the building also provides "adequate security measures" as defined in K.S.A. 75-7c20, which generally means electronic detection equipment and armed personnel screening at all public entrances.
• Buildings open to the public that lack adequate security measures generally cannot exclude lawful carriers. This is one of the more distinctive features of Kansas public-carry law.
• Posted signage that does not meet the AG's regulatory standard does not create a criminal violation.
• Violation of a properly posted private-building restriction is not a criminal penalty by itself under K.S.A. 75-7c10(f)(1). The remedy is denial of entry or removal from the premises. Refusing to leave when asked can escalate into criminal trespass.
• Federal restrictions still apply. K-12 schools (federal Gun-Free School Zones Act), federal buildings, courthouses, jails, correctional facilities, and similar locations are off limits regardless of state law.
• Per K.S.A. 75-7c10(g), the carry restrictions in that section do not apply to the State Capitol building itself. The Capitol is governed by its own rules.

For a complete walkthrough of where carry is restricted, see the Prohibited Locations section.

Private Employer and Property Rights

Constitutional carry does not override a private property owner's right to exclude. K.S.A. 75-7c10(b) preserves the right of a private employer to prohibit employees from carrying a concealed handgun while on the employer's premises or while engaged in the duties of employment. The same provision protects the employee's right to keep a handgun locked in a private vehicle, even when parked on the employer's lot.

A private homeowner, business owner, or landlord can ask you to leave or to disarm. Refusing converts what was a lawful carry into a trespass.

Vehicle Carry

Concealed carry inside your vehicle is treated under the same general rules as concealed carry on your person. An adult 21 or older who is not prohibited may lawfully carry a loaded, concealed handgun in a private vehicle in Kansas without any permit. Different rules apply to commercial drivers under federal regulations, and to school zones and posted government buildings.

Use of Force and Self-Defense

Kansas has Stand Your Ground (K.S.A. 21-5222) and Castle Doctrine (K.S.A. 21-5223) protections, but those protections govern when use of force is justified. They are independent of how the firearm is carried. Carrying without a permit does not change the legal standard for justified self-defense, and it does not give you any extra latitude to use force.

Reciprocity and Travel

Constitutional carry is a Kansas rule. It does not follow you across the state line. If you cross into Missouri, Oklahoma, Colorado, or Nebraska, you are subject to that state's carry laws and that state's permit requirements. Some neighboring states are also permitless. Others are not, and a few of those that are not will recognize your Kansas CCHL but will not recognize the absence of one.

This is the practical reason most serious Kansas carriers still get a CCHL even though they do not need one to carry inside Kansas:

• A Kansas CCHL is recognized by many other states under reciprocity agreements. Permitless carry status by itself is not.
• A valid CCHL serves as an alternative to the federal NICS background check at the point of sale when buying from a licensed dealer.
• Some posted buildings in Kansas distinguish between license holders and permitless carriers. Carrying with a CCHL gives you more lawful access in some posted contexts.
• If you intend to carry on out-of-state travel, the CCHL is the only practical option.

For the full reciprocity list, see the Reciprocity section.

State Preemption

Kansas has a strong preemption statute. Local governments cannot enact firearms regulations more restrictive than state law, and the legislature reinforced this in 2021. The practical effect: Wichita, Topeka, Kansas City (KS), Overland Park, and other municipalities cannot impose city-level concealed-carry permit requirements, registration mandates, or carry bans that go beyond what Kansas state law itself provides. The rules above apply uniformly across the state.

How Constitutional Carry Plays Out in Practice

A few common student questions with direct answers.

"Do I need to tell the officer I'm carrying?" Kansas does not have a general statutory duty to inform during routine police contact. If you are asked, do not lie. If you are stopped while driving and you are carrying, the safer course is to disclose calmly, keep your hands visible, and follow the officer's instructions. See the Duty to Inform section for the full treatment.

"Can I drink and carry?" No. Carrying under the influence remains a separate offense, and Kansas prosecutors will charge it. See the Carrying Under the Influence section.

"Do I need to take a class?" Not to carry permitlessly. You do need training to qualify for a Kansas CCHL, and you should take training even if you do not plan to apply, because constitutional carry shifts every legal question about justified use of force, prohibited locations, and storage onto you alone.

"Does my carry need to be concealed?" No. Kansas allows both permitless concealed and permitless open carry for adults 21 and over. There is no Kansas statute that requires the firearm to be concealed and no statute that requires it to be visible. Open carry has its own practical and legal considerations covered in the Open Carry section.

"What if I'm visiting from another state?" Out-of-state visitors who are 21 or older and not federally prohibited can carry under Kansas constitutional carry while in Kansas. You do not need a Kansas-recognized permit to carry inside Kansas. K.S.A. 75-7c03(a) is not limited to residents. The catch is the return trip: when you leave Kansas, your home state's law and the law of any state you transit will determine whether you are still legal to carry.

"What if I was a Kansas resident, moved out, and I have an old Kansas CCHL?" Your CCHL is valid only while you are a Kansas resident or active-duty military stationed in Kansas (with limited exceptions). Once you establish residency in another state, the Kansas CCHL is no longer your authority to carry in Kansas. Constitutional carry still covers you in Kansas as long as you are 21 and not prohibited, but the CCHL itself is no longer a tool you can use for reciprocity.

Quick-Reference Table

The Bottom Line for Instructors and Students

Kansas constitutional carry says one thing clearly: an adult 21 or older who is not a prohibited person does not need a state license to carry a handgun in Kansas. Everything else, the federal prohibitions, the prohibited locations, the private property rights, the use-of-force rules, the limits on under-21 carry, the reciprocity question for out-of-state travel, remains in full force. Treat the CCHL as optional for in-state carry and effectively required for serious out-of-state travel. Treat training as voluntary by statute and necessary in fact.