Open carry is legal in Kansas for any non-prohibited person 18 years of age or older. No license is required. Kansas is a permissive open-carry state and a...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
Open carry is legal in Kansas for any non-prohibited person 18 years of age or older. No license is required. Kansas is a permissive open-carry state and a constitutional (permitless) concealed-carry state, so most adults have two lawful options for carrying a handgun in public.
Open carry is legal not because a Kansas statute affirmatively authorizes it, but because no Kansas statute prohibits it. The U.S. LawShield Kansas guide states the rule plainly:
"Kansas law does not specifically address the issue of open carry. Therefore, open carry is legal with or without a license."
In practice this means:
The rest of this section operationalizes those rules.
Kansas does not require a license to open carry. The eligibility test is whether you can lawfully possess the firearm and whether you meet the minimum age. There is no provisional or standard license tier for open carry, and no state-issued open-carry permit.
The minimum age for open carry is 18. This differs from concealed carry, where unlicensed carry requires age 21 and an 18 to 20 year old must hold a provisional Concealed Carry Handgun License (CCHL) under K.S.A. 75-7c03.
The age divergence comes from K.S.A. 21-6302(a)(4), which criminalizes carrying:
"(4) 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..."
That subsection restricts concealed carry under 21. It does not restrict open carry. The Kansas Attorney General confirmed this allocation in AG Opinion 2017-18.
So an 18, 19, or 20 year old who can otherwise legally possess a handgun may openly carry that handgun in Kansas. They may not carry it concealed without a provisional CCHL. Federal law sets the floor for handgun possession (a licensed dealer may not transfer a handgun to a person under 21, but possession of a handgun received from a private party or family member is generally lawful at 18, subject to state law). Kansas does not raise that floor for open-carry purposes.
Federal and state firearm prohibitions apply with full force. You may not lawfully possess a firearm if you are a convicted felon (Kansas addresses felon-in-possession through K.S.A. 21-6304 generally, alongside the federal bar at 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)), subject to a qualifying domestic violence misdemeanor conviction or restraining order (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8) and (9)), an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance, adjudicated mentally defective or involuntarily committed, dishonorably discharged from the armed forces, an illegal alien, a fugitive from justice, or a person who has renounced U.S. citizenship.
Kansas has no residency requirement for open carry. A non-resident who is at least 18, can legally possess a firearm under federal law, and is not subject to a Kansas firearm disability may openly carry under the same rules as a resident.
Kansas does not statutorily define "concealed." The practical test most law enforcement officers apply is whether the firearm is observable to a casual observer in the ordinary course of public interaction. A handgun in a holster outside your clothing is open carry. A handgun in an inside-the-waistband holster covered by a shirt or jacket is concealed. A handgun in a closed bag, backpack, purse, or briefcase carried on your person is concealed. A holster covered by a coat blowing in the wind is a gray area; some prosecutors will treat momentary covering as still openly carried, others will treat any non-trivial covering as concealed.
If you are 18 to 20 and rely on open carry, holster and clothing choice both matter. An external belt holster with a contrasting cover garment is the safest combination. Avoid inside-the-waistband holsters and tucked shirts. If you are 21 or older the line is less critical for criminal liability under K.S.A. 21-6302(a)(4), but it still matters for posted-building purposes because the AG's signage scheme distinguishes "concealed prohibited" from "open prohibited" buildings.
Kansas has one of the strongest firearm preemption statutes in the country. Under K.S.A. 12-16,124(a):
"No city or county shall adopt or enforce any ordinance, resolution or regulation, and no agent of any city or county shall take any administrative action, governing the requirement of fees, licenses or permits for, the commerce in or the sale, purchase, transfer, ownership, storage, carrying, transporting or taxation of firearms or ammunition, or any component or combination thereof."
K.S.A. 12-16,124(b) goes further: any pre-existing local ordinance regulating open carry that was on the books before July 1, 2015, is "null and void." The Attorney General has applied this preemption directly to local open-carry bans (AG Opinion 2013-13: "City ordinance banning the open carry of firearms by all persons except those in possession of a valid state-issued concealed carry license would be pre-empted by state law").
The narrow exceptions K.S.A. 12-16,124 preserves are personnel policies covering city or county employees, ordinances under K.S.A. 75-7c20, law enforcement officer activity within the scope of duty, and sales-tax collection. None of those allows a general municipal ban on open carry. The bottom line: a Kansas city or county cannot ban open carry, and any pre-2015 local ordinance to the contrary is no longer enforceable.
You may not openly carry where state or federal law prohibits firearms entirely, or where a building has been posted in compliance with the Attorney General's signage rules.
Federal law prohibits firearm possession (open or concealed) in:
K.S.A. 75-7c10(i) reinforces federal preemption: "Nothing in this act shall be construed to authorize the carrying or possession of a handgun where prohibited by federal law."
Kansas treats open-carry restrictions in private and government buildings as a posting matter, not a criminal one. The 2014 amendments (HB 2578) authorized building owners to post signs prohibiting open carry independently of concealed carry. The operative posting language is set out in K.S.A. 12-16,124, which is in the corpus and supplies the rules quoted below. K.S.A. 75-7c24 (per the chapter-75 index, titled "Restrictions on carrying unconcealed firearms; exceptions; penalties; sign requirements") also addresses unconcealed-firearm signage; the operative posting language quoted in this guide is sourced from K.S.A. 12-16,124. Per the U.S. LawShield Kansas guide:
"The building is conspicuously posted in accordance with rules and regulations adopted by the attorney general as a building where carrying an unconcealed firearm is prohibited; it shall be unlawful to carry an unconcealed firearm into such building."
"Any person who violates this section shall not be subject to a criminal penalty but may be subject to denial to such premises or removal from such premises."
Two things to operationalize: a properly posted "open carry prohibited" sign creates a legal duty to leave (or, if you are a CCHL holder, to conceal); violation is not itself a criminal offense (the remedy is denial of entry or removal), but refusing to leave after being asked supports a separate criminal trespass charge under Kansas criminal trespass laws.
The Kansas Attorney General publishes four standard signs for private buildings covering every combination of open and concealed restrictions:
| Concealed allowed | Concealed prohibited |
|---|---|
| Open allowed: No sign required | Open allowed, concealed prohibited: "Concealed prohibited" sign |
| Open prohibited, concealed allowed: "Open carry prohibited" sign | Both prohibited: Combined sign |
A separate set of signs applies to "exempt" state or municipal buildings (those without adequate security measures, where concealed carry by lawful carriers cannot be restricted). When you walk up to a Kansas business, read the entrance signs carefully. A "concealed prohibited" sign does not prohibit open carry. An "open prohibited" sign does not prohibit concealed carry by a CCHL holder. A combined sign prohibits both. If no sign is posted, both methods are allowed.
Government buildings follow the K.S.A. 75-7c20 framework. Restrictions apply only when the building has (1) adequate security measures at every public entrance (metal detectors plus armed personnel sufficient to detect and restrict firearms) and (2) conspicuous signage at the public entrances. A government building lacking adequate security cannot prohibit lawful carry on its premises.
Three categories deserve specific attention:
The state capitol has its own rule. Under K.S.A. 75-7c21, concealed carry is allowed in the state capitol if you are 21 or older (or 18 to 20 with a valid CCHL or recognized out-of-state license). K.S.A. 75-7c21 authorizes only concealed carry in the capitol. Open carry of a handgun is not allowed in the state capitol building. If you carry inside the capitol, conceal it. Enforcement flows from the affirmative concealed-only authorization in K.S.A. 75-7c21 itself, plus the general public-buildings framework at K.S.A. 75-7c20 and Capitol-security authority over the building. (Note: K.S.A. 21-6309 governs criminal discharge of a firearm; it is NOT the operative government-property carry statute.)
Under K.S.A. 75-7c20(g), correctional facilities, jail facilities, and law enforcement agencies may prohibit any handgun (concealed or unconcealed) in any secure area of a building on such premises. Adequate security measures and signage are not required for these facilities to enforce the prohibition. Treat any law-enforcement or jail building as off-limits unless you are an officer acting within the scope of duty.
State or municipal-owned medical care facilities, adult care homes, and mental health centers may prohibit concealed or open carry without the requirement for adequate security measures (K.S.A. 75-7c20). The governing body of such an institution may also choose to permit specific employees to carry under a written policy (K.S.A. 75-7c10(d)).
Kansas does not have a general statute prohibiting open carry in establishments that serve alcohol. A bar or restaurant may, however, post an "open carry prohibited" or combined sign under the AG's signage scheme.
A private property owner (or the owner's agent) may prohibit open carry on the premises, with or without signage. If asked to leave, you must leave. Refusing supports a charge under Kansas criminal trespass laws even if no sign is posted.
Kansas law does not prohibit open carry in a vehicle. A handgun in a holster on your person, or visibly placed on the seat or dash, is legal for any non-prohibited adult 18 or older. Practical points:
If you are 18 to 20 and traveling with a handgun in a vehicle, keep it openly visible (holster on your hip, on the seat, or on the dash). A handgun in the glove compartment, center console, or under a jacket on the passenger seat could be charged as concealed under K.S.A. 21-6302(a)(4).
There is no general criminal penalty for open carry in Kansas because open carry is not a prohibited act. Penalties arise only when open carry combines with one of the underlying violations:
| Conduct | Statute | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Concealed carry under 21 (no provisional CCHL) | K.S.A. 21-6302(a)(4), (b)(1) | Class A nonperson misdemeanor |
| Possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun, machine gun, or NFA item | K.S.A. 21-6302(a)(5), (b)(2) | Severity level 9 nonperson felony |
| Possession of a firearm by a prohibited person | K.S.A. 21-6304 (concept; specific text not in this corpus) | Felony grading varies |
| Carrying in a posted "open prohibited" building | K.S.A. 75-7c10 / 12-16,124 (operative posting language) | No criminal penalty for carry; denial or removal only |
| Refusing to leave after being asked or after entering past a sign | Kansas criminal trespass laws | Misdemeanor (consult current Kansas trespass statute for grading and priors) |
| Possession in a federal facility | 18 U.S.C. § 930 | Federal misdemeanor or felony |
| Possession in a Gun-Free School Zone without a qualifying license | 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) | Federal felony |
Open carry inside a posted building is not by itself a crime under Kansas law. Criminal exposure starts when you are asked to leave and refuse, when the firearm is independently illegal (NFA, prohibited person), or when a federal prohibition applies.
Both options are legal in Kansas for a non-prohibited adult who meets the age requirement. Open carry is available at 18, requires no license or training, and supports a faster draw from an external holster. Concealed carry creates lower social friction with businesses and private hosts, preserves tactical surprise, and (with a CCHL) provides reciprocity in many other states, exempts you from the federal Gun-Free School Zone Act for travel through K-12 zones, and may serve as an alternative to NICS background checks for firearm purchases from licensed dealers.
Most Kansas instructors recommend concealed carry as the default for everyday carry, with open carry reserved for specific contexts (hunting, ranch work, range trips). For an 18 to 20 year old, open carry is the only no-license option. The other path for that age group is a provisional CCHL under K.S.A. 75-7c03, which permits both methods.
Can a private store ban open carry without a sign? Yes. The owner or agent can ask you to leave. Refusal supports criminal trespass.
Can I open carry a long gun? Yes. The age threshold is 18.
Is there a duty to inform a peace officer? No. Kansas has no statutory duty to volunteer that you are armed.
Can a city require a permit just for open carry in city parks? No. K.S.A. 12-16,124 preempts local permit requirements for the carrying of firearms.
| Statute | Subject |
|---|---|
| K.S.A. 21-6302 | Criminal carrying of a weapon. Concealed-carry prohibition under 21 in (a)(4); open carry not enumerated. |
| K.S.A. 21-6304 | Criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon (referenced as concept; specific text not in this corpus). |
| K.S.A. 21-6309 | Criminal discharge of a firearm (general). NOT the Capitol or government-property carry statute - operative rules are at K.S.A. 75-7c20 (public buildings) and K.S.A. 75-7c21 (Capitol concealed-only authorization). |
| Kansas criminal trespass laws | Refusing to leave or entering past a sign may support a trespass charge (consult current Kansas trespass statute for the operative text). |
| K.S.A. 75-7c01 et seq. | Personal and Family Protection Act. |
| K.S.A. 75-7c10 | Concealed-handgun building restrictions and signage. |
| K.S.A. 75-7c20 | "Adequate security measures" framework for state and municipal buildings. |
| K.S.A. 75-7c21 | Concealed handguns in the state capitol. (Open carry not authorized.) |
| K.S.A. 75-7c24 | Per the chapter-75 index, "Restrictions on carrying unconcealed firearms; exceptions; penalties; sign requirements" (specific text not in this corpus; operative posting language quoted in this guide is sourced from K.S.A. 12-16,124). |
| K.S.A. 12-16,124 | State preemption of local firearm regulation, including open carry; supplies the operative posting language for unconcealed-firearm signage. |
| 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) | Federal Gun-Free School Zones Act. |
| 18 U.S.C. § 930 | Federal facility firearm prohibition. |
| AG Opinion 2011-6 | Local regulation of open carry by non-CCHL holders, narrow scope. |
| AG Opinion 2013-13 | Local open-carry bans preempted by state law. |
| AG Opinion 2017-18 | Concealed carry under 21 unlawful absent provisional license. |
This page covers one part of our Kansas concealed carry guide.
Read the complete Kansas guideBrowse local instructors offering state-approved training in your area. Book online, complete your training, and get one step closer to your concealed carry permit.