Wyoming has always permitted open carry of firearms by any person 18 or older who is legally eligible to possess a firearm. No permit, no training, no...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
Wyoming has always permitted open carry of firearms by any person 18 or older who is legally eligible to possess a firearm. No permit, no training, no notice. Wyoming has no "open carry statute" in the affirmative sense; open carry is lawful because no statute prohibits it. The general concealed-carry prohibition at Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104 applies only to deadly weapons "concealed" on or about the person, leaving open display unregulated except by the general criminal statutes that apply to everyone (brandishing, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, terroristic threat).
Open carry is lawful in every location where firearm possession is itself lawful:
Open carry is unlawful in the same locations where concealed carry is unlawful:
See PROHIBITED_PLACES for the post-HB 125 detail.
Wyoming allows open carry of a loaded firearm in a vehicle. There is no requirement to lock, unload, or store separately from ammunition. A handgun on the passenger seat, in a console open to view, or in an open holster is lawful. The vehicle is treated under Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104 as a private conveyance and the carrier (driver or passenger) does not need a permit to have a firearm openly visible inside it. See VEHICLE_CARRY for the loaded-and-accessible details and federal interstate-transport overlay.
Open carry remains lawful even when other people are uncomfortable or call the police. The act of having a firearm visible is not a crime. What is a crime is using or threatening to use the firearm in a way that places another person in reasonable apprehension of serious bodily harm:
Touching the firearm, repositioning it, or moving a covering garment to make it visible during an argument can cross from open carry into one of these offenses. See USE_OF_FORCE for the standard.
Wyoming has no duty-to-inform statute. See DUTY_TO_INFORM. Best practice during any law-enforcement contact is to keep hands visible, identify the firearm calmly if asked, and avoid reaching toward it. An openly carried firearm gives officers a clear visual; this often reduces friction compared with a concealed firearm.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department regulates firearms used for hunting under Title 23. Open carry of a hunting rifle or shotgun is universally lawful during seasons; specific calibers and equipment restrictions for individual game species are set in the annual hunting regulations and do not bear on the general open-carry framework. Wyoming has a one-rifle-in-a-vehicle rule for hunting that affects how a loaded long gun may be transported during active hunts; that rule is independent of the carry statutes. See VEHICLE_CARRY.
Current as of May 2026.
This page covers one part of our Wyoming concealed carry guide.
Read the complete Wyoming 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.