Wyoming Firearm Storage

The Headline

Wyoming imposes no statutory storage requirement on firearms. There is no child-access-prevention (CAP) statute, no requirement to use a safe, lock box, trigger lock, or cable lock, no requirement to store ammunition separately from firearms, and no specific in-vehicle storage rule. The state's regulatory baseline is minimal. The federal Secure Firearms Storage Act applies only to federally licensed dealers, not to private owners. Civil liability for negligent storage may still attach if an improperly secured firearm is used by an unauthorized person to cause harm.

Statutory baseline

Wyoming has not enacted:

• A safe storage statute.
• A child access prevention statute.
• A trigger lock requirement.
• A separate ammunition storage requirement.
• A statutory standard for what constitutes "safe" storage.

The Wyoming concealed-carry framework (Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104) addresses carry, not storage in the home or business. Wyoming preemption (Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-401 through 6-8-404) prevents any city or county from enacting a more restrictive local storage ordinance.

Federal dealer storage rule

Federal firearms licensees (FFLs) must comply with secure-storage standards under 18 U.S.C. 922(z) and related ATF regulations. The dealer must offer to provide a secure gun-storage or safety device with each handgun sale. The buyer is not required to use the device. This is the only federal storage-adjacent requirement that touches retail transactions in Wyoming. It does not apply to private sales.

Practical and recommended practices

Wyoming law does not require any of the following, but each is widely recommended:

• Store firearms in a safe, lock box, or steel cabinet when not in use, especially in homes with children, guests, or domestic-violence history.
• Use a trigger lock or cable lock on long-term-stored firearms.
• Keep ammunition in a separate locked container from the firearm for storage; loaded carry and quick-access nightstand storage are reasonable exceptions for self-defense.
• For households with children: store firearms inaccessible to children, ammunition separate, and discuss firearm safety with age-appropriate content. The Eddie Eagle, NSSF Project ChildSafe, and ASK (Asking Saves Kids) programs offer family education.
• For visitors and guests: ask before they bring firearms; if firearms will be in the home, agree on storage and access in advance.

Vehicle storage

No statutory standard. See VEHICLE_CARRY for the full vehicle-carry analysis. Recommended practice:

• Lock the vehicle when a firearm is left inside.
• Conceal the firearm from view through the windows.
• Use a vehicle safe (under-seat or console-mounted, cable-attached) for parking-lot storage at locations that prohibit in-building carry.
• Federal Gun-Free School Zone exemption (18 U.S.C. 922(q)(2)(B)(iii)) requires the firearm to be "unloaded and in a locked container" inside a vehicle on school grounds - use this storage anytime you park within 1,000 feet of a K-12 school.

Civil liability for negligent storage

Wyoming follows general tort principles. A firearm owner may be civilly liable for damages caused by an unauthorized user (typically a minor or a known prohibited person in the household) who accessed the firearm because of the owner's failure to take reasonable precautions. The standard is ordinary negligence: would a reasonable person in the same circumstances have stored the firearm to prevent foreseeable misuse?

Relevant Wyoming cases applying the negligence standard to firearm injuries have generally turned on the foreseeability of the access and the reasonableness of the storage. Wyoming has not adopted strict liability for firearm storage.

The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA, 15 U.S.C. 7901-7903) limits claims against firearm manufacturers and sellers but does not displace claims against the individual owner for negligent storage.

Federal universal-storage requirements

There are none. Federal law does not impose a universal in-home storage requirement on civilians. The proposed federal storage standards in various legislative cycles have not been enacted.

Storage during temporary transfers

Wyoming has no statute regulating in-home firearm storage during a temporary lending (e.g., letting a household member, hunting partner, or houseguest hold a firearm temporarily). The general rule under 18 U.S.C. 922(d) - it is unlawful to transfer a firearm to a person you know or have reasonable cause to believe is prohibited - still applies.

Federal storage near children - 18 U.S.C. 922(z)

18 U.S.C. 922(z) requires only that an FFL offer a storage device at handgun sale. There is no federal criminal prohibition on a parent's failure to lock a firearm when a minor accesses it; some states impose such a prohibition (CAP statutes). Wyoming has not.

Estate and inheritance storage

When a firearm owner dies, the firearms become part of the estate. Wyoming has no specific firearm-storage requirement during probate. The executor or personal representative must:

• Identify each firearm.
• Determine the federal classification (regular firearm, NFA item, antique).
• For NFA items, comply with 26 U.S.C. 5812 transfer rules through ATF (the executor is treated as the temporary possessor; transfer to an heir requires ATF Form 5).
• For regular firearms transferred to a Wyoming resident, no federal NICS is required because the inheritance is not a "transfer" within the meaning of the Gun Control Act. Verify with an FFL or attorney for out-of-state heirs.
• Store the firearms securely during the estate administration to protect against theft or unauthorized access.

Storage in domestic disputes

When a Wyoming resident becomes subject to a domestic-violence protection order, federal 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(8) prohibits firearm possession during the order's effectiveness. Some Wyoming courts include surrender or storage conditions in the order. Common practice:

• Surrender to a law enforcement agency.
• Transfer to a third-party transferee (an FFL or a person willing to take custody).
• Sell or transfer to an FFL for the order's duration.

A Wyoming statute (Wyo. Stat. Sec. 7-3-509 framework) governs court-ordered firearm surrender in some contexts; verify the specific order's language for the storage and surrender requirement.

Summary

Wyoming has no in-home firearm storage statute. The practical and legal recommendation is to store firearms securely against unauthorized access, particularly by children and prohibited persons in the household, both to reduce civil-liability exposure and as a matter of basic firearm safety. The state's permissive baseline reflects the choice that firearm owners, not the legislature, are the appropriate decision-makers on in-home storage.

Current as of May 2026.