Wyoming is one of the most permissive transport states in the country. A person legally eligible to possess a firearm may transport handguns and long...
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Wyoming Firearm Transportation Laws
Wyoming Firearm Transportation Laws
The Headline
Wyoming is one of the most permissive transport states in the country. A person legally eligible to possess a firearm may transport handguns and long guns openly or concealed, loaded or unloaded, in a vehicle, through the state. Federal 18 U.S.C. 926A (FOPA) provides a safe-passage backstop for travel through restrictive jurisdictions on either side of Wyoming. Wyoming has no registration, no waiting period, no transport-specific concealment requirement, and no separate transport-permit requirement.
Operative framework
Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104(a)(iv) - permitless concealed carry for United States citizens 21+ otherwise legally eligible. Carriage in a private vehicle qualifies as carry "concealed on or about the person" for statutory purposes.
Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104(a)(ii) - exempts persons in a private automobile or other private means of conveyance from the concealed-carry prohibition. This exemption predates constitutional carry and continues to apply to any person 18+ legally eligible (not just citizens), making vehicle carry the broadest carry framework in Wyoming.
Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104(t) and Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-105 - prohibited locations (post-HB 125, 2024) still apply when transporting; see PROHIBITED_PLACES.
May be carried loaded, on the person, in a holster, in a console, in a glove compartment, under a seat, or in any other location inside the vehicle.
No requirement to disclose to passengers or to law enforcement during a routine stop (Wyoming has no duty-to-inform statute - see DUTY_TO_INFORM).
No requirement to unload, lock, or store in a specific container.
A non-citizen lawful permanent resident may carry a loaded handgun in a vehicle under the (a)(ii) exemption; the citizenship requirement of (a)(iv) applies only to person-borne concealed carry outside a vehicle.
Long guns (rifles and shotguns)
May be transported openly or in a case, loaded or unloaded.
One narrow exception: Wyo. Stat. Sec. 23-3-112 (the Game and Fish "loaded rifle in a motor vehicle" rule) makes it unlawful during a hunting season to have a loaded rifle or shotgun in or on a motor vehicle for the purpose of taking wildlife. The rule applies during hunts; it does not bar a defensive long gun carried for personal protection. See the Wyoming Game and Fish hunting regulations for the season-specific application.
Outside the vehicle - leaving a firearm in a parked car
Wyoming has no statute requiring a firearm left in a parked vehicle to be locked, hidden, or stored in a particular way. Best practice is to lock the vehicle and conceal the firearm from view to deter theft, but the law does not require it. Federal Gun-Free School Zone analysis (18 U.S.C. 922(q)) treats a firearm in a locked container inside a vehicle on school property as exempt; this matters for any parking lot within 1,000 feet of a K-12 school.
Federal FOPA safe-passage - 18 U.S.C. 926A
When traveling through a state where you could not lawfully possess the firearm at the destination or origin, FOPA provides an affirmative defense if:
You are traveling from a place where you may lawfully possess the firearm.
You are traveling to a place where you may lawfully possess the firearm.
The firearm is unloaded.
The firearm and ammunition are not readily accessible from the passenger compartment, OR if the vehicle has no separate compartment, the firearm is in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.
FOPA is an affirmative defense, not pretrial immunity. A FOPA traveler still may be stopped, detained, and arrested while the defense is litigated. Document your travel itinerary, keep ammunition separated from the firearm, and use a locked case to maximize FOPA protection.
Interstate transport for Wyoming residents
A Wyoming resident traveling out of state should consider:
Carry a Wyoming CFP if traveling to a reciprocating state. Permitless-carry status is not portable.
Check destination-state law before crossing. States with strong prohibitions (California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, Hawaii) have aggressive transport rules and very limited reciprocity.
For non-resident permits that broaden reciprocity, Wyoming residents often hold Arizona, Utah, or Florida non-resident permits as supplements.
Air travel through Wyoming airports
49 C.F.R. 1540 and TSA regulations:
Declared, unloaded, in a locked hard-sided case, in checked baggage only.
Ammunition declared and in original manufacturer packaging or a securely-fastened ammunition box.
Magazines may be in the firearm case under TSA rules.
A failure to declare or an inadvertent carriage past the TSA checkpoint at any Wyoming commercial airport (Jackson, Casper, Cheyenne, Sheridan, Gillette, Cody, Riverton, Rock Springs, Worland) triggers TSA civil penalties up to $14,950 and possible federal prosecution.
Train travel - Amtrak
Amtrak permits firearm transport in checked baggage with 24-hour advance notice, in compliance with 49 U.S.C. 11103(b). Wyoming has no Amtrak passenger service as of 2026, but a Wyoming resident traveling out-of-state by rail from a neighboring state should book through the Amtrak Firearms Travel desk.
Watercraft and snowmobiles
Wyoming Game and Fish regulations and state boating rules permit firearms on private watercraft and snowmobiles by anyone legally eligible to possess. Hunting overlay rules (one rifle, unloaded during season) apply on snowmobiles operated for purposes of taking wildlife.
Tribal lands
Wind River Reservation (Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho) - tribal codes regulate firearms; non-Indians on the reservation are generally subject to state law for off-reservation conduct and to tribal law on tribal land. Check current tribal regulations before transporting through the reservation.
Through-the-state visitors
Anyone with a valid concealed-carry permit from any state may transport their firearm through Wyoming concealed under reciprocity (Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104(a)(iv)). A United States citizen 21+ without a permit may transport concealed under permitless carry. A lawful permanent resident without a permit may transport in a vehicle under the (a)(ii) private-conveyance exemption (carry outside the vehicle requires open carry or a state's permit).
Prohibited destinations within Wyoming
When transporting to a destination that is a prohibited location (federal facility, courthouse, etc.), the carrier must:
Leave the firearm in the vehicle if there is no in-building exemption.
Secure the firearm under a locked container for the federal school-zone exemption (within 1,000 feet of a K-12 school).
Use the vehicle's trunk or locked case rather than the console for visible deterrence.
See PROHIBITED_PLACES for the full prohibited-locations list and VEHICLE_CARRY for in-vehicle specifics.
Penalties
Concealed carry by ineligible person (Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104) - misdemeanor first offense, felony second.
Transport while prohibited (18 U.S.C. 922(g)) - federal felony, up to 15 years (up to 25 under ACCA).
Federal Gun-Free School Zone (18 U.S.C. 922(q)) - federal felony, up to 5 years.
Current as of May 2026.
Last verified:2026-05-27
This page covers one part of our Wyoming concealed carry guide.
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