The USA Carry team fields a wide array of permit-related queries, and one of the most frequent among these revolves around the concealed carry permit’s capacity to bypass background checks. Does possessing such a permit effectively expedite your firearm purchase, eliminating the need for a background check, allowing you to complete the paperwork, pay, and promptly leave the store with your newly purchased firearm? The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) provides a clear list of permits and licenses that might just do that, and to simplify things for our readers, we’ve included this list on our website.
If you’re in a rush and want to avoid the historical backdrop, click here to scroll right to the list detailing states where concealed carry permits can exempt holders from background checks.
As many are aware, purchasing a firearm from a licensed dealer involves filling out the ATF Form 4473. The dealer then contacts the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) either through a phone call or the online portal (NICS E-Check). The typical responses include a “Proceed,” “Transfer,” or a “Delay.” A “Delay” implies that the background check requires further scrutiny, and you’ll have to wait for an updated response of “Proceed,” “Transfer,” “Deny,” or the passing of a three-business-day waiting period, depending on your state’s laws. However, if you possess a valid concealed carry permit or license, you might be able to bypass this background check step when buying a firearm.
The Origin of NICS Background Check Exemptions
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Act) is probably familiar to you, but if not, a quick overview: it mandates federal background checks on firearm purchases and initially imposed a five-day waiting period until the FBI established the NICS system in 1998.
The ATF reviews the laws governing the issuance of concealed carry permits or licenses in each state and determines whether possessing a valid permit or license can exempt you from a background check during a firearm purchase.
At the time of writing, 25 states have such exemptions. There are, however, a few exceptions, such as California, where only Entertainment Firearms Permit holders are exempted. Also, depending on when the law changed in some states, only permits or licenses issued on or after a specific date may be exempt. This may also depend on the permit or license type. For example, my Louisiana Concealed Handgun Permit came up for renewal last year (originally published in 2018). Since permits issued on or after March 9, 2015, qualify for the exemption, I renewed a few months early. I also discovered that only the 5-year permits are eligible for the exemption, while the lifetime permit is not. Thus, I chose the 5-year permit.
List of Concealed Carry Permits Exempt from NICS Checks The ATF last updated its list on December 20, 2022, and we will continue to update ours in line with any changes made by the ATF.
State or Territory | Qualifying Permits |
---|---|
Wyoming | Concealed weapons permits qualify. |
Wisconsin | None |
West Virginia | Concealed handgun license issued on or after June 4, 2014 qualify. |
Washington | None |
Virginia | None |
Vermont | None |
Utah | Concealed weapons permits qualify. |
U.S. Virgin Islands | None |
Texas | Concealed weapons permits qualify. |
Tennessee | None |
South Dakota | Gold Card Concealed Pistol Permits and Enhanced Permits to Carry a Concealed Pistol issued on or after January 1, 2017 qualify. Regular Concealed Carry Permits issued on or after July 1, 2018 qualify. |
South Carolina | Concealed weapons permits qualify. |
Rhode Island | None |
Puerto Rico | None |
Pennsylvania | None |
Oregon | None * |
Oklahoma | None * |
Ohio | Concealed weapons permits issued on or after March 23, 2015, qualifies as an alternative to the background check requirements. |
Northern Mariana Islands | None |
North Dakota | Concealed weapons permits issued on or after December 1, 1999 qualify. * |
North Carolina | Concealed handgun permits qualify. |
New York | None |
New Mexico | None |
New Jersey | None |
New Hampshire | None |
Nevada | Concealed carry permit issued on or after July 1, 2011, qualify. |
Nebraska | Concealed handgun permit qualifies as an alternative. Handgun purchase certificates qualify. |
Montana | Concealed weapons permits qualify. |
Missouri | None * |
Mississippi | License to carry concealed pistol or revolver issued to individuals under Miss. Stat. Ann. § 45-9-101 qualify. (NOTE: security guard permits issued under Miss. Stat. Ann. §97-37-7 do not qualify). |
Minnesota | None |
Michigan | Licenses to Purchase a Pistol (LTP) are the only permits that qualify as a NICS alternative. |
Massachusetts | None * |
Maryland | None * |
Maine | None * |
Louisiana | Concealed handgun permits issued on or after March 9, 2015 qualify. Lifetime Concealed Carry Permits qualify for the initial five-year period beginning on the original issuance date. |
Kentucky | Concealed Deadly Weapons License (CDW) and Judicial Special Status CDW issued on or after July 12, 2006 qualify. |
Kansas | Concealed handgun licenses issued on or after July 1, 2010 qualify as alternatives to the background check. |
Iowa | Permits to acquire and permits to carry concealed weapons qualify. |
Indiana | None |
Illinois | None |
Idaho | Concealed weapons permits qualify. |
Hawaii | Permits to acquire and licenses to carry qualify. |
Guam | None * |
Georgia | Georgia firearms licenses qualify. |
Florida | None * |
District of Columbia | None * |
Delaware | None * |
Connecticut | None |
Colorado | None |
California | Entertainment Firearms Permit only |
Arkansas | Concealed weapons permits issued on or after April 1, 1999 qualify. * |
Arizona | Concealed weapons permits qualify. |
American Samoa | None |
Alaska | Concealed weapons permits marked NICS-Exempt |
Alabama | None |
- These states had permits or licenses that were grandfathered in when the Brady Act took effect. However, none of these permits or licenses are still valid.