Federal Firearm Laws

It is ILLEGAL, even if you have a concealed firearm permit, to carry a firearm in any prohibited area listed under Federal Law.

Prohibited Areas Include:

• Federal Facilities. Including any building that is owned, leased, or rented by the Federal Government, and any part of a building that the Federal government has rented for office space, but only covers the office and part of the building they have control over, where Federal employees are regularly present to perform their official duties.
• Federal Courts. Including the courtroom, judges’ chambers, witness rooms, jury deliberation rooms, attorney conference rooms, prisoner holding cells, offices of the court clerks, the United States attorney, and the parole offices, and adjoining corridors of any court of the United States.
• ALL buildings in National Parks and National Forests. You must abide by the laws of the state where the park/forest is located.
• Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
• Military Bases (Utah Army Nation Guard members are exempt on Utah installations such as Camp Williams)
• Post Offices Including Parking Lots
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Property. You CAN have unloaded firearms in your vehicle and request a “permission letter” from the district commander allowing you to conceal carry for the term of your visit on USACE property.

Generally, it is unlawful for any individual to knowingly possess a firearm within a school zone. A school zone is defined as being within a distance of 1,000 feet from the grounds of a public, parochial, or private school. This prohibition does not apply to the possession of a firearm on private property not part of school grounds such as your residence, driveway, commercial storefront, or business.

The Gun-Free School Zone is not enforced in Utah unless you are committing another criminal offense in the school zone.

It is LEGAL for a Utah resident to purchase ANY firearm in Utah.
It is LEGAL for a non-resident to purchase a rifle and/or shotgun in Utah.
It is LEGAL to purchase firearms and sell firearms through private sales if the buyer and seller are;

• At least 18 years old
• A Utah resident
• Not a prohibited person as defined in 76-10-503 and 18 U.S.C. 922.
• Background checks are not required for private sales, but using a Bill Of Sale is highly recommended.

It is ILLEGAL, punishable as a Federal felony with up to 10 years in prison, for any individual who makes a profit from buying and selling firearms or ammunition without a Federal Firearms License (FFL).
It is ILLEGAL to purchase a firearm from or sell a firearm to a non-resident of Utah unless the firearm is transferred through a Federal Firearms License (FFL) dealer.

It is LEGAL to purchase and possess NFA firearms such as a Suppressor, Short-Barreled Rifle (SBR), Short-Barreled Shotgun (SBS), Fully Automatic, etc. as long as it is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE {more commonly known as the ATF}) and the possession and transportation are in compliance with all state and federal laws.

It is LEGAL to have firearms secured in a vehicle in the parking lot of an airport.
It is LEGAL to carry a firearm in airport non-secure areas such as airline ticket counters and baggage claim.
It is ILLEGAL to possess any dangerous weapon, firearm, or explosive in airport secure areas as defined in 76-10-529.

• Traveling with firearms and ammunition must comply with all State and Federal laws, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules, and airline regulations.
• There is a lot of VERY important information including specific information about transporting firearms and ammunition on an airplane that you need to know. We break down all the difficult and confusing information out there and made it very easy for you.

It is LEGAL to ship firearms, firearm parts, and ammunition but it is now a little complicated. It must be done in compliance with federal laws and shipping company policies.

It is ILLEGAL for anyone, including law enforcement, to confiscate legal firearms and ammunition during a disaster.

See all laws under this section.