Alaska Gun Laws: Concealed Carry, Open Carry and Buying a Gun

Yes, for adults 21 and older. Alaska's weapons law only makes concealed carry a crime for a person 21 or older if, when contacted by a peace officer, the person fails to immediately tell the officer about the concealed deadly weapon or fails to let the officer secure it (or to secure it at the officer's direction) during the contact, or carries it concealed inside another person's home without first getting permission from an adult who lives there (misconduct involving weapons in the fifth degree, a class B misdemeanor). A person under 21 who carries a concealed deadly weapon (other than an ordinary pocket knife or a defensive weapon) commits the same class B misdemeanor; it is an affirmative defense that the person was in their own home or on their land next to it, or was actually engaged in lawful hunting, fishing, trapping or other outdoor activity that requires carrying a weapon for protection. People barred from having guns cannot carry; for example, possessing a concealable firearm after a felony conviction is a class C felony (with exceptions for pardons, set-aside convictions, and some offenses more than 10 years old that were not crimes against the person under AS 11.41).

Alaska Concealed Handgun Permit, optional, issued by the Department of Public Safety. The statute says the department 'shall issue' a permit to an applicant who applies in person at an Alaska State Troopers office, qualifies, submits fingerprints, a recent photo, a valid Alaska driver's license or ID card, proof of a handgun course and the fee, and has no physical infirmity preventing safe handling of a handgun; DPS must approve or reject within 30 days. To qualify a person must be 21 or older, be eligible to possess a handgun under state and federal law, have been an Alaska resident for the 90 days before applying, not have two or more class A misdemeanor convictions in the prior six years, not be (or in the prior three years have been) under court order to complete an alcohol or substance abuse treatment program, and have completed a DPS-approved handgun course within the 12 months before applying. Fees are set by regulation and may not exceed $99 for a new permit or $30 for renewal or replacement; DPS currently charges $90.00 for a new permit and $25.00 to renew. The permit expires on the holder's birthday in the fifth year after issuance; renewal is filed within 90 days before expiration, a $25 late fee applies on or after the expiration date, and renewals more than 60 days after expiration are not accepted.

Allowed without a permit. Alaska's weapons article (AS 11.61.190-11.61.250) regulates concealed carry and lists places where firearms are banned, but contains no permit requirement for openly carried firearms. The age limit of 21 in AS 11.61.220 applies to concealed carry; an unemancipated minor under 16 may not possess a firearm without a parent's or guardian's consent (class B misdemeanor). The place restrictions in prohibited_places apply to open carry too. DPS: Alaska's laws 'do not prohibit anyone 21 or older who may legally possess a firearm from carrying it concealed or open. A firearms permit is not required.'

Knowingly selling a firearm or a defensive weapon to a person under 18 is misconduct involving weapons in the fourth degree, a class A misdemeanor; this applies to any seller, not only dealers. Selling or transferring a switchblade or gravity knife to someone under 18 without a parent's or guardian's prior written consent is the same crime. An unemancipated minor under 16 who possesses a firearm without the consent of a parent or guardian commits a class B misdemeanor. Alaska has no state law that sets a higher minimum age (such as 21) to buy a handgun or long gun.

Alaska has no state law that requires a background check, permit-to-purchase or license for private (non-dealer) firearm sales. State law does make it a crime to knowingly sell or transfer a concealable firearm to a person convicted of a felony (class C felony), to knowingly sell or transfer a firearm to a person who is substantially impaired by alcohol or drugs (class C felony), or to knowingly sell a firearm to a person under 18 (class A misdemeanor).

Alaska has no state law that requires a waiting period between buying and receiving a firearm.

Alaska has no state law that provides extreme risk protection orders (red flag orders). Domestic violence protective orders can address weapons: after a hearing, the court may prohibit the respondent from using or possessing a deadly weapon, and may order the respondent to surrender any firearm, if it finds the respondent possessed or used a weapon (or firearm) while committing the domestic violence. Those provisions last one year unless dissolved earlier, and the petitioner may ask for one-year extensions. Only a victim of a crime involving domestic violence (or a parent, guardian or representative for a minor) may petition, against a household member.

Alaska has no state law that bans assault weapons or limits magazine capacity. State law does make it a class C felony to manufacture, possess, transport, sell or transfer a 'prohibited weapon' (such as a machine gun, a silencer, a short-barreled rifle or shotgun, or an explosive device) unless done in accordance with National Firearms Act registration.

No permit is needed. Adults 21 and older may carry a concealed handgun, including in a vehicle, but must immediately tell a contacting peace officer about a concealed deadly weapon on their person and let the officer secure it during the contact. It is a class A misdemeanor to have a firearm on the person or in the interior of a vehicle in which the person is present while impaired by alcohol or a controlled substance. Under AS 18.65.800, the state, a municipality or a person may not prohibit someone who may legally possess a firearm from having it in their vehicle or from storing it locked in a legally parked vehicle, including on another person's property; an employer may still bar firearms in a secured restricted access area, in its own vehicles, and in its parking lot within 300 feet of that area if it posts notice. At schools and licensed child care facilities, a person 21 or older may keep an unloaded firearm in the trunk or in a closed container in a motor vehicle.

Alaska honors carry permits from every state: a person holding a valid permit to carry a concealed handgun from another state or a political subdivision of another state is treated as an Alaska permittee for purposes of AS 18.65.755-18.65.765. DPS says 'Alaska does not require mutual reciprocity' and that out-of-state permit holders must be 21 or older. Separately, anyone 21 or older who may legally possess a firearm may carry concealed in Alaska without a permit. State law directs DPS to enter reciprocity agreements with other states so Alaska permittees can carry there.

Schools: possessing a deadly weapon or defensive weapon in the buildings, on the grounds or school parking lot of a public or private preschool through secondary school, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored event, without permission of the school's chief administrative officer, is a class A misdemeanor; adults 21+ may keep a deadly weapon other than a loaded firearm in a car trunk or closed container in a vehicle. Child care facilities: a firearm on the grounds or adjacent parking lot of a licensed child care facility (not a private home) is a class B misdemeanor, except an unloaded firearm in a trunk or closed container in a vehicle for adults 21+. Also class B misdemeanors: a firearm in a courtroom or office of the Alaska Court System or a courthouse occupied only by the court system and justice agencies; a firearm in a state-funded domestic violence or sexual assault shelter; a loaded firearm in a place where liquor is sold for drinking on the premises (with a defense for a concealed handgun in a licensed restaurant if the person does not drink, and for owners or employees on the premises); and a concealed deadly weapon in another person's home without an adult resident's permission. Having a firearm while impaired by alcohol or drugs is a class A misdemeanor. Municipalities may ban firearms in posted restricted-access areas of municipal buildings, and employers may ban them in posted secured restricted access areas.

Alaska has no state law that requires serial numbers on homemade firearms or regulates unfinished frames, receivers or gun kits. It is a class C felony to remove, cover, alter or destroy a manufacturer's serial number on a firearm to make it untraceable, or to knowingly possess a firearm whose serial number was altered with that intent.