Frequently Asked Stun Gun Questions
Q: Are stun guns legal to own?
A: YES, this is has been a common misunderstanding for many years. It is 100% legal to own a stun gun for civilian self-defense as long as you’re not a minor, have no felony record and intend to use it ONLY for self-defense in states / localities where it is legal to do so.
Q: For it to be legal to carry a stun gun, does it have to be concealed?
A: This will all depend on your state/city/county that you live in. Since there are so many different laws for different states, we recommend that you contact your local law enforcement office for any details that they can offer on the topic.
Q: Am I allowed to keep a stun gun in my car or purse?
A: Different regions have different regulations and laws. For almost all states, this is perfectly legal and not a problem. If you want the most precise answer for the city that you live in, we recommend contacting your local law enforcement office for details. 99% of the time we have found that it’s perfectly legal to keep a stun gun in your car or purse as long as stun guns are legal in your state.
Traveling with a stun gun
This will depend on where you are going and how you plan to carry the stun gun. According to the Transportation Security Administration, stun guns and personal self-defense sprays are allowed to be in checked baggage with restrictions. Stun guns are prohibited though from bringing them in carry-on baggage. Even if an item is generally permitted, it may be subject to additional screening or not allowed through the checkpoint if it triggers an alarm during the screening process, appears to have been tampered with, or poses other security concerns. If you would like more information regarding stun gun traveling laws, please visit the Transportation Security Administration site.
It is important to understand that while it may be 100% legal to own and possess a stun gun within your state, it may not be legal to possess in a state you are driving to, even if it is concealed. Before traveling you should check the laws for each state even if you are just passing through one state to get to another.
Shipping Restrictions
States We do NOT ship Stuns Guns To:
Hawaii
Rhode Island
States with stun gun Restrictions:
Illinois* – FOID card required to purchase (we ship with copy emailed to us, except Chicago where illegal)
Wisconsin* – CCW required to purchase (we ship with copy emailed to us)
Counties We do NOT ship Stuns Guns To:
New Castle County, DE
Crawford County, IA
Cities We do NOT ship Stuns Guns To:
Chicago, IL
Denison City, IA
Wilmington, DE
Ruston, WA
Ocean City, MD* – CCW required to purchase (we ship with copy emailed to us)
*License and ID must be emailed to us before we can ship to these areas. Please reference order number in email. If license is not received order will not be shipped.
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Note:
Annapolis voted to repeal its ban on February 27, 2017
Baltimore city’s ban, in response to a lawsuit, was repealed on May 15, 2017
Baltimore County repealed its local ordinance in April 2017
Howard County, facing a lawsuit over its ban on stun guns, repealed its law on February 21, 2017
New Orleans’ ban on stun guns was challenged in November 2016 and was eventually repealed on April 3, 2017.
Philadelphia repealed its 1977 stun gun ban in late October 2017
Tacoma’s ban was repealed on June 27, 2017
Newark, DE – now legal – repealed ban Feb 2020
Stun guns are legal for civilian self-defense in most states as long as you are not a minor, do not have any felony record and ONLY use it for self defense.
Specific Stun Gun Statutes Per State (A-Z)
The laws listed below were last updated June 2020.
Alabama Legal without major restrictions. Stun guns are not allowed to be possessed on School property including storage in a vehicle on school property.
Alaska Legal without major restrictions. No restrictions in Alaska state law concerning stun guns. Alaska Stat. 11.81.900
Arizona Legal without major restrictions Ariz. Rev. Stat. 13-3117
Arkansas Legal without major restrictions Ark. Code 5-73-133
California Legal without major restriction Ca. Penal-code 22610
Colorado Legal No restrictions in Colorado State law for stun guns. Colo. Rev. Stat. 18-12-106.5
Connecticut Legal No permit for Home/Business use. Permit required to carry outside of your home. Conn. Gen. Stat. 53-206
Delaware Legal without major restrictions Del. Code Ann. tit. 11 1443
District of Columbia (DC) Legal to posses. Not allowed in a building or office occupied by the DC government. Metropolitan Police Dept.
Florida Legal without major restrictions Fl. Stat. Ann. 790.01
Georgia Legal without major restrictions Ga. Code Ann. 16.11.131
Hawaii Illegal Haw. Rev. Stat. 134-16
Idaho Legal without major restrictions Idaho Code Ann. 18-3325
Illinois Legal with required FOID card – Illegal in Chicago even with FOID card
Indiana Legal It is legal to purchase and own a stun gun for protection. Indiana code 35-47-8-5
Iowa Legal without major restrictions – Illegal in Denison and Crawford Counties
Kansas Legal without major restrictions
Kentucky Legal without major restrictions
Louisiana Legal without major restrictions La. Rev. Stat. Ann. 14:2
Maine Legal No permit required
Maryland Legal No permit required Md. Code, Crim. Law § 4-109 (2019)
Massachusetts Legal No permit required. The US Supreme Court struck down the Massachusetts Ban on Stun Guns. They can be owned and kept in your home but they may not be legal to carry outside the home. Mass. C140 Sec131J
Michigan Legal The US Supreme Court struck down the Massachusetts Ban on Stun Guns. They can be owned and kept in your home but they are not legal to carry outside the home. Tasers are legal to carry with CCW, stun guns are not. (Bill to legalize stun guns passed house Jan 2020) Mich. Comp. Laws 750.231
Minnesota Legal No permit required Minn. Stat. 624.731
Mississippi Legal No permit required for open carry. Permit required for concealed carry Miss. Statutes: 45-9-101
Missouri Legal without major restrictions
Montana Legal No restrictions in Montana State law concerning stun guns.
Nebraska Legal without major restrictions
Nevada Legal No permit required Nev. Rev. Stat. 202.357
New Hampshire Legal without major restrictions
New Jersey Legal without major restrictions N.J.A.C. 13:54-5.8
New Mexico Legal No permit required for open carry. Permit required for concealed carry
New York Legal without major restrictions N.Y. Penal Law § 265.00 (2019)
North Carolina Legal No permit required – Restrictions: No concealed carry outside of own premises. N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. 14-269
North Dakota Legal No permit required. Stun guns are exempt from the definition of “dangerous weapons”. N.D. license info
Ohio Legal without major restrictions
Oklahoma Legal without major restrictions
Oregon Legal without major restrictions
Pennsylvania Legal without major restrictions Pa. Title 18, Section 908.1 Pa. Con. Stat. 6105
Rhode Island Illegal R.I. Gen. Laws Ann. 11-47-42
South Carolina Legal without major restrictions S.C. Code Ann. 16-23-430
South Dakota Legal without major restrictions SD Chapter 22-14
Tennessee Legal without major restrictions Tn. General Laws
Texas Legal without major restrictions Tx. General Laws
Utah Legal without major restrictions
Vermont Legal without major restrictions
Virginia Legal without major restrictions Va. Ann. Code 18.2-308.2
Washington Legal without major restrictions Wa. General Laws – Illegal in Ruston, WA City Ordinance 9.11.015 Bans Stun Devices/Electric Weapons.
West Virginia Legal without major restrictions
Wisconsin Legal with required CCW license Wis. Stat. § 941.295(2g)
Wyoming Legal without major restrictions
The above list is to help you understand some of the laws in your area and may not be totally accurate or complete.
allsafeforyou.com accepts no responsibility for its accuracy or completeness.
Please check stun gun laws in your area to be sure.
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