Montana State Law Summary

Last updated March 25, 2011

In its publication Gun Laws Matter: A Comparison of State Firearms Laws and Statistics, LCAV ranked each state based on a review of state laws in 25 different firearms-related policy areas.  Montana ranked 41st out of 50 – having enacted few gun violence prevention laws. Among other things, Montana does not:

• Require a background check prior to the transfer of a firearm between private parties;

• Prohibit the transfer or possession of assault weapons, 50 caliber rifles, or large capacity ammunition magazines;

• License or significantly regulate firearms dealers;

• Limit the number of firearms that may be purchased at one time;

• Regulate unsafe handguns;

• Require the licensing of gun owners; or

• Impose registration requirements on firearms.

Local governments in Montana generally lack authority to regulate firearms and ammunition, and Montana requires that local law enforcement issue a concealed weapons license to any applicant who meets certain basic qualifications.

Montana ranks 11th among the states in number of gun deaths per capita.  In 2007, 139 people died from firearm-related injuries in Montana. In 2009, Montana supplied the 14th highest number of crime guns to other states per capita, and the state exports more crime guns than it imports.

For details about specific firearms laws in Montana, choose a topic below.

Overview State "Right to Bear Arms" Statistics Local Authority to Regulate Firearms
State Firearms Policies Persons Prohibited from Firearm Possession Prohibited Purchasers Generally Minimum Age to Purchase / Possess Domestic Violence & Firearms Disarming Prohibited Persons Sales & Transfers Background Checks Mental Health Reporting Multiple Purchases / Sales of Firearms Retention of Sales / Background Check Records Waiting Periods Gun Dealers & Other Sellers Dealer Regulations Private Sales Gun Shows Immunity Statutes Gun Owner Responsibilities Licensing of Gun Owners / Purchasers Registration of Firearms Reporting Lost or Stolen Firearms	Firearms in Public Places Concealed Weapons Permitting Open Carrying Location Restrictions Guns in Vehicles Guns in Schools Other Location Restrictions Consumer & Child Safety Design Safety Standards for Handguns Locking Devices Personalized / Owner-Authorized Firearms Child Access Prevention Classes of Weapons / Ammunition Assault Weapons Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines Fifty Caliber Rifles Machine Guns / Automatic Firearms Non-Powder Guns Ammunition Regulation Investigating Gun Crimes Microstamping / Ballistic Identification Trafficking
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