A North Dakota firearm bill of sale is a document that records the private sale of a gun between an unlicensed seller and a buyer. No background check, permit, or registration is required when buying a gun privately. The buyer only needs to show a state photo ID that demonstrates that they are old enough to purchase. Individuals must be at least eighteen (18) years old to buy long guns and ammunition. To buy handguns, the minimum age is twenty-one (21). State law § 62.1-02-01 rules that convicted felons and persons who have been diagnosed as mentally deficient cannot possess firearms. Furthermore, individuals who are less than (18) eighteen years old cannot possess a handgun unless they are under the direct supervision of an adult for the purposes of gun safety training, target shooting, or hunting.

Concealed Carry Laws

Statute – Chapter 62.1-04 (Concealed Weapons)

North Dakota allows “constitutional concealed carry,” which means that all individuals who are eighteen (18) years of age or older can carry a concealed handgun if they have been residents for at least one (1) year, have a state driver’s license or ID, and inform law enforcement that they are carrying (when an officer is present). Even though a Concealed Weapon License (CWL) isn’t required to concealed carry in the state, it does allow residents to concealed carry in reciprocating states outside North Dakota. To obtain a CWL, residents will need to complete the following steps:

1. Fulfill the eligibility criteria.
2. Complete and pass the open-book test with a certified test administrator. The CWL application will need to be sent within thirty (30) days from the date that the test was completed.
3. Complete the Application for CWL.
4. Go to the local county sheriff’s office and obtain two (2) fingerprint cards (a fee will be charged).
5. Mail the application form, fingerprint cards, a copy of North Dakota photo ID, and $60 license fee (must be a cashier’s check or money order made out to “North Dakota Attorney General”) to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) at this address:

BCI-CWL
PO Box 1054
Bismarck ND 58502