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Subject/Law
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Long guns
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Handguns
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Relevant Statutes
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Notes
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| State permit to purchase? | No | No | ||
| Firearm registration? | No | No | ||
| "Assault weapon" law? | No | No | ||
| Owner license required? | No | No | ||
| Carry permits issued? | No | Yes | KRS § 237.110 | |
| State preemption of local restrictions? | Yes | Yes | KRS § 65.870 |
Exception: KRS § 237.115 allows the following entities to restrict concealed carry:
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| NFA weapons restricted? | No | No | ||
| Peaceable journey laws? | No | No | Federal rules observed. |
Kentucky has a "shall-issue" concealed carry law, set forth in Kentucky Revised Statutes § 237.110. Once issued, permits are valid for 5 years. Kentucky's law in this area has a few distinctive features:
- An applicant must have been a resident of Kentucky for at least 6 months before filing his or her application. A member of the U.S. military who has been stationed in Kentucky for at least 6 months at the time of filing is also eligible, regardless of his or her domicile.
- Applicants cannot be in arrears on child support obligations in an amount that would equal or exceed that accumulated in one year of nonpayment.
- The required firearms safety course can be no longer than 8 hours, and also includes a mandatory marksmanship test, in which the applicant must hit a full-sized silhouette target from 7 yards with at least 11 out of 20 rounds fired. (The distance is not stated in the statute, but is set forth in the administrative regulations governing the course.)
Under KRS § 237.110 (20)(a), Kentucky recognizes all currently valid concealed carry permits issued by other U.S. jurisdictions.
Suppressors are legally transferable in Kentucky.
KRS § 527.020 (8) permits firearms to be carried in a glove compartment of a motor vehicle:
A firearm or other deadly weapon shall not be deemed concealed on or about the person if it is located in a glove compartment, regularly installed in a motor vehicle by its manufacturer, regardless of whether said compartment is locked, unlocked, or does not have a locking mechanism. No person or organization, public or private, shall prohibit a person from keeping a firearm or ammunition, or both, or other deadly weapon in a glove compartment of a vehicle in accordance with the provisions of this subsection. Any attempt by a person or organization, public or private, to violate the provisions of this subsection may be the subject of an action for appropriate relief or for damages in a Circuit Court or District Court of competent jurisdiction.
KRS § 237.104 prohibits the state from seizing firearms from private citizens in the event of a disaster or emergency.