How buying a gun in Arnold works
Pick an FFL dealer near you that accepts shipped transfers and name it at checkout. We confirm their license and ship the firearm to them. Ammunition, optics and parts ship straight to your door where Missouri law allows.
Missouri has no permit to purchase, no firearm registration and no state waiting period. The old permit to acquire a concealable firearm, issued by the sheriff since 1921, was repealed with Section 571.090 RSMo by Senate Bills 62 and 41 in 2007. At a licensed dealer you show photo ID, complete ATF Form 4473 and the dealer runs a federal NICS background check; if it comes back as proceed you can take the firearm home the same day. Federal law sets the dealer minimum at 18 for rifles and shotguns and 21 for handguns. Private sales between residents need no state check.
Dealers in these communities all work for Arnold-area buyers:
- Imperial
- Fenton
- Barnhart
- House Springs
- High Ridge
- Pevely
- Herculaneum
- Festus
- Crystal City
- Hillsboro
Carrying a gun in Jefferson County
Missouri has allowed carry without a permit since January 1, 2017. If you are 19 or older, or 18 and serving in or honorably discharged from the armed forces, and nothing bars you from having a firearm, you may carry concealed. The Jefferson County sheriff still issues the concealed carry permit under Section 571.101 RSMo: eight hours of training with a live-fire qualification, fingerprints, a fee of up to $100 and five years of validity, with extended and lifetime permits under Section 571.205. Many people still hold one for reciprocity in other states. Section 571.107 lists the places that stay off-limits.
Hunting near Arnold
Missouri runs one statewide firearms deer season rather than numbered units. For 2026-27 the November portion runs November 14-24, 2026, with early youth October 24-25, late youth November 27-29, early antlerless October 9-11 and late antlerless December 5-13 in open counties, and alternative methods December 26, 2026 to January 5, 2027. Centerfire rifles, handguns and shotgun slugs with expanding bullets are legal, along with muzzleloaders of .40 caliber or larger and archery gear; buckshot and self-loading firearms holding more than 11 cartridges are not. Mandatory chronic wasting disease sampling covers 28 counties on opening weekend.
Arnold sits where the Meramec runs into the Mississippi, and the bottomland timber along both rivers carries good deer numbers. Most of Jefferson County south and west of town is wooded ridge and hollow country on private ground, with Mark Twain National Forest starting an hour south.
The Meramec Greenway and Jefferson Barracks across the river are the nearby landmarks, and the Jay Henges range on Antire Road is about 20 minutes north on I-44.
Public shooting ranges near Arnold
Missouri's public shooting ranges are run by the Department of Conservation: five staffed shooting range and outdoor education centers with a small per-hour fee, plus roughly 69 unstaffed ranges on conservation areas that are free and open from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset. The Conservation Commission gave initial approval in May 2026 to requiring a small game permit at unstaffed ranges from February 28, 2027, so check the current rules before you drive out.
Source: Missouri Department of Conservation shooting range and conservation area pages, September 2026. Distances are approximate; call or check the agency site before you drive out.