Indiana Gun Purchase Laws: How to Buy a Gun in Indiana

Can you just walk in and buy a gun in Indiana?

Mostly, yes. Indiana has no permit to purchase, no waiting period and no gun registration. At a licensed dealer, you pick the gun, fill out ATF Form 4473, show ID, and the dealer runs a background check through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). If the check comes back approved, you pay and take the gun home.

How old do you have to be to buy a gun in Indiana?

Indiana lets adults 18 and older carry a handgun, but the federal age for buying a handgun from a dealer is still 21. Private sales work differently; see private gun sales in Indiana.

Step by step: buying a gun from an Indiana dealer

1. Bring valid ID. Federal rules require government photo ID. If your ID doesn’t show your current address, you may need a supporting government document. At Condition Red Tactical, bring a valid Indiana driver’s license or ID with your current address.
2. Fill out ATF Form 4473. Answer every question truthfully, especially the question asking whether you are the actual buyer. Lying on the form is a federal crime. See ATF Form 4473 explained.
3. Background check. The dealer contacts NICS. Indiana law also requires dealers to complete this step before transferring a handgun (IC 35-47-2.5-4).
4. Proceed, delay or deny. Most checks come back quickly. A delay means NICS needs more time. See background check delays.
5. Pay and take it home. No waiting period applies in Indiana.

Why a sale can be delayed or denied

Most delays come from records that NICS needs to look at more closely, such as an old arrest without a recorded outcome, or a name and birth date that match someone else. A delay is not a denial. Common reasons for a denial include a felony conviction, a domestic violence conviction or protective order, or a current indictment. If you believe a denial is wrong, the FBI has an appeal process, and our guide to background check delays explains your options. Answering every 4473 question accurately is the best way to avoid problems at the counter.

Does an Indiana license to carry skip the background check?

No. Dealers currently run a NICS background check on every buyer, whether or not you have an Indiana license to carry.

Who can’t buy a gun in Indiana?

Federal law, 18 U.S.C. 922(g) and (n), bars sales to people who, for example:

• have a felony conviction or are under felony indictment,
• are fugitives,
• unlawfully use or are addicted to controlled substances,
• have been adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution,
• are under a qualifying domestic violence restraining order or have a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction,
• were dishonorably discharged, renounced citizenship, or are not lawfully in the U.S.

Indiana adds people adjudicated dangerous under its red flag law, among others (IC 35-47-2-1.5).

Straw purchases

You must be buying the gun for yourself. Buying for someone who can’t pass a background check, or who sent you to buy it, is a federal crime, and Indiana law separately makes handgun straw purchases a Level 5 felony (IC 35-47-2-7). Buying a gun as a genuine gift is allowed. See gifting a gun and straw purchases.

Buying a gun online or from out of state

Online purchases ship to a licensed dealer near you, who does the 4473 and background check before handing it over. Condition Red Tactical handles FFL transfers for $35 for the first firearm and $25 for each additional item in the same transfer. Federal law says handguns can only be sold by a dealer to a resident of the dealer’s state, so a handgun bought in another state has to be shipped to a dealer in Indiana. See how to buy a gun online.

What Indiana does not require

• No permit or license to buy
• No waiting period
• No gun registration
• No state limit on how many guns you buy
• No safety course requirement to buy

Layaway and payment

If you’d rather spread out the cost, Condition Red Tactical offers 90-day layaway on firearms bought from us. See how gun layaway works, or browse the shop.

Gun laws change, and this guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the current Indiana Code or talk to an Indiana attorney about your specific situation.