As of September 10, 2023, Nebraska will no longer require people 21-years-of-age or older, who are not prohibited from firearm possession, to obtain a concealed carry permit, background check, or safety training to carry hidden, loaded guns in public.¹

Nebraska has retained its concealed carry permitting system, however, to issue optional permits to people who may wish to to carry in states that require concealed carry permits and offer reciprocity to Nebraska’s permit. Nebraska’s concealed carry permit may also be used to purchase a firearm from a federally licensed gun dealer without a point-of-sale background check.

Under state law, the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) generally must issue a concealed handgun permit within 45 days of the date of application if the applicant meets certain qualifications.² An applicant for a permit to carry a concealed handgun must:

• Be at least 21 years of age;
• Not be prohibited from purchasing or possessing a handgun by federal law;
• Possess sufficient powers of eyesight, as demonstrated by a current Nebraska motor vehicle operator’s license or a current optometrist’s or ophthalmologist’s statement;
• Not have pled guilty or no contest to, or not have been convicted of a felony;
• Not have pled guilty or no contest to, or not have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of violence within the immediately preceding ten years;
• Not have been found in the previous ten years to be a mentally ill and dangerous person and not be currently adjudged mentally incompetent;
• Have been a Nebraska resident for at least 180 days, (except this 180 day rule does not apply for members of the U.S. Armed Forces or their spouses after they have been stationed at a military installation in Nebraska on permanent duty station orders, or for new residents of the state who possess a valid concealed weapons permit from another state);³
• Have not violated any law relating to firearms, unlawful use of a weapon, or controlled substances in the preceding ten years;
• Not be on parole, probation, house arrest, or work release; and
• Provide “proof of training.”⁴

“Proof of training” means an original or certified copy of a document certifying that the applicant successfully completed an approved handgun training and safety course within the previous three years, or is a member of the armed forces and has had similar handgun training within the previous three years.⁵

Firearm Safety Training

Nebraska requires that a concealed handgun permit applicant complete a handgun training and safety course within the three years prior to issuance of a permit.⁶

Minimum requirements for an approved handgun training and safety course are:

• Knowledge and safe handling of a handgun;
• Knowledge and safe handling of handgun ammunition;
• Safe handgun shooting fundamentals;
• A demonstration of competency with a handgun with respect to the minimum safety and training requirements;
• Knowledge of federal, state and local laws pertaining to the use of a handgun, including but not limited to use of a handgun for self-defense and laws relating to justifiable homicide and the various degrees of assault;
• Knowledge of ways to avoid a criminal attack and to defuse or control a violent confrontation; and
• Knowledge of proper storage practices for handguns and ammunition, including storage practices which would reduce the possibility of accidental injury to a child.⁷

Duration & Renewal

A permit to carry a concealed handgun is valid for five years.⁸ The NSP must renew a permit for five years, subject to continuing compliance with the qualifications for the permit.⁹ Legislation enacted in 2021 requires the the Nebraska State Patrol to send CCW permit holders a notice that their permit is set to expire at least 4 months before expiration of the permit, and state law authorizes permit holders to apply to renew the permit up to 4 months before the permit expires.¹⁰ A permit holder is subject to having his or her permit revoked if he or she does not continue to meet the qualifications for the permit.¹¹

Disclosure or Use of Information

Nebraska does not allow personal application or permit information of concealed handgun permit holders to be made public. The NSP maintains a listing of all applicants and permit holders and any pertinent information regarding such applicants and permit holders.¹² The information is available upon request to all law enforcement agencies, but is confidential and is not considered a public record.¹³

Any time the discharge of a handgun carried by a permit holder results in injury to a person or damage to property, the permit holder must make a report of such incident to the NSP.¹⁴ This information is maintained as part of a listing.¹⁵

Information about the status of a permit to carry a concealed handgun and the dates of issuance and expiration of such permit are also included within records of the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles.¹⁶ Nebraska law provides that information obtained by any government entity, whether federal, state, county, or local, that is obtained for purposes of an application permitted or required by law or contained in a permit or license issued by such entity, may be withheld from the public by the lawful custodian of the records. However, such information must be available upon request to any federal, state, county, or local law enforcement agency.¹⁷

Reciprocity

A valid concealed carry handgun permit or license issued by any other state or the District of Columbia is valid in Nebraska if:

• The holder is not a resident of Nebraska; and
• The Nebraska Attorney General has determined that the standards for issuance of the out-of-state license or permit are equal to or greater than the standards imposed by Nebraska.¹⁸

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1. Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 28-1202, 69-2441(1).[↩]
2. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2430(3).[↩]
3. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2433(7)(b), (c).[↩]
4. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2433.[↩]
5. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2429(6). Additional application and background check requirements, as well as permit suspension and disqualification information, are detailed under Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 69-2430 – 69-2439.[↩]
6. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2429(6).[↩]
7. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2432.[↩]
8. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2436(1).[↩]
9. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2436(2).[↩]
10. See 2021 NE L 236; Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2436(2).[↩]
11. Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 69-2435, 69-2439.[↩]
12. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2444.[↩]
13. Id.[↩]
14. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2442.[↩]
15. Id.[↩]
16. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2447.[↩]
17. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 84-712.05(21).[↩]
18. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2448.[↩]