Is a Massachusetts Non-Resident Permit Valid in Kansas?
Check the condition first. Kansas recognizes a Massachusetts non-resident permit unless you live in Kansas. Kansas also allows permitless carry for adults 21+ if you qualify. Kansas residents are not covered by this recognition, but Kansas's permitless carry from age 21 still applies if they qualify.
Why
- Kansas recognizes valid carry permits from every US state.
- Kansas does not honor an out-of-state permit held by a Kansas resident.
- Kansas allows permitless carry for eligible adults 21+, which extends to visitors who may legally possess a handgun.
K.S.A. 75-7c03: 'a valid license or permit to carry a concealed firearm issued by another jurisdiction shall be recognized in this state, but only while the holder is not a resident of Kansas.' AG guidance states recognition applies to any non-resident holder aged 18 or older.
The permit (Massachusetts)
- Permit
- License to Carry Firearms (LTC)
- Issued by
- Local police department licensing authority (residents); Firearms Records Bureau as designee of the Colonel of the State Police (non-residents)
- Issue policy
- Shall-issue
- Issued to non-residents?
- Yes — Non-Resident Temporary LTC issued by the Firearms Records Bureau; valid 1 year, renewed annually by mail with in-person appearance required once every six years; MA Basic Firearms Safety Course certificate required.
The destination (Kansas)
- Recognition policy
- Honors permits from all states
- Permitless carry
- Yes (21+)
- Duty to inform
- No (present permit on demand)
- Magazine limit
- No state limit
Carry rules in Kansas
Kansas's rules control while you're there. These are the ones travelers trip over most.
- No Kansas statute imposes a proactive duty to inform an officer that you are carrying.
- Kansas sets no state magazine-capacity limit for handguns.
- Kansas allows permitless concealed carry from age 21 for people who may legally possess a handgun, including eligible visitors.
- A person 21+ who may lawfully possess a handgun may carry it loaded, openly or concealed, in a vehicle without a license; under-21 concealed carry (including in vehicles) is restricted by K.S.A. 21-6302.
Off-limits places in Kansas
Kansas bans carry in 3 kinds of places. The first on the list:
- Any building conspicuously posted with AG-approved no-firearms signage at its entrances (K.S.A. 75-7c10)
- K-12 school buildings, jails, courthouses and similar public buildings where properly posted
Massachusetts vs Kansas: what changes at the state line
Crossing from Massachusetts into Kansas changes 4 rules: permitless carry (No → Yes (21+)); magazine limit (10 rounds → None); out-of-state permits honored (None → All states); open carry (With a permit → Yes, no permit).
| Rule | Massachusetts | Kansas |
|---|---|---|
| Permitless carry | No | Yes (21+) |
| Duty to inform police | No | No |
| Magazine limit | 10 rounds | None |
| Out-of-state permits honored | None | All states |
| Open carry | With a permit | Yes, no permit |
Going the other way, a Kansas non-resident permit in Massachusetts: no such permit issued.
Driving on from Kansas
How a Massachusetts non-resident permit fares in the states bordering Kansas:
Frequently asked questions
- Does Kansas honor a Massachusetts resident permit?
- Recognized — and permitless carry applies. The verdict matches the non-resident permit on this page, but the conditions differ.
- Can a Kansas non-resident permit holder carry in Massachusetts?
- Kansas does not issue non-resident carry permits, so there is no such permit to carry in Massachusetts.
- Where does Kansas publish its official reciprocity list?
- Kansas publishes its recognition policy on an official state page, linked in the sources on this page. That page is the authority — check it shortly before travel, because recognition lists change without much notice.
Official sources
- Kansas AG - Out-of-State License Recognition — accessed 2026-08-08
- K.S.A. 75-7c03 (recognition of out-of-state licenses; provisional licenses) — accessed 2026-08-08
- K.S.A. 21-6302 (criminal carrying of a weapon; under-21 rule) — accessed 2026-08-08
- K.S.A. 75-7c05 (application; residency) — accessed 2026-08-08
- K.S.A. 75-7c10 (posted prohibited buildings) — accessed 2026-08-08
- K.S.A. 75-7c04 (disqualifications; 8-hour handgun safety and training course) — accessed 2026-09-27
- K.S.A. 21-6301 (criminal use of weapons; under-18 handgun possession) — accessed 2026-09-27
- K.S.A. 75-7c08 (license renewal) — accessed 2026-09-27
- Mass.gov — Firearms License and Transaction FAQs (no reciprocity; large-capacity feeding devices; issuing authorities) — accessed 2026-08-08
- MGL c.140 §131G — repealed by Ch. 135 of 2024, Sec. 64 (Mass. Legislature) — accessed 2026-08-08
- Acts of 2024, Chapter 135 (An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws) — Sec. 124 prohibited areas — accessed 2026-08-08
- Mass.gov — Apply for or renew a firearms license (fees, where to apply) — accessed 2026-09-27
- MGL c.140 §131 — License to carry firearms (age, term) — accessed 2026-09-27
- MGL c.140 §131P — Basic firearms safety certificate (live firearms training) — accessed 2026-09-27
- MGL c.269 §10 — Carrying a firearm without a license — accessed 2026-09-27