How buying a gun in Elizabeth City 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 North Carolina law allows.
North Carolina repealed its pistol purchase permit in March 2023, so there is no state permit and no waiting period to buy a handgun or a long gun. At a licensed dealer you show photo ID, complete ATF Form 4473 and the dealer runs a federal NICS background check; a valid North Carolina concealed handgun permit can stand in for that check. Federal law sets the dealer minimum at 18 for rifles and shotguns and 21 for handguns. Private sales between residents need no state permit, and the state keeps no firearm registry.
Dealers in these communities all work for Elizabeth City-area buyers:
- Camden
- Hertford
- South Mills
- Shiloh
- Weeksville
- Currituck
- Moyock
- Edenton
Carrying a gun in Pasquotank County
Open carry of a lawfully owned handgun is allowed in North Carolina without a permit. Concealed carry still needs a concealed handgun permit, and the Pasquotank County Sheriff issues it, not a state agency. You must be 21, have lived in the county at least 30 days, pass a background and mental health check and finish an approved course with live fire and state law instruction. The permit runs five years. Schools, courthouses, law enforcement buildings, state and federal offices and posted private property stay off-limits, and cities may bar firearms from their own buildings and parks.
Hunting near Elizabeth City
The Wildlife Resources Commission splits the state into deer zones. For 2026-27, archery opens statewide on September 12, 2026, and gun season runs October 17, 2026 to January 1, 2027 in the Northeastern and Southeastern zones, November 14 to January 1 in the Central zone and the Northwestern chronic wasting disease area, November 21 to January 1 in the Northwestern zone and November 28 to January 1 in the Western zone. Bows, crossbows, blackpowder guns, shotguns, rifles and handguns are all legal in gun season, hunter orange is required, and the season limit is six deer, two of them antlered. Check the Pasquotank County listing before you hunt.
Pasquotank County is in the Northeastern zone, gun season October 17, 2026 to January 1, 2027. The Albemarle and Currituck sounds nearby are the state's classic waterfowl water, and the inland zone duck season runs October 15 to 17, November 7 to 28 and December 18 to January 30.
Dismal Swamp State Park and the pocosin edges hold bear and deer, and the sound shoreline from Camden to Currituck has been hunted for ducks and swans for generations.
Public shooting ranges near Elizabeth City
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission runs or partners on ten public shooting ranges, from Odom on the Roanoke River to the Cold Mountain range in Haywood County. Each issues a range pass at the gate after a short safety orientation; admission is free at several and charged at others, and hours differ, so check the range before you drive.
Source: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission public shooting range pages, September 2026. Distances are approximate; call or check the agency site before you drive out.