Gun shop Wilmington, North Carolina

How buying a gun in Wilmington 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North Carolina repealed its pistol purchase permit in March 2023, so there is no state permit and no waiting period to buy a handgun or a long gun.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 Wilmington-area buyers:

• Wrightsville Beach
• Carolina Beach
• Kure Beach
• Leland
• Castle Hayne
• Hampstead
• Ogden
• Southport
• Surf City

Carrying a gun in New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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 Wilmington

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 New Hanover County listing before you hunt.

New Hanover County follows the Southeastern zone, gun season October 17, 2026 to January 1, 2027. Duck hunting drives the winter here, with the coastal zone season running October 23 and 24, November 7 to 28 and December 17 to January 30.

Hunters work the Cape Fear and Brunswick river marshes and the water behind Masonboro Island, and Holly Shelter Game Land and its public range are half an hour north in Pender County.

Public shooting ranges near Wilmington

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.