How buying a gun in Milwaukee 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 Wisconsin law allows.
Wisconsin has no purchase permit and no firearm registration, and the 48-hour handgun waiting period was repealed in 2015. Dealer sales still require ATF Form 4473. For handguns, the dealer runs the check through the Wisconsin Department of Justice rather than directly through NICS; long gun checks go through NICS. Federal ages apply: 18 for long guns and 21 for handguns from a dealer. Bring a valid photo ID with your current address. Ammunition and parts can ship to your home.
Dealers in these communities all work for Milwaukee-area buyers:
- Wauwatosa
- West Allis
- Greenfield
- Oak Creek
- Cudahy
- South Milwaukee
- Glendale
- Shorewood
Carrying a gun in Milwaukee County
Wisconsin does not have permitless concealed carry. To carry a concealed weapon you need a license issued by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, available to adults 21 and older who show proof of approved training. Open carry without a license is generally legal, but not in places such as school zones, and a handgun in a vehicle falls under the concealed carry rules. Businesses can post signs banning weapons. Wisconsin honors licenses from many other states.
Hunting near Milwaukee
The Wisconsin DNR nine-day gun deer season runs November 21 through 29, 2026, starting the Saturday before Thanksgiving. A muzzleloader season and a statewide antlerless hunt follow in early December, and metro subunits have longer seasons. Archery and crossbow seasons open in mid-September and run into January. Deer management zones and county quotas set antlerless tags. Rifles, shotguns, handguns and muzzleloaders are legal in the gun season. Check the current DNR regulations for Milwaukee County.
Milwaukee lies in the Southern Farmland zone, and metro subunits have extended seasons. Kettle Moraine State Forest to the west offers public deer hunting and the DNR's McMiller Sports Center range near Eagle.
City homes and duplexes mean many Milwaukee buyers pick a handgun or compact carbine and a lock box they can reach quickly. The McMiller range in the Kettle Moraine Southern Unit is about 40 minutes west.
Public shooting ranges near Milwaukee
These public ranges are run by state wildlife agencies and state forests in the states we serve. Many are free; some staffed facilities charge a daily fee, and hours change with the seasons, so check with the agency before you go.
Source: State wildlife agency public range lists (LDWF, MDWFP, WVDNR, Wisconsin DNR, ND Game and Fish, SD GFP, NH Fish and Game, Maine IF&W, Vermont Fish and Wildlife), September 2026. Distances are approximate; call or check the agency site before you drive out.