How buying a gun in St. Johns 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 Arizona law allows.
Arizona has no permit to purchase, no firearm registration and no state waiting period. At a licensed dealer you show photo ID, fill out ATF Form 4473 and the dealer runs a federal NICS background check before handing the gun over. Federal law sets the dealer minimum at 18 for rifles and shotguns and 21 for handguns. Arizona adds no card, no local permission slip and no state check on a private sale between residents, but selling or transferring a firearm to a prohibited possessor is a crime under A.R.S. 13-3102.
Dealers in these communities all work for St. Johns-area buyers:
- Springerville
- Eagar
- Concho
- Vernon
- Nutrioso
- Greer
- Hunt
- Lyman Lake
Carrying a gun in Apache County
Arizona has been a permitless carry state since 2010. Anyone 21 or older who may legally have a firearm can carry it concealed or openly, with no license and no class. Under 21, carrying concealed is still an offense under A.R.S. 13-3102, so younger adults carry openly or keep the gun cased in a vehicle. The optional Concealed Weapons Permit is issued statewide by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, not by the county sheriff. Schools, polling places, court facilities, nuclear and hydroelectric stations and posted private property stay off-limits.
Hunting near St. Johns
The Arizona Game and Fish Department runs deer by game management unit and by draw, not by county. In the 2026-27 season the southern units around Tucson, including Unit 33 in the Santa Catalina and Rincon mountains, hold general Coues whitetail hunts on October 23 to 29, November 6 to 12, November 27 to December 6 and December 11 to 31, 2026, plus a mule deer hunt on October 30 to November 5. Deer applications were accepted from June 2 to July 24, 2026, and archery-only deer tags are sold over the counter with unit harvest limits.
Three unit descriptions start at St. Johns: 2A runs north toward the Navajo boundary, 2B east to the New Mexico line, and 2C west toward Concho. This is pronghorn, elk and mule deer country, and nearly every tag comes out of the draw.
Antelope range across the plains toward Concho and Hunt, and the Apache-Sitgreaves forest and the volcanic peaks around Springerville rise to the south.
Public shooting ranges near St. Johns
The ranges below are the public shooting ranges the Arizona Game and Fish Department lists as Commission-owned facilities in the 2026-2027 hunting regulations. Most are run day to day by local clubs, no hunting license is needed to shoot at them, and each sets its own hours, fees and rules, so call before you drive.
Source: Arizona Game and Fish Department Commission-owned shooting range list, 2026-2027 Arizona Hunting Regulations. Distances are approximate; call or check the agency site before you drive out.