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Buying a gun online in San Antonio

Order here, pick it up at a licensed dealer in San Antonio or the towns around it. Same rules as the rest of Texas, with the brush country and Joint Base San Antonio next door.

San Antonio is Military City and hog country at the same time. Tens of thousands of service members and retirees from Lackland, Fort Sam Houston and Randolph live in Bexar County, and the ranches south and west of the city hold the biggest whitetail and the thickest hogs in the state. That shows in what sells: full-size 9mm pistols, AR-15s in .300 Blackout for night hogs, bolt rifles for the South Zone deer season, and shotguns for the white-winged dove flights along the Medina. Buying online means comparing a live catalog first, then using whichever dealer in the metro is closest to home or base.

1. Pick your dealer
Any FFL in San Antonio, New Braunfels, Schertz, Boerne, Helotes, Seguin or Floresville that accepts shipped transfers. Ask the fee.
2. Order here
Name that dealer at checkout. We confirm the license before the firearm ships. Parts and ammunition ship to your door.
3. Paperwork
ATF Form 4473 at the counter. The dealer runs the FBI NICS check, or may use your Texas LTC in its place.
4. Same visit
Texas has no waiting period. A clear check means you leave with the gun.

What to bring to the dealer

  • Government photo ID with your current address. Active-duty military stationed in Texas bring a military ID plus permanent duty station orders showing a Texas post.
  • The transfer fee, paid to the shop, commonly $20 to $50 around San Antonio. Call ahead.
  • Your order number so they can match the package to you.
  • Your LTC, if you have one. It can replace the NICS call at the dealer's option.

Bexar County rules

There are none beyond state and federal law. Local Government Code 229.001 bars cities from regulating the sale, ownership, carrying or storage of firearms and ammunition, and 236.002 applies the same rule to counties, so San Antonio, New Braunfels, Schertz, Boerne and unincorporated Bexar County all follow the Texas Penal Code. No permit to buy, no registration, no waiting period, no magazine limit. A qualifying adult 21 or older may carry a holstered handgun without a license; the DPS License to Carry is optional and worth having for reciprocity when you travel. The city keeps its discharge ordinance. On the installations federal and installation rules govern, and private firearms have to be registered with the base.

General information, not legal advice. The statutes are collected on our Texas gun law page, and a Texas attorney can answer questions about your own situation.

Military buyers

Federal law treats active-duty members stationed in Texas as Texas residents for firearm purchases, so you can buy a handgun here even if your driver license is from another state. The dealer needs your military ID and orders showing a permanent duty station in Texas. Texas also lets current members and honorably discharged veterans apply for the License to Carry at 18 rather than 21 (Government Code 411.172). Check your installation policy before bringing a firearm onto base: registration with the provost marshal and storage in the armory or approved quarters is standard.

Brush country hogs and whitetail

South of the city the live oak gives way to mesquite, huisache and prickly pear, and the ranches from Pleasanton to Cotulla grow the biggest whitetail in Texas. Shots on a sendero can be long, so a .270, .308, 6.5 Creedmoor or 7mm-08 bolt gun with a good scope is the standard deer rifle. Hogs are a year-round job, mostly at night with a thermal on an AR in .300 Blackout or 6.5 Grendel. No license is needed for hogs on private land (Parks and Wildlife Code 42.002). The hog and deer rifle guide goes through the calibers.

Seasons that matter here

The South Zone whitetail general season opens the first Saturday of November and runs into mid-January, later than the rest of the state. South Zone dove opens in mid-September, and the special white-winged dove days in early September draw hunters from all over Texas to the fields around Hondo, Uvalde and Castroville. Quail opens the last Saturday of October and the brush country is the best of it. TPWD publishes the details in the Outdoor Annual each August.

What people buy here

.300 Blackoutbrush-country hogsFull-size 9mmduty pistolsF1 Firearms partshandguards & receiversBolt-action riflesSouth Texas whitetail12-gauge shotgunsdove & quailCanik pistolsvalue 9mm

Hog rifles

Caliber guide →

Full-size pistols

All pistols →

Common questions

Can I buy a gun online and pick it up in San Antonio?

Yes. Order here, name a licensed dealer anywhere in Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall or Wilson County, and the firearm ships to them. You complete Form 4473 and the background check at their counter and take the gun home the same visit if it clears.

What do I need to bring?

A valid government photo ID showing your current address, the transfer fee, and your order number. If you have a Texas LTC, bring it; the dealer may use it in place of the NICS call.

I am stationed at Joint Base San Antonio. Can I buy here?

Under federal law, active-duty military stationed in Texas are treated as Texas residents for firearm purchases. Bring your military ID and a copy of your permanent duty station orders showing a Texas post to the dealer. Service members and honorably discharged veterans can also apply for a Texas LTC at 18.

How long does a transfer take in Bexar County?

Usually one visit. Most NICS checks answer in minutes and Texas has no waiting period. The big shops on the north side and in Schertz handle a lot of transfers; a quick call to book a pickup time helps on weekends.

Does San Antonio have its own gun laws?

No. Local Government Code 229.001 bars cities from regulating firearm sales, possession, carry and storage, so San Antonio, New Braunfels, Schertz and the rest of the region follow state law. The city regulates discharge inside city limits and its own buildings. Federal rules apply on the military installations, where private firearms must be registered with the base and stored as the installation directs.

Do I need a permit to buy a handgun in San Antonio?

No. Texas requires no purchase permit and no registration. You must be 21 to buy a handgun and 18 to buy a rifle or shotgun from a dealer, and not be prohibited under Penal Code 46.04 or federal law.

Where can I shoot near San Antonio?

The metro has indoor pistol ranges across the north side and in the suburbs, and several outdoor rifle ranges to the west and south with long lanes. Public land shooting is limited; most rifle practice happens on leases. Check each range on caliber, rapid fire and steel before you go.

Can I hunt near San Antonio?

This is the edge of the South Texas brush country, the best whitetail ground in the state, almost all of it on private ranches by lease or day hunt. The South Zone general season runs from the first Saturday of November into mid-January. Feral hogs are thick along the Medina and San Antonio rivers and need no license on private land. South Zone dove opens in mid-September with special white-winged dove days earlier. TPWD sets the seasons; see our hog and deer rifle guide.

More Texas guides