Concealed carry permits; a look at the process

Last week I announced that the Sheriff's Office was lowering its fees for processing the Concealed Carry Weapons Permit from $100 to $65 to help encourage law abiding citizens to obtain their permits. We received a great deal of positive feedback from the public, but we also had a large number of calls the following week with questions about the process of gaining the CCW permit. I thought I would take this opportunity to explain the process. A lot of the confusion with the process involves the difference between the training class and the actual application for the permit at the Sheriff's Office.

The first step in obtaining a permit is finding a qualified training class. These classes can be hosted by any qualified instructor in Missouri regardless of where you live. For example, a resident from one county could take the training class in another city or county in which they do not reside. After this training class has been completed, the instructor will provide the applicant with a state required CCW form that verifies the state required training has been completed. There is normally a fee associated with the training class that goes to the instructor for teaching the class and providing the location, range, and training materials.

After you have received the training, you can then take the form to the Sheriff's Office in your county and apply for the permit. Although the class can be taken anywhere, you must go to the Sheriff's Office of the county you reside in when you apply for the permit. The fee for the permit includes all the costs associated with processing the application (finger print fees from the highway patrol, background investigation, filing, registration in the CCW database, and making the CCW card). Once a person applies for the permit they simply wait on the results from their finger prints to be returned to the Sheriff who then reviews and approves or denies the application. Then the applicant will receive a call from the Sheriff's Office telling him or her that the permit is ready to be picked up. The permit is good for 5 years.

We did have a few people call the office to express concern that more people carrying guns would make it more dangerous instead of safer to the public. The simple fact, though, is there has not been a national problem with law abiding citizens carrying guns accidently killing people while trying to help, or performing mass shootings. We have had a national problem with mass shootings taking place when no one around has the ability to try and stop them. A citizen carrying a gun does not guarantee a would-be shooter will be stopped, and there is no guarantee that accidents will not happen while attempting to stop a shooter, but not having anyone around with the ability to react is not any safer. We know this because it has happened over and over again. There are many opinions out there that make valid arguments and each person will have to decide if they are comfortable with carrying a weapon for their protection. For those who choose to obtain the permit allowed by law, the Sheriff's Office wants to help make sure those people are trained, well informed, and able to carry in a responsible manner. Anyone with questions about a Concealed Weapons Permit can call the Sheriff's Office at 417-283-4400.