People keep guns because they are protective of themselves or for their family and some people keep guns for hunting, For either of these reasons, people will always require concealed carry permits.
If you are any of these people and looking for a permit but don’t know where to start or begin and what to look for, then you are reading the right article. Because we will be telling you about the steps of getting a concealed carry permit for yourself. The steps involve:
1- What is the history of concealed carry?
2- What kind of requirements should be met?
3- What is my state requirement?
4- What are the policies for keeping a concealed carry weapon and training requirements?
5- Is there any research about more state requirements?
6- What should be learned about the differences between concealed carry?
7- How to get your background checked?
8- What is the procedure for filling out the application?
9- Where to take classes?
10- How to fill out the paperwork?
11- What is the procedure for submission of work?
12- What are the limitations of carrying a concealed carry?
13- What are the restricted premises?
14- What is the difference between concealed carry and open carry?
1. History
Carrying a concealed carry weapon rules and laws have been changing from the very beginning. In 1813, Louisiana and Kentucky passed the ban on carrying concealed weapons, and other states of Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Indiana, and Ohio followed this rule till the year 1859.
But by the end of the 19th century, some laws for keeping concealed carry weapons got a favor from Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida. Again, at the end of the 19th century, different southern states passed the law of no issue or restrictive may issue and shall issue laws which are now used by the whole United States and which are now known as legalized and unrestricted concealed carry.
2. Meeting the Requirements
The process here means rules and the basic and the first rule is that you must be at least 21 years of age. Some countries allow having a gun or firearm at the age of 20 but they have some really difficult tests.
There are even some tests where you have to prove your sanity as well. So, before starting any process, you have to check what your state has allowed to what age and what kind of concealed carry.
3. What is my state requirement?
All 50 states of America have passed laws on carrying concealed weapons but only to those people who are qualified and have passed through different tests. These tests are certified from govt on different levels. But some states have made it really hard to get the permit.
Since you are in Virginia or you are moving to Virginia and you want to get a concealed carry permit, then it is best that you should know about the state requirement as well. To get a concealed carry permit in Virginia, this state recognizes 8 different and specified training options that prove competency in handling the handgun.
These ranged from DD214 for honorable military veterans who are discharged or retired. These requirements when fulfilled are certified by law enforcement training programs for different firearm training.
Which are conducted by the NRA or the state by certified firearm instructors who train through electronic videos and via online courses as well. The eight different trainings are certified and updated in the circuit courts. But in Alabama and Georgia, you will require no training all, you need to do is get a background check.
4. Policies of Keeping a Concealed Carry Weapon and Training Requirement
According to the Federal Gun Free School Zone Act, if you live anywhere near a school that is 300 meters or you can say 1000 feet or less from a school, and you are an unlicensed person, then you cannot keep a concealed carry. To get a permit if you live near a school, then you have to inform an officer at the county.
There are other permitting policies:
☑ Unrestricted jurisdiction
This is the kind of policy where you can keep a concealed-carry handgun without any permit.
☑ Shall-use jurisdiction:
In this policy, you will be required to get a license and there is no requirement of stating a cause.
☑ May-issue jurisdiction:
This is the kind of policy that requires a permit and that also should be given only by getting a background check from the county sheriff.
☑ No issue jurisdiction:
In this policy, people who have solid reasons get the permit and no private citizen is allowed to get the permit unless they have proof that they are unsecured and that also has to be proven in court.
5. Research About More State Requirements
There are different kinds of requirements for different states and that is why you have to check what is the criteria. For example, if you are in a state that requires you to prove your existence and to prove that you have to be in that state for a specific number of days. There are different things that they may ask you that do you know about different rules of keeping a concealed carry? Or do you know how to carry concealed carry tucked-in shirts?
Your permanent resident record and if you have been to any state, you have to get that address as well. You have to pay attention to the requirements otherwise your application will be rejected. It is better that you ask people who already have a permit because you will read many requirements that you might not understand.
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6. Learn About Differences of Concealed Carry
If you are done with the basic requirements, now is the time to understand further requirements before you start filling up the form and submitting your applications. There are different states where they use the term Shall Issue.
In this term, they will permit you to keep a concealed carry if you meet all the requirements. In some states, they use May Issue. In this term, the state can also reject your application even if you have met all the requirements.
In some states, they use Right Denied and, in this term, the state doesn’t allow you to keep a gun. So, you have to see that does your state allow or it does. For the May Issue, you should approach someone from the inside of the issuance department.
7. Get Your Background Checked
This is the part where you don’t need to worry other than the tickets you have got on you for parking or for overspeeding. But in some states, fines have to be zero as well. All you need to do is give your fingerprints to the Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI).
You just have to call your local or regular law enforcement and set up an appointment. This procedure only takes from 15 to 20 minutes tops. In all states, this process has a fee and it is less than $100.
8. Filling the Application
Make sure to ask a buddy of yours who already has a concealed carry to guide you before filling up the form because there will be different terms and conditions and things that you might not understand in the first place.
The application form may differ from state to state. In some states, filling up this form online requires a fee and the fee is less than $50.
9. Take Classes
Now, this is the thing that some people wouldn’t take but the thing that different states get impressed when they learn that you have taken some classes and you know all about the safety of concealed carry. If you want to know about classes, you can always get info from virginiaccwonline.com here you will also learn how to keep a concealed carry holster for a tucked-in shirt.
If you are getting training for becoming a personal security guard, then they will teach you how to keep concealed carry with a tucked-in dress shirt there are many tests where you are put to test for getting a concealed carry with a shirt tucked in. These institutes and sites are registered with the county sheriff’s department.
If you are a person in the military, army, air force, or navy, then you can skip the training. The whole point of explaining the training point is that if you want to keep a concealed carry, classes are a jump to the next level of getting the permit.
10. Fill Out the Paperwork
Now, you are one final step away from getting the permit. To fill out the form and make a profile you need to attach these docs with the form:
✅ Passport-size picture of yourself.
✅ Driver’s license copy.
✅ Report on your mental health.
✅ Cleared background check report from the BCI.
✅ Residency proof.
11. Submission of Work
The result will take time from 30 to 60 days. There are some states which use the Shall Issue term to allow a person to keep open-carry a weapon. But the remaining states don’t allow you and keeping them will be considered as an act of crime.
In the meantime, you can always learn about the best ways to conceal carry with a shirt tucked in. If you have gotten the permit then it is valid for 5 years.
12. Limitation for Carrying a Concealed Carry
Since the United States came into being there have been different predates of carrying a concealed permit and a weapon. If you go back as far as 1686, in New Jersey, their law clearly stated that no person or persons should be allowed to privately or publicly wear a pistol of any kind or any other weapon for that matter within this province.
Even when the federal govt was established the law was the same then people started carrying hidden weapons which we now call concealed carry tucked under a shirt. Tennessee law prohibited this act in 1821 and in 1837, Georgia passed the law that said that an act to guard and protect the citizens of this state was against the unwarrantable use of deadly weapons.
Two years later Alabama made sure that no one carried any kind of weapon even if it was hidden and said that the act was to suppress the evil practice of carrying any kind of weapon secretly. The same act was accumulated by Delaware and Ohio in 1859 and this policy stayed till 1974.
In 1881, in Tombstone, Arizona, a gunfight was held in O.K. Corral and then this state made the act to provide against the carrying of deadly weapons and this was set an Ordinance number 9 which meant there would be severe action towards the providers of the concealed carry weapon as well.
13. Restricted premises
Just like every other thing has restrictions are limitations, there are also some restricted areas where you cannot get a concealed carry permit. Different states may restrict in or near different places of carrying a weapon publicly.
✅ Federal Govt Facilities
You cannot carry concealed carry anywhere near post offices, IRS offices, federal court buildings, military or VA facilities, or correctional facilities. You cannot carry any deadly weapon in a train, corps of engineered controlled properties, public restrooms, hotel buildings or restrooms, or parks.
✅ State and Local Govt Facilities
You cannot carry concealed carry anywhere near a courthouse, DMV or DoT facilities, police stations, correctional facilities, or meeting places of the govt facilities. But this rule exempted people who are working in these places like judges, lawyers, and other security personnel.
✅ Venues for Political Events
You cannot carry concealed carry in rallies, parades, debates, and not in polling places.
✅ Educational Institutes
You cannot carry concealed carry in elementary or secondary schools, colleges or other educational institutes. But some people like the security and guards can carry only concealed weapons which must be tucked under the shirt.
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✅ Public Interscholastic or at Professional Sporting Events
When there is a public event of inter-schools or of inter-colleges or if there is any national sports event, you cannot carry a concealed carry weapon.
✅ Amusement Parks, Fairs or Carnivals
There are different fairs and carnivals that are held all over the year in all of the 50 states and there are more than 10,000 parks in the whole United States and in any of them, you cannot carry a concealed carry weapon.
✅ Businesses that Sell Alcohol
We all know what can happen after three or more drinks if there arrives a not-so-lovable person. And that is why it is strictly forbidden to get a concealed carry weapon if you are in a pub, strip club, bar, or nightclub.
✅ Hospitals
Whether it is a teaching hospital, medical school, or any other medical institute, you cannot carry concealed carry.
✅ Churches
You cannot carry concealed carry in temples, churches, mosques, or any other holy place. Although some worshipping houses, in Ohio have given permission they are under strict surveillance at all times.
✅ Transportation
You cannot carry concealed carry in municipal or public transport or in transit vehicles.
✅ Airports
You cannot carry concealed carry in airports and anywhere in airport checkpoints unless you are working there and you have permission from the airport.
✅ Non-govt Facilities with High-Security Measures
You cannot carry concealed carry in nuclear facilities, power plants, dams, oils and gas production facilities, banks, and factories.
✅ Aboard Aircraft and Ships
You cannot carry concealed carry in aircraft in ships unless you are an authorized person.
✅ Private Property
If a person has a property of their own and they have gotten themselves permission from the state no one should be allowed to get anywhere near their property who has a concealed carry weapon and such notices are stated on the board.
And if you are seen anywhere near that property, they are entitled to shoot in order to protect themselves.
14. Difference Between Concealed Carry and Open Carry
If you are about to get a weapon permit for the first time then you must have heard this hot debate on whether to apply for a concealed carry or for an open carry permit. Here, you will be reading about the pros of both and you can decide for yourself.
✅ Attention
The benefit of keeping an open-carry weapon is that you become the attraction point of any point. This can be a positive and a negative attention as well. Let’s understand this with an example, for example, you are walking down a street that is empty and if someone is thinking of mugging you, he/she will definitely see it and get a rain check on that. This is the positive aspect.
The negative attention is that you are passing by a dangerous area or you can say where all the people have ganged up. If you walk through their cribs, they will think of major threats and anyone can halt you and ask questions and you never know when things get heated
✅ Access
This is very obvious that having an open carry can be easily accessed. For example, if you are in a situation where you instantly have to pull out your weapon and defend yourself or whoever.
And if you have a concealed carry, things may late but this is the benefit of having an open carry is that you can instantly get it out before someone even approaches you. You can say that concealed-carry weapons are slow and the open-carry weapons are fast.
✅ Comfort and Convenience
We all know that when you have a concealed carry weapon, you have to hide in under the shirt or strap it above the ankle. There are many reports filed in the hospitals where the weapons go off and people have hurt themselves. And this happens when you sit without having the concealed carry-out front.
The benefit of having an open carry is that you won’t have to worry about hiding it on your body and you can keep it out in front and no one has to get hurt.
✅ Legal Restrictions
Then, of course, there are strict rules for carrying a weapon whether it is in the category of concealed carry or open carry. But this is very clear which one is difficult to get. You can easily get a concealed carry permit and you can walk around anywhere and go about anywhere unless it is perfectly tucked under the shirt. You also need limited training to get the concealed carry permit.
But when it comes to getting the open carry permit, you will need extra training and there is no way that you can walk around freely in areas which is crowded and especially surrounded by children or anywhere near the hospital.
People who have open carry are questioned more and are even under surveillance in different states of the country. Extra training is required to keep it safe for yourself and for people around you.
And when you carry an open weapon, more people will be staring at you and fewer people will be socializing with you. For some, it may be cool but for most, it is very dangerous.
If a person has an open carry and he/she has to open fire, they are questioned and investigated for months as compared to people who have concealed carry.
Conclusion:
These steps may seem easy but be prepared for getting rejected because there are 90 percent chances of getting a rejection with no fee back. Many states purposely reject the case due to the increasing number of crimes.
But if your intentions are good, you can always try again. Remember, all states will ask the question why are you getting a concealed carry? And you have to be very precise that if you want it for protection, you have to define that is sensing some reason behind it, and if you are getting a concealed carry for hunting then at no cost you can use it for public protection unless it is the matter of life and death.
