Frequently Asked Questions
Concealed Carry Permits
HB349 as passed by the House
Missouri Revised Statues
Chapter 563 - Justification of the use of Force
Chapter 571 - Weapons Offenses
RSMo 571.101 - Requirements
- What
is the procedure for a permit?
- I
want a concealed carry permit, what should I do first?
- What
are the requirements to obtain a concealed carry permit?
- What
is the extent of the background investigation to be completed by the
County Sheriff's Office?
- How
much does the application cost and where does the money go?
- When
do I receive my concealed carry permit?
- When
do I come to the County Sheriff's Office to apply?
- Can
I really carry a concealed firearm in my vehicle without a concealed
carry permit?
Persons wishing to submit an application for a Concealed Carry Permit need to
bring proof of their completion of a training
course meeting the standards of RSMo. 571.111, and the fee charged by the Sheriff in check or
money order made payable to the Sheriff's office.
It has become apparent to me that Missouri Citizens are obtaining concealed
carry permits via the Internet from several other states without meeting
the training requirement or oversight from local law enforcement. The cost
of the out-of-state CCW permits is as low as $20 and permit holders are
totally unknown to law enforcement officers in Missouri. The new
law allows reciprocity for holders of permits from other states, thus they
are legally entitled to carry concealed weapons in Missouri as of this
date.
Answer 1. Read the Law. Listed above is a link to the
finally agreed to and passed version of the bill dealing with the changes
to RSMo.
571 for your use. Carefully study each section and subsection of Chapter 571.101 to 571.121 and Chapter 563 and be
certain you understand what is contained therein. This is not a simple
task. Failure to understand and know the law is no excuse from both
criminal prosecution and/or civil litigation should you choose to go
forward with the concept of using a firearm for self-defense.
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Answer 2. Read the Law. Certain persons will not be
issued a concealed-carry permit due to their criminal history, past record
of instability, addiction to drugs, age, and other limitations imposed by
the law. Be certain you do not fall within the "prohibited
persons" category before going further with the process to be licensed to
carry a concealed firearm. The application fee is not refundable.
Falsifying any portion of an application may be grounds for criminal
prosecution under the laws of Missouri.
"Prohibited Persons" include:
1. Anyone under the age of 21 years at the time of
application.
2. Anyone who has assumed residency in Missouri.
3. Anyone who has been convicted of, pled guilty to or
entered a plea of nolo contendere to a crime punishable by
imprisonment for a term exceeding one year under the laws of any state or
the United States other than a crime classified as a misdemeanor under the
laws of any state and punishable by a term of imprisonment of one year or
less that does not involve an explosive weapon, firearm, firearm silencer,
or gas gun.
4. Anyone who has been convicted of, pled guilty to,
or entered a plea of nolo contendere to one or more
misdemeanor offenses involving crimes of violence within a five-year
period immediately preceding application for a certificate of
qualification for a concealed carry endorsement of if the applicant has
been convicted of two or more misdemeanor offenses involving driving
while under the influence of alcohol or drugs or the possession
or abuse of a controlled substance within a five-year
period immediately preceding application for a certificate of
qualification for a concealed carry endorsement.
5.Anyone who is
a fugitive from justice or currently charged in an
information or indictment with the commission of
a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year
under the laws of any state of the United States other than a crime
classified as a misdemeanor under the laws of any state and punishable by
a term of imprisonment of two years or less that does not involve an
explosive weapon, firearm, firearm silencer, or gas gun.
6. Anyone who has been discharged under dishonorable
conditions from the United States Armed Forces.
7. Anyone who has engaged in a pattern of behavior, documented in
public records, that causes the Sheriff to have a reasonable belief that
the applicant presents a danger to himself/herself or others.
8. Anyone who is adjudged mentally incompetent at the time of
application or for five years prior to application, or has been
committed to a mental health facility, as defined in section 632.005,
RSMo. or a similar institution located in another state following a
hearing at which the defendant was represented by counsel or a
representative.
9. Anyone who is the respondent of a valid full order of protection
which is still in effect.
You are required to have completed an acceptable training course in
the areas covered by the new law including firing at a standard "B-27" paper target or equivalent from a distance
of 21 feet, demonstrating your ability to load and unload both a revolver
and semi-auto pistol, know safety procedures, and
certain other subjects outlined in the law. Read the
Law!
The law allows the Sheriff to accept prior training only in certain
circumstances for a very limited number of persons in lieu of completing
the required 8-hour training course.
Only those persons who submit a photocopy of a certificate of
completion of a firearms safety training course given by or under the
supervision of a state, county, municipal, or federal law enforcement
agency or is currently a qualified firearms safety instructor as defined
in subsection 5 of RSMo
571.111 are excused from the training requirement portion of the new
law.
All training must have been successfully completed prior to
submitting your application for a certificate of
qualification.
Training, prior to September 11th, 2003, will not fulfill the training requirement, as the
new law was not enacted until that date.
Answer 3. Each applicant for a "Certificate of Qualification" is
required to provide certain information, which is essential to a complete
background investigation.
Your name (and past names), date of birth, and other identifiers
will be hand-checked through your County Sheriffs Office outstanding
warrant and civil document files, jail files, offense reports, mental
commitments, civil documents, and calls-for-service history records
completely. Checking each individual will require about two hours of time
on an average, just for our local records check and documentation.
Following the local record check, the Sheriff will access state and national
computer data files from agencies such as the Highway Patrol and FBI. If a
"hit" occurs, (such as an incomplete arrest or court record), Sheriff’s
employees will contact the agency in question and investigate further the
reason for the record in the other location or locations.
Concurrent with our local record checks, your fingerprint cards
(taken at the Sheriff’s Office by Sheriffs personnel) will sent to
Highway Patrol Headquarters for checks against the state criminal
records in their files. The Highway Patrol will then submit your
fingerprint card to the FBI for checks against their national criminal
record file. Eventually, the Highway Patrol and FBI fingerprint checks
will return to the Sheriff’s Office with either a "no record found" result
or ... "possible criminal record".
You Do Not want to have the Sheriff find out about a past
problem in your life. It is always best to ask first whether a
problem in your past will preclude issuance of a certificate of
qualification than to swear falsely on the application.
The Sheriff's understand that everyone makes mistakes in their lives and
believe me, they've seen about all the mistakes imaginable, so nothing you
ask will be a new thing for them to deal with. Sometimes, what seemed like a
big problem to you at the time in reality is not a disqualifying problem
for this process.
A copy of your criminal history can be obtained prior to the
application process by going to the Highway Patrol and submitting to their
criminal history check procedure. This costs you something, but might be
worth doing if your past contains problems.
The application fee can be any amount up to $100 total. You are required to pay the
entire amount at the time of application in the following manner:
1. A cashier's check or money order in the amounts
specified by your county. Some of the amount you pay goes to the MO Highway Patrol and some goes
to the FBI for records checks. The balance of the total fee goes to the Sheriff's Revolving Fund
which is used by each Sheriff to provide
services and equipment needed to complete the many varied duties of the
Office of Sheriff. The funds are deposited by the County Treasurer,
audited by the County Auditor, and overseen by the County Commission.
Depending upon the number of applicants, this may or may not cover
costs.
Actually, you will not receive an actual "Permit", but rather a
"Certificate of Qualification" which is about 4 by 8 inches
to take to the Department of Revenue to be issued a new Driver’s License
or Non-Driver’s License as the case may be. The new license will carry
your Concealed Carry Endorsement upon it just as you now have a motorcycle
or other endorsement.
You are required by law to carry upon your person your Certificate
of Qualification whenever you are carrying a concealed firearm and present
it when asked by a law enforcement officer.
The fee for a drivers license and non-driver's license can be found here
The Sheriff or his designee, will issue you a "Certificate of Qualification"
just as soon as the record checks come in from the FBI and Highway Patrol.
By law, the Sheriff shall issue your permit at the end of 45 days if they've not received
anything from the FBI prior to that time.
When you've completed the training or have
obtained a photocopy of training which, by law qualifies you to bypass the
training requirement and have the money to pay for the application
fee.
You need to contact the Sheriff's office of your county of residence to get the exact procedure and times
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Yes, as of October 11th, 2003, if you are 21 years of age, lawfully
possess the pistol, and are not violating any other statutes, you may do
so. This is the most-common reason folks have told me they wished to see
the concealed firearms law passed.
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