The Concealed Weapons Permit process is almost complete!

Last July I called the sheriff's office to inquire about getting a concealed weapons permit.  They sent me the paperwork and I started the process.  It meant filling out paperwork, sending it in, waiting, getting an interview, waiting, taking my training and passing a test, waiting, and finally today going in for a final test, fingerprints, filling out some more paperwork, turning in my certificate that I was trained, and paid the bill, which is good for the two year permit.  If I renew prior to it expiring then all I have to do is fill out some more paperwork and get fingerprinted again, and pay a smaller sum of money.  I better not let it expire or I have to go through the entire process over again.

The test was really easy.  It was multiple choice and true false.  For example, the most safe way you can keep your weapon ready to use to protect yourself at home is to keep the weapon locked and in a different location than the ammunition.  False.  That works for regular gun storage but not if you want it ready to use for protection.  How about the airport question.  If you have a concealed weapons permit you can bring your weapon into the airport.  I did have a  question about that.  Anyone with a weapon can bring it into the airport.  You just have to have it in a locked case and check it with the luggage.  You can't carry it past security check point.  So depending on what the question meant depended on the answer.  I decided on false, you can't just carry it past the security.  Correct answer but poorly written question.  Another question said that you wouldn't be liable if you hit a bystander instead of the bad guy.  False.  Hit someone other than the bad guy and you are in big trouble. You can't hit the bad guy in the back when he is leaving either.  There were a couple of questions about the weapons.  If you want to make sure your semi-automatic is safe the first thing you do is pull back on the slide.  No you release the clip.  They were really easy questions.  I got them all right.  The sheriff was a bit surprised and pleased.  He said it wasn't that he didn't think I'd do well but the person before me barely passed.  Perhaps they had a hard time with english.

From the sheriff's office we walked across the street to the jail so I could  be fingerprinted.  I've never been to the jail.  In fact, after living in this county for fourteen years I never even knew where the jail was.  Learn something new every day I suppose.  I handed over the $210 they wanted in cash.  I was told that somewhere between two weeks and six weeks my permit will arrive in the mail. 

When I buy my new pistol I will have to go to the range and have the instructor provide a certificate stating that I qualified on that weapon.  Then I bring it to the fingerprinting part of the jail where I'll pay them an additional $10 and in a couple of weeks the new weapon will be added to my permit. 

This entire process was easy albeit time consuming.  It started in July and will be complete by the end of February.