Do You Remember Getting Your First Concealed Carry Permit?

[Lee in Quartzsite]

Growing up in Southern California I was taught never to transport my gun and ammo together, so going to the range meant my gun was locked inside the trunk and the ammo in a locked box on the floor in the back seat. The same was done when taking my .22 rifle out to the desert to shoot.

I retired to Arizona in 2003 and was soon amazed to learn I could legally carry a loaded pistol inside my car! It was like I had died and gone to heaven....free at last!. It was soon after we found a retired Marine who taught a concealed carry class. Both my wife and I soon "Graduated" and received our Arizona CCW permits. Back then you had to pass both take a written test as well as a shooting test. Now you don't even need a permit, or if you want a permit renewal you just send them the money.

Since we travel to Las Vegas frequently we both obtained our Nevada CCW permits as well. They still require the written and shooting test. It was a good experience because Arizona laws and Nevada laws have a lot of differences. One is Arizona issues a Concealed Weapon permit, but Nevada issues a Concealed Firearms permit that only covers guns.

 

[sousana]

Have had mine since the early 80's. Back then, here in Virginia you had to go before a judge and "splain" yourself and your reasons for needing a permit, after which, you were denied. Ended up having to appeal the ruling and got my permit, but it did cost a pretty penny.

 

[wood714]

I was looking at the map I post above, and thought to myself..."self" you have absolutely zero desire to ever visit any of the RED states.

That's a shame too, because back in the day my dream trip was to travel to Seattle, and drive all the way down the west coast to Huntington Beach, then take 10 back to FL.

Sorry for the thread/jack

 

[Truckman]

I was in the first rush of applicants, and although the promised time frame was six weeks or less, it turned into several months before the state of Texas mailed mine to me...That was about 25 years ago...They even added a letter stating that they had made an error in printing my card, and a new one would be mailed to me promptly...They added that my existing one was good until then...In a close examination I couldn't figure out what the error was...But when I got the new one a few weeks later, I saw they had left the "Jr." off my name, something which I seldom used since my Dad passed away anyhow......Ben

 

[CH4]

Yep
Mine was a badge and ID card

 

[hittman77]

I remember it well because IL only began allowing it in 2015.

 

[TX-Dennis]

In Texas we could have a loaded handgun in the car without a permit. I figured that was good enough for years. Finally in 2015 I decided to get my carry permit. It wasn't cheap back then. $75 for a class and shooting test. I think a blind man could pass the shooting test if you pointed him in the general direction of the target. $140 for the license and $20 (I think) for fingerprints. Took about two months to get the card in the mail.

Texas has since made it less expensive. Renewal cost $35 - I had just turned 60, so I got the discount. The wife's renewal cost her $40. Good for 5 years.

 

[K-22]

First CCW

I was 18 and worked for a friend that delt in rare coins, stamps, gold, and currency . I carried a 4" Colt Python that I paid $75 for. That $75 included 500 rounds of ammo.
I bought it from a local cop that was selling it because he had found a 6" nickeled Python. He was an *** with a huge ego, and liked attention.
Unfortunately, that was early in my firearms life, and I wound up swapping it for something else. Do not recall what I swapped for.
Best,
Gary

 

[DGNY]

NY State early 1958. FL later...

 

[rubiranch]

When I first got mine I didn't even own a gun.

YEARS ago Utah dropped the requirement that you "NEEDED" to carry, ie carried large sums of money, diamond broker, body guard etc.

My brother was in law enforcement and called me and told me to get my CWP before they changed their mind.

I had never considered carrying but went and got my permit.

I had my permit for several years before I bought my first EDC, a 640-1 back in 2008.

 

[31FordA]

I went in to the Sheriffs office and applied for my PA License to Carry on my 21st birthday, got it in the mail a week later.

 

[Spats McGee]

I got my first one in ~2007. I had gone into business for myself and found myself working many very early mornings and very late nights in downtown Little Rock. The walk to my car in a parking garage was about 3 blocks. That's not really very far, but there were several moderately aggressive homeless people in the area, who routinely approached me to ask for money.

 

[pharmer]

I got mine in May of 1988. At that time 4 hours classroom and 4 hours on the range. 12 folks, all with revolvers, instructor says "insert one cartridge and close the cylinder. Proceeds to walk down the line, click-click bang with 12 different guns. At 50 feet every target had a hole neatly in the center of the head. "Now we know misses ain't the gun's fault." I'll never forget that. Joe

 

[Eagle 477]

Applied for my LTC in 1972 in Putnam county NY. I was in the military at the time and just returned from overseas and a tour in Vietnam. Filled out the paperwork did the fingerprints had letters from 3 people that didn't think I was nuts and submitted the package to the local County Clerk. About 9 months later everything was approved and the Honorable Richard Rapp granted my unrestricted pistol permit. issued for life unless revoked. Several years ago I finally had to turn in my paper license for one of them fancy plastic ones. with a clear picture and all information clearly printed.. The paper one had my 2x2 picture taped on and all my guns were hand written on the back. I also have an unrestricted non resident Connecticut license that must e renewed every 5 years..

Rob

 

[SteveA]

Such an animal didn't exist in KS when I started practicing law. Got in a couple of touchy situations while serving eviction paperwork and the local Magistrate, a retired sheriff told me to "take care of myself". We finally got concealed carry in March of '06. Immediately got mine. Now we have constitutional carry but I still maintain my license for when I travel out of state.

 

[Chubbo]

Yes I remember getting it, and the several hours spent in acquiring the qualifications needed, to get it. I got it in Florida, our declared place of residence at the time. Ohio was our summer residence, and had no Concealed Carry Permit available at the time.

I renewed that permit several times, but unfortunately, that's no longer possible, as for some strange, unknown reason, I no longer have fingerprints.

From this point forward in time, I'll just have to use my original Concealed Carry Permit, The Constitution of the USA.

 

[opoefc]

I just renewed my CCW permit for another two yrs, here in California. I was told i have the oldest continuous permit in CA, and maybe in the USA, as my 1st permit was in 1958 and it has been reissued every year since. That's going on 63 yrs. now. The permit is issued at the descretion of the local Sheriff and is good throughout CA., and several other states . Currently the permit is good for two yrs, in 1958 it was for 5 yrs. in all that time, I only had one confrontation with two muggers who made the error of bringing a knife to a gun fight. Ed.

 

[Onomea]

I say Ed/opoefc wins!

 

[xtrtsqrt11]

1989, Oregon was a may issue state but was surprisingly easy. You had to have a reason. Mine was to go target shooting in the hills. State law allowed to and from an actual range only unless you open carried. Never been a fan of open carry.
Went to the local Sheriff's office, applied, fingerprinted and paid the fee. Can't remember how much the fee was, I think about $20. Got it in the mail a few weeks later, with the limitation that it was for only one handgun identified on the back. I had an old Remington Rand 1911 at the time.
Fortunately no drama since then with it.

 

[Miami_JBT]

I was carrying before I was legally old enough to apply apply for a permit in FL. Worked as a teenager in a bad part of Miami and I carried a S&W Model 36. Didn't care if the State said it was a no go. My life was worth more than that. Rather be judged by twelve than carried by six.

When I was in the Army, I had my application submitted to the State prior to my 21st Birthday so it would be 90 days to the letter when I would turn 21.

 

[waffles]

Got my first one a little over a decade ago. We had to do a two day class for it, which boiled down to "don't shoot yourself, your dog, or your wife, the bullets go in this end and out that end". I wore my Plaxico Burress giant's jersey (tragically stolen since then), the off duty trooper who was the instructor got in my face and asked if I thought that was funny. I did then, still do now.

 

[christak]

Good that this was posted, I thought my Fl CCW was good in S.C....Guess I'll be passing through S.C. from now on, no stops or spending $$$$. Sad as Palmetto Armory is there......

FL CWL is good in all those yellow states as long as you are a resident of FL and didn't get your FL CWL as a resident of another state.

 

[christak]

My Florida permit is good in multitudes of states. Sucks that a couple years ago SC changed their laws. We rode thru there a few times going to NC.

Just want to clarify that the FL CWL is good in all those yellow/gold states as long as you are a resident of FL and didn't get your FL CWL as a resident of another state.

 

[Stephanie B]

CT in 1987/8. I picked up an application from the local cop shop and then went to a range to prove that I could shoot. Five rounds through an AMT Hardballer (range rental gun) was all the guy needed to see. He signed me off, I shot up the rest of the box of 50. Turned in the application to the local cops. When I got the town permit, I applied for the state permit. I've kept it current ever since.

 

[growr]

When Montana became a SHALL ISSUE instead of May Issue in 1988, I got mine in 1989 and have had one since.

Randy

 

[stansdds]

Virginia became a "shall issue" state on July 1, 1995, that Fall I earned my CCW permit. I say I earned it because it was an expensive and time consuming effort at that time. $50 application fee, fingerprinting and mug shots by the local police department, plus a two day training course, I think that was $100, plus a 50 round box of overpriced ammo sold by the range.



Day one was a lecture course on proper gun handling and safety as well as Virginia's firearms and new CCW laws.



Day two was on the range to demonstrate competence with a handgun. It was an indoor range and the instructor looked at me oddly when I sent my B9 target all the way to 15 yards, the maximum distance at that facility. At the end of my demonstration of skills, my target had two holes in the 9 ring, 48 holes in the center. The instructor said nothing. I qualified using my 4 inch barreled S&W Model 19-3.



With successful completion of the course, I applied for and eventually received my permit. At the time, a court judge had 90 days to determine if the applicant had met all the requirements and had no criminal record. Most judges used all 90 days before issuing the permit and I seem to recall that a good number of them took more than 90 days to issue permits.

 

[luvsmiths]

Interesting question. In 1964 I started graduate school at Yale and applied for a Connecticut concealed carry permit. In those days you first had to get a permit from your local police chief that was only valid in his jurisdiction. You then sent that to the Connecticut State Police and they would issue a permit that was valid state-wide. I believe each of these permits was $1.00 and was good for 1 year. Since I lived in New Haven, I applied through the New Haven PD and underwent fingerprinting and a background check. About 3 weeks later I got a call telling me that I passed the background check, but since I was a Yale student, I had to go through the Chief of the Yale PD (an 8 man force at that time) to get my permit, which would require a personal interview. When I showed up, I was shown into his office and asked to take a seat. He was sitting behind a desk wearing a blue button-down shirt and a striped tie and was smoking a pipe. He looked more like a professor than a police chief. He made some very polite small-talk about my education and background and then said, "Do you like guns?". I said "Yes". He then pressed the intercom button on his desk and told his secretary to type up a pistol permit for me. She brought it in and he signed it and impressed a seal on it and handed it to me. I then sent it to the State Police and received my state permit about a week later.

A long answer to a very straightforward question, but the experience was so unusual and made a strong impression on me, so I thought others might be interested.

Was That Cappiello?

 

[brucev]

Was coming home from a visit with my twin brother. He was a deputy with Bibb County. He had given me a Stainless Steel Colt Nat. Match 1911-A1 which was lying on the passenger seat of the car. I had turned off I-75 and was driving west on 300 when I got pulled over by 153 sheriff's cars accompanied by some four wheel drive APC's. Actually it was six cars and I'm not sure how many deputies. They had shotguns and were hollering at me. Wanted to know if I had drugs, guns in the car. They had me stand at the back of the car and I told them I had my briefcase in the back seat and my pistol on the passenger seat. It was not loaded. They were shouting at me like I was a drug lord traveling incognito. A Ga. State Patrolman driving east crossed through the grass strip and pulled his cruiser up beside my car. He got out, put on his hat, walked over to my car, looked in through the driver window, walked round and looked in through the windshield and then walked around to the passenger and took a look. He walked back and told the deputies that there was no problem with the gun. They had decided I was not a drug lord, etc. and I was told I could leave.

So ... I got mad. They wouldn't tell me anything. I drove to the parsonage, dropped off my stuff and headed to the county seat. There I had a chat with the Sheriff who made a phone call. Shortly he told me that I'd been pulled over b/c it had been reported that a man had a gun in a white car. Apparently he had another conversation with the other sheriff about some of the finer points of shotguns, screaming and traffic stops. I walked over to the courthouse and applied for a carry permit. It came in the mail about two weeks later. Have had a concealed permit ever since then ... about 1999. Sincerely. bruce.

 

[Golphin]

Meanwhile here in Florida.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Right after I passed the Bar Exam in 1978.............. renewed now 8 times.