CCW State Law Comparisons - Basics 2 (table of contents, next page)

Permit Cost:

Opponents to Proposition B have always complained that the fee charged for the permit was too low. Excuses used by opponents to support this stance ranged from not enough money to cover costs, to concern opponents had that too low a fee would allow low income people to obtain a permit.

In the existing laws of the 30 states, the permit fee ranged from a low of $1 to a high of $150 (including fingerprinting fees). Excessive permit fees are considered restrictive.

• 7 states charge over $100 for their permit;
• 14 states charge between $50 and $99 for their permit [Prop B - initial]; and
• 10 states charge up to $49 for their permit [Prop B – renewal].

Years Permit is Valid:

Another measure of permit law strictness is the length of time a permit remains valid. The shorter the time period till required renewal, the bill is considered stricter.

• 11 states issue permits that are valid for 5 years
• 16 states issue permits that are valid for 4 years;
• 3 states issue permits that are valid for 3 years [Prop B]; and
• 1 state issues permits that are valid for 1 year.

Age Restriction:

Age restrictions on who can apply for a permit to carry a concealed firearm also varied from state to state. Some states restrict this to "adults" while others allow permits to be issued to persons over 18 years of age. A small number of states that normally issue permits to persons over 21, also allows the issuing authority to issue permits to persons between 18 and 21 years of age, under certain circumstances.

• 1 state issues permits to citizens only over 23 years of age;
• 22 states issue permit to citizens only over 21 years of age [Prop B];
• 6 states issue permits to citizens only over 18 years of age; and
• 1 state has no statutory age limit for permit holders.

Carrying Concealed Weapons W/O a permit:

An often overlooked aspect on the debate over allowing concealed firearms laws is the statutory penalty for carrying a concealed firearm without a penalty. A review of the laws of the 31 states yielded the following data:

• 4 states classify carrying a concealed weapon without a permit as a felony [Prop B];
• 25 states classify carrying a concealed weapon without a permit as a misdemeanor; and
• 2 states classification for carrying concealed weapons without a permit is unknown.

[COVER] [CONTENTS] [TITLE] [DEDICATION] [ABSTRACT] [INTRO] [METHOD] [HOW TO USE]
[BASICS1, 2, 3, Chart] [CHECK, Chart] [PERMITTED WEAPONS, Chart] [PERMIT FORM1, 2, Chart] [TRAINING1, 2, Chart] [QUALIFICATIONS, Chart] [PROHIBITED PLACES1, 2, 3, Chart] [FL, TX and VA1, 2, 3]
[CONCLUSION]

copyright Greg Jeffery, 1999, all rights reserved

For further information visit the Missouri Concealed Carry website at www.moccw.org or send email to .

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