Concealed gun permits ready

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- About 120,000 application forms for concealed gun permits have been printed and are being mailed this week to county sheriffs, meaning all the paperwork should be in place when Missouri's concealed gun law takes effect Oct. 11.

The applications and permits -- on two attached pieces of paper -- were developed by the Missouri Sheriffs' Association, which also has created model forms for firearms instructors to sign indicating that applicants have passed the law's required training courses.

The law, which the legislature enacted Sept. 11 by overriding Gov. Bob Holden's veto, gives sheriffs the responsibility for handling the permit process but did not specify anyone to create the forms and procedures.

The sheriffs' association assumed the oversight job in order to avoid the confusion that could have arisen if each of Missouri's 115 sheriffs issued a different application and permit.

Initially, there were concerns the standardized forms could not be completed in time for the law to take effect. But sheriffs' association employees worked overtime, and state prisoners worked last weekend to print all the documents, said Jim Vermeersch, executive director of the association.

"I'm just happy we got it done. I just didn't think we'd pull it off," he said Thursday.

All Missourians age 23 and older who pass criminal background checks and firearms training courses will be eligible for a concealed gun permit, which would let them carry loaded, hidden guns to anyplace they are not expressly prohibited -- either by a sign or by state law. Among the places automatically off-limits are schools, bars, churches, hospitals, large sports arenas and many government buildings.

The permit, officially known as the Concealed Carry Certificate of Qualification, is on light blue paper containing watermark security features designed to prevent its reproduction.

Applicants will fill out basic information on the actual permit -- such as name, address and birth date -- while filling out the application form and providing fingerprints at their local sheriff's office, Vermeersch said. If they pass the background check, they then will be called back to the sheriff's office, where the applicants and sheriff will each sign the permit. Applicants then will be free to carry concealed guns as soon as they leave the sheriff's office.

The paper document will be the only proof people will have of their concealed gun permits until the Department of Revenue starts noting the qualification on driver's licenses next July.

Vermeersch said he also developed model forms that sheriffs can give applicants to take with them to their firearms training sessions. The form includes a space for instructors to verify their credentials, as well as whether applicants have completed the 10-part training. It also includes a notation that supplying false information is a Class C misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to a $300 fine and 15 days in jail.

Vermeersch said he also made prototype signs that sheriffs can post in their offices explaining the new law requires people to show proof of training and valid identification and to pay up to $100 when applying for the permits.

Before Oct. 11, Vermeersch said, he also plans to distribute materials to sheriffs on the standards for denying applications and on other facts about the law.

Although the law takes effect Oct. 11, residents in some counties may not be able to apply for concealed gun permits until Oct. 14. That's because Oct. 11 falls on a Saturday and Oct. 13 is Columbus Day, a holiday. Vermeersch said some sheriffs are planning to take applications on that Saturday while others intend to wait until the following Tuesday.

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On the Net:

Sheriffs' Association: http://www.mosheriffs.com