Time To Renew Conceal Carry Permits

By Kevin Fox
Those Clark County residents who applied for and took training for Conceal Carry Permits three years ago when it became available, now have reached the time when those permits must be renewed.  Most of Clark County first to apply for permit holders will see their permits expire as of the end of June. In order for permit holders to renew their Conceal Carry Permit, they need to take their old endorsement that was either placed on their Missouri Driver’s License or on their Missouri Non-Driver ID to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
In talking with the Clark County Sheriff’s office they will be in contact with permit holders perhaps within two or three weeks prior to the permit expiration. Once shown the old endorsement, the sheriff’s department will require current Concealed Carry Permit holders to fill out a new application and fill out an agreement for a FBI background check.  The background check should not be a problem, because if a permit holder had done something criminal in the past three years during the time that he or she has held a permit, the permit would have been revoked. Fingerprinting is not required for a renewal. The cost for the process is $50.00 and will be good for three years, as was the previous Conceal Carry permit.
Upon your successful completion of all renewal requirements, the sheriff shall issue a certificate of qualification that must specify the issue date of the renewal and the control number.
The renewed Conceal carry certificate must be taken to the motor vehicle and driver license contract office within seven days of issuance to apply for an updated Conceal carry endorsement. The permit holder will be required to pay the applicable duplicate or renewal driver / non – driver license fee which is $11.00.
If a permit holder files a renewal application after the expiration date of the Concealed Carry endorsement, the sheriff may assess an additional late fee of ten dollars per month for each month the Conceal Carry endorsement is expired up to six months. After six months, the permit holder will be required to reapply for a new Conceal Carry certificate and pay new applicant fees.
According to Conceal Carry activist Stu Strickler of the community, who has entered testimony in several Senate hearings, "Currently the permit is good for three years and we (The Right To Bear Arms Leadership) would like to get that changed to five years, as well as lowering the legal age of a permit holder from 23 years to 21 years of age. This is something which we might propose within the next year or two. There is nothing cut in stone that we will do this and presently is just being talked around by various groups. Approximately 30,000 Missourians have had background checks ran in order to get a Concealed Carry permit. Missouri honors Conceal Carry permits from all other states, so if you obtain a permit from another state those permits are recognized by this state and it would not have been necessary to get a resident Concealed Carry if you already had one in another state as I do. At present there are 32 states which honor the Missouri Concealed Carry endorsement. If you have a computer you can go to http://www/ago.mo.gov/concealed-weapons/concealed -carry-reciprocity-missiouri.htm and  you can find out which states honor our endorsement. This website also is there to answer other questions which you may have concerning Concealed Carry. Of course one of the problems which Conceal Carry permit holders have in Clark County is that our endorsement is not recognized in Iowa and Illinois. It is amazing that I can carry a concealed firearm in 35 other states, but if I go to my neighbor state of Iowa if I should happen to forget to take my firearm off, I am an instant criminal. It could happen very easily along the border near the Iowa line near Farmington where a farmer could be checking out his farm in Missouri, go down the road which he always does, and part of the time be in Iowa, and if stopped he would be a criminal. But we are working very hard in getting this changed, but it takes time and it takes support."