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Concealed Carry Handgun Permit/Renewal

CCW PERMIT

Concealed Handgun Permit Requirements: must meet all requirements

Applicant must:

  • Be a citizen or a naturalized citizen;
  • Be twenty-one (21) years of age;
  • Have attained at least one month's residency (30 days) in Richmond County;
  • Not suffer from any mental or physical infirmity which would prevent safe handgun handling and operation;
  • At the time of application and pickup, provide a valid driver's license or other picture ID with current address provided by the State of North Carolina;
  • Successfully complete a firearms training and safety course that has been designed by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Standards Commission.
A criminal background check is performed on each applicant before granting the permit. The processing of the concealed carry weapons permit takes much longer than the handgun purchase permit. The Sheriff has forty-five (45) days from the time all application materials, to include receipt of the mental health records, are received to either issue or deny a permit. N.C. General Statute 14-415-15(a).

Anyone interested in applying for a concealed carry weapon permit must make sure you have the following information available:

  • NC Driver's license number,
  • NC Firearms Training Certificate Number (located at the bottom right corner of your certificate), if you have a Law Enforcement Qualification (N.C.G.S § 14-415.12(A)), you must bring the following items with you in order to exempt you from taking the NC Firearms Safety Training Course:
  • Firearms Qualification Scores that are within the last 12 months,
  • A letter from your superior stating that you are not under any disciplinary action and are eligible to carry your weapon,
  • Your law enforcement ID badge.
A Concealed Handgun Permit requires a $90 non-refundable fee (which includes a $10 fingerprinting fee) payable in cash at the time of application to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

CCW RENEWAL

If you are renewing a Concealed Handgun Permit, you must apply prior to your expiration date, but no more than 90 days prior to the expiration date.

If your permit has expired, but it has been less than 60 days since the permit expired, you will be required to apply as a new applicant, be fingerprinted, and pay the $90 fee, but you will not be required to submit a new training certificate.

If more than 60 days has passed since your permit expired, you must retake the concealed handgun training course, apply as a new applicant, and submit the new training certificate with the application.

The fee for renewing a Concealed Handgun Permit is set at $75, payable at the time of application to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office in cash.

"DO'S AND DON'TS" OF CARRYING A CONCEALED HANDGUN

  1. Your permit to carry a concealed handgun must be carried along with valid identification whenever the handgun is being carried concealed.
  2. When approached or addressed by any officer, you must disclose the fact that you have a valid concealed handgun permit and inform the officer that you are in possession of a concealed handgun. You should not attempt to draw or display either your weapon or your permit for the officer unless and until he/she directs you to do so. Your hands are to be kept in plain view and you are not to make any sudden movements.
  3. At the request of any law enforcement officer, you must display both the permit and valid identification.
  4. You may not, with or without a permit, carry a concealed weapon while consuming alcohol or while alcohol or any substance, controlled or otherwise, is in your blood unless the substance was obtained legally and taken in therapeutically appropriate amounts.
  5. You must notify the sheriff who issued your permit of any address change within thirty (30) days of the change of address.
  6. If a permit is lost or destroyed, you must notify the sheriff who issued the permit and you may receive a duplicate permit by submitting a notarized statement to that effect, along with the required fee. Do not carry a handgun without it.
  7. Even with a permit, you may not carry a concealed handgun in the following areas:

a. Any law enforcement or correctional facility;
b. Any space occupied by State or federal employees;
c. Any premises where the carrying of a concealed handgun is prohibited by the posting of a statement by the controller of the premises;
d. Public educational property, however a permittee may secure a handgun in a locked vehicle;
e. Areas of assemblies or demonstrations;
f. State occupied property;
g. Any State or federal courthouse;
h. Any area prohibited by federal law; or
i. Any local government building if the local government has adopted an ordinance and posted signs prohibiting the carrying of concealed weapons.

8. If you are in a vehicle and stopped by a law enforcement officer, you should put both hands on the steering wheel, announce you are in possession of a concealed handgun, and state where you have it concealed and that you are in possession of a permit. Do not remove your hands from the wheel until instructed to do so by the officer.

Concealed Carry Handgun Permit

Complete and return in person to the Richmond County Sheriff's Office