Carry out – The trials and tribulations of securing a conceal and carry permit
A year ago this month, I fired a handgun for the first time.
I had always wanted to learn how to shoot a handgun, for my own protection mostly. But I knew next to nothing about them.
So I set out to learn and to get a gun permit. I wanted to carry a gun, to know everything about the weapon, to feel that sense of personal protection.
I chose to take the National Rifle Association Personal Protection Course taught by Gordon Hutchinson here in Baton Rouge. Hutchinson offers the class at either one of two locations: Bass Pro Shops or Baker Range. I chose Baker Range. His instructors are certified by the NRA and the Louisiana State Police (LSP) and are experienced former police firearms instructors—specified as proper training in the statute as required by the state Legislature.
Hutchinson is an LSU graduate, an Army vet, and more importantly, spent 25 years as an active reserve deputy with the local sheriff’s office. For much of that time, he served as the firearms instructor for the office. After gaining certification, he started teaching the same basic class to civilians back in 1992 and has taught classes to more than 5,000 Baton Rougeans.
When I showed up for my first Saturday morning class, there were about 25 others present. Half men. Half women. There were a couple pre-teen boys there with their dad. An elderly retired couple. I sat between two young women. A lot of people are talking about self-defense and violent crime in our community right now. And it seemed like all demographics of Baton Rouge were represented.
The first thing I learned is that Louisiana has an open carry law. In other words, I didn’t even need a permit (or this class) to buy or operate a gun.
“In Louisiana, it is perfectly legal to carry openly,” Hutchinson explained. “Unless an area or place is considered illegal under the law, such as barrooms, a jail, a courtroom, et cetera, you do not need a permit to carry openly. But carrying openly can subject you to undue attention from surrounding citizens and can bring attention from the police. So people get a [concealed gun] permit to avoid the hassle.”
So this class was for obtaining a Concealed Weapons Permit—nothing else. However, though the class was unnecessary for my specific purpose of buying a gun, my time and money was still well spent.
“We are very passionate in our belief that everyone should get this training, whether they elect to carry concealed or not,” Hutchinson said.
The first part of the class consisted of identifying the different types of handguns: revolvers, semi-automatics and single-action revolvers. The instructors clearly demonstrated how guns work, how to handle them safely, ammunition choices, sight picture, alignment, dominant eye and range safety.
Various types and calibers of unloaded guns were passed around for us to handle. This was my first time ever even holding a handgun.
I do have prior military service, having served in the Army many years ago, but I was only trained on an M-16 rifle—a very different animal than a handgun.
At the conclusion of this introductory portion, we were allowed to go to the range for the live-fire portion of the class. We were told everyone is required to shoot at least one box of ammunition. That’s 50 rounds.
This is the part we’d all been waiting for. You know, showtime.
Like most people, I thought I knew what to expect. For instance, I had assumed that the ear protection was just an overindulgent precaution that was not really necessary. Wrong. Guns are a lot louder than most people think. Same thing with the eye protection. Bullet casings can easily fly out and spray shrapnel across your face.
Pulling the trigger was frightening and empowering at the same time. Feeling the gun jump in my hands and hearing the shot, I realized the responsibility of it all. “I have the power to stop someone from hurting me,” I thought, “and the ability to do damage, too.”
If I’m really going to buy a handgun, I knew then I needed to be prepared. Once that bullet leaves the gun, it can never be pulled back.
When the day was over, we had been shown how to properly fill out the paperwork required to obtain our permit, had the paperwork notarized, and were awarded a completion certificate proving to the LSP that we had received the basic training required to apply for a permit. Not bad for $90, which is for the class alone—not the fee for the permit.
The Louisiana State Police charges $125 for a five-year permit. Applicants have one year from the date on the certificate given at the class to turn in the application and paperwork to the LSP to apply for the permit. If you wait longer than one year, they will refuse your application and tell you to take the course over again.
Sgt. Len Marie, Region 1 Spokesperson, explains, “We take the applications and fingerprints and analyze them at Criminal Records. Each applicant’s criminal history is checked through various local and federal databases and for mental health issues. The process usually takes 60 to 90 days. And while 90% of the applications are issued in that amount of time, we have been backed up lately, simply due to the sheer numbers we are processing right now.”
The state approves about 12,000 permits each year, including renewals, according to Sgt. Clay Reavis with the LSP. About 450 applications are denied each year.
A denied applicant may request an informal review within a certain timeframe. If an applicant supplies all the necessary information in that time, the application will go before a review board, at which time the denial can be reversed.
If an application is approved, LSP prints it and mails it to the address on the application. This is what happened to me, after a long wait.
After trying out a few different guns—a 9mm Sig Sauer in class, a Glock .40 and a Glock 9mm—I decided on the latter. I actually bought and received my gun the day before I received my concealed weapons permit.
I’ve only fired it a few times and always at the range.
I don’t plan on ever carrying my gun concealed anywhere.
I hope I never have to use it.
