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[kengrubb]

When the wife and I left Maryland in 1997 for Magic City (Miami, Florida), we moved into Shall Issue country. Got our application packets (orderable online) in the mail, and started filling 'em out. I diligently read and adhered to EVERYTHING, and I encourage anyone to do the same. At the time, Florida had a bunch of anal retentive rules. Need SSN on the back of the photo submitted, and I believe two photos were required. A reading of the rules seemed to indicate your basic Passport Photo was preferred and we had 'em done at a local Mailboxes Etc. I later learned that we were fortunate to have used MBE because they (MBE) asked whether it was for a CCW license, and they appropriately adjusted the camera in some way. Something about the size of the silhouette framed in the picture that Tallahassee can be a stickler about. Photo of training certificate, which they keep. Don't send originals as you won't get it back.

Now we get to the fingerprint cards. Florida gives you the cards, but requires you to have an LEA do the printing. There's a space where the print tech fills it out. I called Florida Highway Patrol who said sorry, we don't do that. Called a couple of municipalities nearby in our part of unincorporated Dade County (since renamed Miami-Dade County). Sorry, if yer not a resident, you don't exist. Metro-Dade police were the only option. I called the Doral Station, which is just a mile or so away. They said yes, we can make an appointment for you, in about 6 weeks. I thought they were joking. No, they were quite serious. OK, fine, got my appointment for the wife and I.

We show up on the day in question, and I brought our ENTIRE CCW application packets with all documents, just in case. We got there about 15-20 minutes early, checked in at the window where we were told to wait. We waited about 30 minutes PAST our appointment time before they called us up to the window. They asked for our Driver's Licenses and the fingerprint cards and told us to have a seat. An hour and a half later--I am NOT exaggerating--we were finally called up to the window. They told us our "clearance check" came back OK. Just so we're all clear, wife and I bring in fingerprint cards to get printed for a CCW license, and we have a criminal records check run on us. My question, which I kept to myself, is why then am I not handed a CCW license on the spot. Works that way with a Driver's License. But, I digress.

We were given our Driver's Licenses back, and told to have a seat. Another 30 minutes later, and we finally get brought back for printing. Metro-Dade had a slick, computerized scanner. No messy black ink. Scanned our prints, printed the cards, and the tech reviewed the cards. Looked like a smear on my right thumb, but the tech checked and confirmed it was a burn scar on my right thumbprint. She added a notation on the card and signed it indicating there was a scar creating the appearance of a smear on the card. After a total of about 3 hours, we finally had our prints.

Sent the packets off via Certified Returned Receipt, and it took about 2 months or so to issue.

I have learned since that the Carol City Metro Dade police station will take same day appointments. Wife had to go get printed for her job in Day Care, and we rode up there. Carol City is in something of a DMZ, so there's a reason ya get same day service up there. Fortunately, at that time I had my CCW so I was able to carry up there. Had to leave it locked in the car to go inside the station, but we were protected on the ride up and back.

When we moved to Washington State, wife and I walked into the Bellevue city police station on a Wednesday (they only take new apps between 6PM and 9PM on Wednesdays), filled out our apps, were fingerprinted, and outta there all in about 45 minutes. Licenses were issued two days later, that Friday, and mailed to us. Took the Post Office about a week to deliver 'em.

Then we ended up in North Carolina. Had to have North Carolina specific training. Neither my NRA courses, Firearms Academy of Seattle courses (FAS-2, FAS-3, FAS-4 and FAS-5), Judicious Use of Deadly Force (classroom only portion of Mas Ayoob's LFI-1), nor Jim Cirillo's Close Quarters Survival Course was adequate. North Carolina training involved a lot of videotaped material provided by the state. It was copies of copies on VHS, and the video quality varied from good to poor throughout. The monotonous, monotone, rambling of the NC Department of Justice lawyer on the tape was almost too much for anyone. He was all but actively discouraging people from applying. He narrated several "what if" scenarios on the use of force, and most of them were pretty awful and ill thought out.

Midday, the croup of us went out to lunch together, and one of the students was a retired NC cop. Gave me a chance to pick his brain a bit. He was very helpful and willing to answer questions, and given his LE background it gave some sense of the "mood" around there. There were some areas in which I thought it was possible for a judicious shooting to end up before a jury or grand jury because of preconceived notions about things which were simply wrong and easily disproved. Such is life.

On the range, it didn't seem like there was any hard and fast rule as to what ya had to shoot to qualify. I believe everyone passed, but it was quite rudimentary. No timed shooting. No shooting under simulated duress. Did have to do one exercise involving shoot, reload and shoot again. No draw and fire stuff. Instructor owned the range, and he said that wasn't allowed on his range. He didn't see the need or merit to learn how to draw and fire. I just kept quiet, shot the COF, and got my certificate.

With my certificate in hand, I could then go apply to the Alamance County Sheriff's Office. They had some kinda oddball rule whereby they only took CCW applications on certain days, I think Tuesdays and Thursdays, and only between certain hours. Anywho, I showed up with my application, certificate, etc. Paid my money, then they had a police cadet take me in to get fingerprinted. She and I had to pass through the secured double doors into the jail. Yeah, that's right. In order to get fingerprinted for your CCW license in Alamance County, NC, they send you into the secured portion of the jail with the detainees. We walked past a man in a suit with a notepad sitting and talking with a man in a stylish orange jumpsuit and fashionable slippers--presumably a lawyer and his client. Nothing between us and them except air and opportunity. The cadet printed me, and we went back out. I found it odd that no one patted me down before we went in. I could well have been concealing who knows what, and since the cadet was walking in front of me leading the way, I could well have dropped anything I was concealing for someone inside to avail themselves of. Very strange experience. Would not happen in my jail, but what do I know.

When we moved to the suburbs of Harrisburg, PA (Dauphin County), I already had a license from Cambria County, PA. Got it entirely mail order when I lived in Florida. [Wife and I have relatives up there, so we get back up to visit now and again.] I called the Dauphin County Sheriff's Office and inquired as to whether I needed to do anything in the way of getting a new license issued with my PA address. Nope, just need to have a Driver's License with a valid address on it. Cool. When my PA license was about to expire, I went over to the courthouse to renew. Filled out my app, paid my money, and left all in about 20 minutes. About 45 days later, they called to say come get it. Went back, showed my ID, walked out with my renewed PA CCW. There was a period in which my old license had lapsed and the new one had not been issued. I've since learned I could have reapplied up to 60 days before it expired to prevent this.

Finally, we moved back to Washington state in April 2004. Got to town, and called the Bellevue PD to inquire about a renewal. My Washington license had expired in January 2004, and in Washington one can renew a license up to 90 days AFTER the license has expired. Missed it by THAT much. Oh well. New application. Took about 2 and a half weeks for Bellevue PD to issue this time. Not sure why and whether any policies had changed. Still came in record time as state law allows for the issuing authority to take up to 60 days to issue if the applicant has not resided in Washington for the previous 90 consecutive days--which I had not. Otherwise the issuing authority must issue or deny within 30 days. Interestingly enough, because of a point in Washington law, I continued to carry even thought my license was expired. Had a shooting gone down, it would have been discovered that my license was expired. However, no criminal charges could be brought for unlicensed carry, as it's a noncriminal offense if your license has expired within the past two years. On par with a parking ticket. You'll get a small fine based upon a pro-rated formula for the period of time you weren't licensed. $60 for a 5 year license means $12 a year or $1 a month. My license was expired for 3 months, that'll be $3 please. Pay the clerk.

These days I pay closer attention to when my license expires. Something I rather like about both PA and Washington, in the courts there's a storage locker to check your gun--assuming you have a valid CCW. I'd much sooner trust my gun in the custody of armed deputies than locked in my car outside.
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Ken Grubb
Puyallup, WA

[C. lupus baileyi]

The day after I was naturalized as a US citizen, I went to Lacey (WA) city hall to apply for a passport, and stopped off at the police station next door to apply for a CPL as well whie I was at it. I'd filled out a form in pdf format online and printed it off, so that saved some time.

The lady behind the counter took my form, my driver's license, my payment for the license fee, and it took maybe five minutes before they were ready to take my prints. It would have been quicker, but I wasn't the only applicant. I admit I'm terrible at getting my prints taken, so it took twice as long as it needed to, but even so, I think everything was taken care of in 15 minutes, 20 at the outside, and all I had to do was wait until the CPL arrives in the mail. Lacey PD will even laminate it for me (an optional service for which I gladly paid the additional $3).
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"Our society is no longer imaginable without gun violence. All too often during muggings and robberies, a firearm is used to threaten." - Dutch regional police report, 2005

Member: HRW, ACLU, SAF, NRA

[Van]

[C. lupus baileyi]

My CPL arrived by mail today, nicely laminated. It fits tolerably well in the central compartment of the Woolrich Elite pocket organizer I've taken to carrying (it holds my cel phone, Leatherman Wave and Pelican M6 2390 very nicely). I think it's nice that the expiry date is five years after the day they actually mailed it (i.e. yesterday), rather than five years after the day I applied (29 days ago). I guess I'm still used to the Dutch way of doing things (where your passport enters force on the day you apply ofr it, even though it can take eight calendar days before you actually receive it).
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"Our society is no longer imaginable without gun violence. All too often during muggings and robberies, a firearm is used to threaten." - Dutch regional police report, 2005

Member: HRW, ACLU, SAF, NRA