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Sheriff Answers Questions on CCW Permits

09/26/2018

The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office has received calls regarding CCW permits and Missouri's new law and whether or not Missouri residents need permits or not.  The questions stem from CCW permits that are due for renewal and the new law and if they are even needed any longer.  This release will try and answer those questions as simply as possible.

Missouri is now a Constitutional Carry State.  This means that as long as a Missouri resident meets certain qualifications, they are legally allowed to carry a concealed weapon on their person without a permit.  This allows them to carry that weapon almost anywhere (schools, churches, government buildings, etc. are still prohibited).

However, if you leave the State of Missouri and travel to another state and carry a weapon concealed under Missouri's Constitutional Carry, you will be subject to arrest for unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon (a potential felony charge).  Even if that state is also a Constitutional Carry state.  Missouri and other states Constitutional Carry DO NOT reciprocate.

If you wish to carry concealed in other states then you need to possess a valid Missouri 5 year CCW permit.  Most all states now reciprocate and accept Missouri's 5 year permit.

Missouri also offers CCW permits that range from 10 years through a lifetime permit.  However, these permits are not recognized by other states and are essentially useless in Missouri.

So, in short, if you never plan to leave the State of Missouri then you probably don't need to obtain a CCW permit.  However if you plan on traveling outside the State of Missouri and wish to carry a concealed weapon on your person, you need to possess a valid Missouri 5 year CCW permit.  This permit also affords you other protections that Missouri's Constitutional Carry law does not.

I hope this answers most of your questions but if you have others, please feel free to contact my office.

Sheriff Brad A. DeLay