Florida Concealed Weapon Permit/License FAQ

• 1. Why should I apply for a Florida Non-resident Concealed Weapons Permit/License?
• Having this license expands the number of states in which you can carry a concealed handgun legally to 33 states.
  MARYLAND, NEW JERSEY AND NEW YORK RESIDENTS: You can now carry concealed in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia and Ohio as part of the 33 States covered by the Florida Non-Resident CWP Handgun License.
  Noted firearm instructor, Massad Ayoob advises getting a non-resident permit in every state contiguous to your own. He relates the unfortunate story of a student of his, who didn't see the necessity of doing so. This person had to visit his dying father in a neighboring state. When he crossed the border, he forgot that he was packing. That evening, he was attacked by several young drunks, one of whom pulled a knife on him. Ayoob's student tried to dissuade the aggressor but the aggressor kept up his attack, so he was forced to draw and fire to save his life.  The attacker died and the defender became a defendant when he was charged with Manslaughter. He was eventually acquitted of the shooting, but unfortunately, he was found guilty of carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, and he was sentenced to the state-required one year minimum/mandatory in jail.
• 2. How many states honor the Florida CWP?
• Thirty-two plus Florida makes thirty-three.
• 3. Does Florida issue Concealed Carry Permits to non-residents of the State of Florida?
• Yes. Absolutely. The State of Florida issues Concealed Weapons Permits to all applicants who are qualified regardless of whether they reside in Florida or in any other state. In actuality, Florida does not issue a separate permit called "Non-Resident" Permit. If you are qualified, regardless of the state in which you reside, you will be issued a Florida CWP. Your permit card is just like the Florida Driver's license, and will have your picture and address on it. A nonresident is subject to the same laws and restrictions with respect to carrying a concealed weapon or concealed firearm as any resident of Florida who is so licensed.
• 4. Can I get a Florida CWP even though I reside in a state that does not issue Concealed Weapons Permits?
• Yes. Absolutely. While the Florida CWP will not entitle you to carry legally in your state, if your state does not issue Concealed Weapons Permits or allow concealed carry (for example, NJ and MD), it will give you the right to carry a concealed firearm legally in 33 other states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming.
• 5. What are the qualifications to be eligible to be issued a Florida CWP?
• • You must be a citizen of the United States OR you must be deemed a lawful permanent resident alien by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS formerly INS).
  • You must be 21 years of age or older.
  • You must be able to demonstrate basic level competency with a firearm.
  • You must been convicted of a felony, nor have a restraining order in force for domestic violence.
  • You must take a recognized Firearm Safety Class given by an NRA Certified Firearms Instructor (such as ours) and get a Certificate of Completion with the instructor's signature and the NRA's Instructor Certification Number on it.
• 6. What do I have to do to apply for the Florida license?
• Just come to one of our scheduled public or private classes as posted on this website.  Our First Steps Pistol/Concealed Weapons Permit class satisfies Florida's handgun safety training requirement. Upon successful completion of the class, you get a Handgun Safety Certificate signed by our NRA Certified Firearms Instructor. At the class, we guide you through each step in the application for the Florida Non-resident CWP. We give you the Florida CWP application packet which includes a copy of the Florida Firearms Statutes, an application, and a fingerprint card.  We help you fill out the application correctly, and make sure you understand the follow-up steps, including fingerprinting, notarization, obtaining a passport photo, and submitting documentation with the proper fees. We supply you with an envelope addressed clearly to the Florida Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Division of Licensing, P.O. Box 6687, Tallahassee, FL 32314.
• 7. What is the website and phone number of the Florida department that handles the Concealed Handgun License applications?
• http://licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/weapons/apply.html
• Phone: 850-245-5691
• 8. What are the fees for applying for the license?
• The State of the Florida charges $75.00 for the five-year Concealed Weapons Permit/License. The fingerprinting, if done electronically "LiveScan"and paid online, is $39.00, plus an additional fee (approxl $5.00-$10.00) as a surcharge from the location where your prints are taken. Additionally, you will also incur a fee for your passport photo that will vary depending on where you have your photo taken (CVS, Walgreens, etc.)
• 9. I have a concealed carry permit from my home state (or another state).  Does that qualify me?
• No. It is not sufficient in and of itself.  You must satisfy the training requirement. However, some states, such as Ohio and Utah, require completion of a course to satisfy their state's training requirement for obtaining a CWP. If you have a Training Certificate from such a course, taught by a State Certified or NRA Certified Firearms Instructor, you're good.
• 10. How do I know if I must take a course to be eligible for the Florida permit?
• If you don't have a Training Certificate as described in #6 above, you must take the course to be eligible for the Florida CWP.
• 11. I am an active duty law enforcement officer?  Do I still need the course?
• It depends. The "Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004", H.R. 218, on paper, exempts current and retired law enforcement officers from state laws prohibiting them from carrying concealed firearms (other than machine guns, silencers, or other destructive devices). However, Section 926B further requires qualified, currently employed law enforcement officers to carry proper photographic identification from their issuing agency; to be agency authorized to carry firearms; and to not be under agency disciplinary action at the time they choose to carry.
• This is NOT the same as a state issued CWP.
• For more information, go to the following link:
  http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/HR218/attach/HR218update-Fall05.html
• 12. I am a retired police officer.  Do I still need the course?
• Section 926C of the "Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004", H.R. 218,  requires retired officers to carry photographic identification and qualification credentials issued by their former agency, or two forms of photographic ID - the first showing that they retired from a particular agency, the second showing that they have met state firearm qualification standards within the last 12 months.
• Retired police officers must have retired "in good standing" - and not as the result of psychological stress disorders or "mental instability" - from a law enforcement agency. They must have been regularly employed law enforcement officers for 15 or more total years, or retired before 15 years, due to service-related physical disability. Finally, their right to retirement benefits must be "nonforfeitable" which, in effect means they weren't fired or forced to resign.
• For more information, go to the following link:
  http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/HR218/attach/HR218update-Fall05.html
• 13. I have never handled a gun before.  Am I eligible to apply?
• Yes. However, you must take and pass an approved Firearms Safety Course.
• 14. I was once convicted of a felony.  Am I eligible?
• NO. Unless your felony conviction was expunged.  You should talk to a criminal attorney.
• 15. What is the fee for taking the course offered by Defensive Shooting Instructors, Inc.?
• Public classes are $150.00 for the 5 hour class, private classes are $200.00.
  NOTE: The course fee is separate from the $75.00 license fee charged by the State of Florida for the Five-year License, and the fingerprinting and photo fees.
• 16. Why should I take a course from Defensive Shooting Instructors, Inc.?
• We make the whole application process easy, so you get it right the first time. Most importantly, our classes are thorough. You walk away with good knowledge, correct practices learned, and confidence.
• 17. Where and when are the Personal Defense Solutions courses offered?
• See our Class Schedule - contact us at info@defensiveshootinginstructors.com.
• 18. What does the course entail?
• The course covers the following topics:
  • Firearm safety rules and safe gun handling
  • Fundamentals of shooting a handgun
  • Handgun nomenclature and operation (revolvers and semi-automatic pistols)
  • Handgun Ammunition
  • Maintenance and cleaning of a handgun
  • Pertinent sections of the law relating to weapons, firearms and carry
  • Where you can and cannot carry a firearm
  • Deadly force
  • How to interact with police
  • Self-defense awareness
  • Secure transport and storage
  • Concealment holsters and carry methods
  • Recommended readings
  • Basic competency test performed on the range
• 19. Can I bring my own handgun to use for qualifying on the range?
• Yes you can. But the following rules apply:
  • It must be brought to the class unloaded and cased.
  • NO LOADED FIREARMS ARE PERMITTED IN THE CLASS.
  • You must bring your own ammunition if you bring your own firearm or purchase it at the range.
  • The instructor will check your unloaded weapon on the range to make sure it is safe to use.
  • The instructor still reserves the right to require that you demonstrate your competency with one of the class firearms.
• 20. Do I get a training certificate?
• Yes.

Training - Ability Over Technology

One of the greatest vulnerabilities of Americans as they prepare to wage the War on Terror is our love of technology. Yet all too often our expensive high-technology systems and weapons are defeated by simple, low-tech solutions employed by committed attackers. The Vietnam War was one example of this, while 9-11 was another and the most recent incident in which a multi-billion security system was brought to its knees by something as simple as small knives.

Since then our preparations to fight future attacks have continued to suffer from the same weakness, a weakness our enemies will continue to exploit. Even tactical and academic training has come to suffer from a "too much fluff, not enough substance" deficiency, where participants and instructors alike are more concerned with special effects, fancy simulators, light shows, hi-tech pretend weapons and entertaining Power Point displays. Yet other than the attention grabbing and impressive packaging, the actual techniques being taught and information being imparted is little more than the same "inside the box" training that has existed for decades. Training that has long been obsolete.

Defensive Shooting Instructors, Inc. is committed to providing the best, most effective, innovative and combat proven training available today for those preparing for terror attack. All of the hi-tech gear, training toys and weapons are seldom necessary to prevail in battle, and they are never a substitute for good training and committed operators. At our training courses you will not enjoy the luxury of viewing room and building clearing through 3-D virtual reality projectors, you will race through them yourself; you will run up and down the stairs until you get it right. You will roll in the dirt, not walk through palatial, multi-plex shooting simulators. You do not need to travel to anyone's state of the art facility for expensive training, when the real battle will take place in a simple school building and can be taught anywhere, within a department's training budget. There is no training we do that we cannot do anywhere. At Defensive Shooting Instructors, Inc. we believe that if you are expected to operate anywhere, you have to be able to train anywhere.

That is our pledge to you: ABILITY OVER TECHNOLOGY.