Renewal Time? Maybe...

by Joel Rosenberg
18-May-2007

If you got your carry permit back in the summer of 2003, it's probably time to start thinking about taking your renewal class — get out your wallet and your carry permit, note the expiration date, and follow me through this, as we talk about how and when to renew a Minnesota carry permit.

A bit of background

A Minnesota carry permit is good for five years from the date of issuance; see here, and page down to Subd 7.:

Subd. 7. Permit card contents; expiration; renewal.

(a) Permits to carry must be on an official, standardized permit card adopted by the commissioner, containing only the name, residence, and driver's license number or state identification card number of the permit holder, if any.

(b) The permit card must also identify the issuing sheriff and state the expiration date of the permit. The permit card must clearly display a notice that a permit, if granted, is void and must be immediately returned to the sheriff if the permit holder becomes prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.

(c) A permit to carry a pistol issued under this section expires five years after the date of issue. It may be renewed in the same manner and under the same criteria which the original permit was obtained, subject to the following procedures:

(1) no earlier than 90 days prior to the expiration date on the permit, the permit holder may renew the permit by submitting to the appropriate sheriff the application packet described in subdivision 3 and a renewal processing fee not to exceed the actual and reasonable direct cost of processing the application or $75, whichever is less. Of this amount, $5 must be submitted to the commissioner and deposited into the general fund. The sheriff must process the renewal application in accordance with subdivisions 4 and 6; and(2) a permit holder who submits a renewal application packet after the expiration date of the permit, but within 30 days after expiration, may renew the permit as provided in clause (1) by paying an additional late fee of $10.

(d) The renewal permit is effective beginning on the expiration date of the prior permit to carry.

And here we go . . .

So: permits are good for five years; the statute requires that the training must take place within a year of application (not expiration of the old permit — application for the new or renewal permit) and — this is kind of a key to the whole thing — the window to apply for a renewal permit opens 90 days before the permit expires.

The Minnesota Citizens Personal Protection Act went into effect on May 28, 2003, and thousands and thousands of people applied for and got their permits during that first flurry of training that busy summer. With those permits expiring in the summer of 2008, the window for application will open next spring . . . and the window for taking training is, well, open now.

Like I said at the top of this essay, take a look at the expiration date of your permit. If it expires less than a year and three months from today, you can take your training at any time, now . . . and then, three months before it expires, you can go down to your local sheriff's office with a copy of your training certificate, and apply. Instead of the $100 you paid the sheriff back in 2003, it will cost only $75 for the renewal. That's the only difference.

Your sheriff will process your application, and mail you out your new permit within thirty days . . . and it will expire exactly five years from the day your present permit expires; you won't have to pay for any overlap.

What will training consist of?

Again, take a look at the link to Minn. Stat 624.714: the legal requirements for a renewal are exactly the same as for an original permit:

(1) instruction in the fundamentals of pistol use;
(2) successful completion of an actual shooting qualification exercise; and
(3) instruction in the fundamental legal aspects of pistol possession, carry, and use, including self-defense and the restrictions on the use of deadly force.

That's it.

Now, in practice, most carry classes — all good ones, certainly including Twin Cities Carry — go beyond that. As those who have taken TCCarry know, we spend a lot of time beyond the minimum required . . . and for renewals, we still will. That said, if you've been carrying successfully for five years, you probably won't want to spend a whole lot of time on issues like weapon selection and holster choice, and that'll be largely a review.

For those of you who took classes from me back in 2003, there will definitely be some things you'll remember, and some new stuff &mdash you'll be qualified to get your Utah, Florida, Connecticut, Maine, and Virgina permits, as well as those from Minnesota, and New Hampshire . . . and if you get all of the permits you're eligible to, you'll be able to carry in up to thirty-six states, now.

It'll be fun.

What will it cost? How long will it take? And where do I sign up?

That hasn't changed in quite awhile, and it's not likely to change much until next spring or summer. If you've taken a class with me before, the cost is $85; you'll get all of the new handouts, of course. If you already have a Minnesota carry permit, but you haven't taken a class with me before, the cost is $135 . . . and you'll get all of the handouts, and a copy of The Book. If you don't have a carry permit, the cost is $185.

Regardless, just sign up on the courses page, and if you qualify for a rate lower than the $185, just put a reminder in the notes on the registration page. Not a problem.

As to how long it will take, that, as always, depends on the class . . . it won't be any less than four hours; probably around five to six.

There's no need to rush. After all, you do this only once every five years, it's both better and more fun to take the time to do it right . . . and then we'll head out to the range to do the shooting qualification.

Why do it now rather than later?

That's easy: things are going to be kind of hectic next summer, what with thousands and thousands of people waiting until the last minute (or, for some, waiting until after the last minute; you know who you are...) to get it done. Getting in at the range will take a lot of patience.

But the best reasons are the simplest ones: because you can, and because it'll be fun.

See you soon.

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