Should I get a 'Conceal and Carry' permit?

I don't know; you would know that better than I do.

If you're 21 or older and not barred by, say, being a convicted felon, it's up to you. Actually, the term "conceal and carry" is inaccurate, even though it's commonly used. In Minnesota, the thing that makes many permit holders carry their handguns concealed most of the time, rather than openly, is common sense; Minnesota Statute 624.714, both before and after the changes made by the Minnesota Citizens Personal Protection Act, doesn't say anything about "conceal and carry."

In fact, in the metro areas of Minnesota, many permit holders carry openly*. Really.

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* It's true, but there is a trick to that. In the metro areas, many people who are authorized to carry a handgun on a "Minnesota Permit to Carry a Pistol" are uniformed security guards. They carry on the authority of the same permits that the rest of us permit holders do. They're civilians, not peace officers.

Should I look into what's involved?

Well, that's a matter of opinion, but I'll give you mine: I think you should. Whether or not you decide to apply for a carry permit, you should know about the changes in the law. When the Minnesota Citizens Personal Protection Act (MCPPA) passed in April of 2003, there were something like 12,000 permit holders in Minnesota, from the previous law.

That number has ballooned to more than 45,000 as of June 2007 , and the numbers do keep going up as more and more law-abiding citizens realize that having a carry permit is a good part of their own personal safety strategy.

Even if you don't think you'd want to take a permit, it still is good to know something about the subject.

Even those people who are utterly opposed to the changes should make it a point to inform themselves about them, and about what permit holders are being taught.

Hint: it's mostly about staying out of trouble.

I'm not going to apply for a permit. What do the changes in the law mean for me?

Not much, really, except that, in the long run, you can expect that there will be a small, but real, drop in violent crime. To learn more about that, read John Lott's books, or those by Gary Kleck.

I hate handguns, and they scare me. Should I still look into training?

Absolutely. Whether or not you decide to take a training course, you should see what's going on. In the Twin Cites Carry Course, nothing scary goes on in the classroom, even for people frightened of guns. (If you're a member of an anti-reform group, like "Citizens for a Safer Minnesota," please feel free to contact me for a group rate. I'll be happy to give group rates to people who have been involved on either side of the issue.)

I may want to take a course. What's my next step?

You can email me, call me at (612) 501-8229, or click .

What's changed in Minnesota?

A lot, actually. Minnesota has gone from being a "may issue" state, where handgun permits were issued only at the unfettered discretion of police chiefs, to a "shall issue" state, where any competent, law-abiding adult can take appropriate training, and, as a matter of right, receive what's formally known as a "Minnesota Permit to Carry a Handgun," but usually just called a carry permit.

It's worth noting, though, that most of the changes restrict permit holders. Just to pick one example: as of now, permit holders are prohibited from carrying in schools, something that wasn't true under the previous law.

Why should I get a carry permit?

I don't know that you should. Maybe you shouldn't. As I say in the book, a carry permit does give you some options that you wouldn't otherwise have. If you take training and apply for and receive a carry permit, you'll be able to decide whether or not to carry on a day-to-day basis. A carry permit makes it lawful for you to carry a firearm in public; it doesn't make it obligatory. It's up to you.

What does training consist of?

The Twin Cities Carry Course course consists of four to six hours in the classroom, plus an hour or so of time on the range, including a shooting qualification. You read that correctly: most of the time is spent in the classroom, not on the range. Beyond what's legally required, permit carry training should be mostly about staying out of trouble, not about shooting. The Twin Cities Carry Course is intended for people with some handgun experience. Beginners should take the Beginner-to-Carry course, or an NRA Basic Pistol course.

How about beginners?

Most of the carry permit training, these days, is for experienced gun owners, although there are a very few instructors who, unfortunately, will take somebody who has never so much as touched a firearm and put them through a carry course not designed for beginners. Novices should start with a basic course from an NRA Basic Pistol Instructor, or other introductory training, like the beginner to carry, or "B2C" class that David Dyer-Bennet and I teach, and have licensed to other instructors. As far as I know, the B2C course is the only full beginner-to-carry course being taught, and you can take just the beginner portion of the course, separately, for those who want to take a carry-oriented intro course, but aren't yet ready to decide if they want to take a full carry course.

How dangerous is it?

It shouldn't be dangerous at all. Firearms safety is a serious matter, sure; but it's not a complicated one; you just need to follow a few simple rules.

What questions should I ask a trainer?

In doing the research for the book, and in consulting with very experienced Minnesota lawyers, I came up with some surprises—facts in the law, past and present, that aren't generally known. If you're considering taking training with somebody, ask him or her some questions*:

* That, of course, includes me. Of course, you should probably ask me different questions; I already know the answers to these.

• "What certification do you have?" Sheriffs are required by law to accept certificates from properly certified instructors as proof of training and qualification. I've got NRA, IFIA, and MADFI certification, and, in addition, am certifed by AACFI in two disciplines, and the NRA in five.
• "In your classes, is the shooting qualification done with real guns, or laser simulators?" For at least a while, some instructors were using laser training simulators — like the Beamhit system — for their shooting qualifications. That's a definite no-no, and perhaps somebody who takes or took such an . . . unfortunate shortcut takes others, as well. (I'm not knocking simulators for training purposes; somebody who is willing to spend many hours with a laser simulator may be able to touch up their shooting skills... provided, of course, that they also spend many hours at the range.)
• "How well do you know the law?" Minnesota law on both lethal force and handgun carry are different from other states. Your trainer should know the law in Minnesota — and be able to explain things like "defense of dwelling," be able to cite Minnesota Statutes 609.06, 609.065 and the key Pendleton and McCuiston cases from memory, and explain when you have a duty to retreat, and what the legal difference is, in Minnesota, between "open carry" and "concealed carry." (That's a trick question: Minnesota law doesn't make a distinction.)
• "What course materials will I leave with? Are they extras, or are they included in the price of the class?" In TCCarry, you'll leave with a copy of the book, the handouts, and the certificates you'll need to get your carry permits. And, of course, there's no extra charge for those.
• "May I see your carry permit? How long have you had one?" Yes, it's perfectly possible for a trainer not to have a carry permit. And it's at least arguable that you don't have to have a carry permit in order to teach carry permit training, just as you don't have to have given birth to be an obstetrician. But, realistically, perhaps somebody who is going to teach you about the day-to-day issues of carrying a handgun should have lived with the day-to-day issues of carrying a handgun... without having gotten into trouble? (I've had a carry permit for more than a decade, now.)
• "What are the costs of your course?" There's no need to be shy about money. The cost of training generally runs from about $100 to $300. Training at some gun shops tends to run on the high side. Training by uncertified instructors, except at gun shops, tends to be on the low side, but the danger is that your sheriff may not accept an uncertified instructor's training certification. (If you're in doubt about a specific uncertified instructor, you can call the Minnesota BCA to find out.)
• "What sort of gun should I carry?" That's another trick question. Even assuming that you decide to take out a permit and carry a handgun, which one is right for you depends on a lot of factors, including your style of dress, your need for discretion, your budget, and, most important, which handguns point well for you. I'm a big fan of the combination of a DAO (Double Action Only) revolver and a good pocket holster as the best solution for most people—but "most" is a different word from "all".
• "What will I learn in this course?" By law, your course must cover "instruction in the fundamentals of pistol use, successful completion of a shooting exercise, and legal instruction on pistol possession, carry, and use, including self-defense." But that should be only the beginning—your class should deal with all of the everyday and the (thankfully rare) emergency issues that a permit holder has to know how to deal with. (And I emphasize "know" deliberately; emergency issues aren't the sort of thing that should be dealt with by improvisation—you really do need to know, in advance, how to handle them.)
• "Why should I take this course?" Be sure to ask that question, and listen carefully to the answer.

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Last modified Wednesday, 29-Aug-2007 04:21:21 PDT.