November 4, 2009

By: Chris Zeeb

If you are a Nebraska resident, then you must have a Nebraska concealed handgun permit in order to carry concealed here. You can get other states non-resident permits though in addition to your Nebraska permit which expands the number of states you can legally carry concealed in. While there are a few different states that issue non-resident permits, by far today the one with the best coverage is the Utah Concealed Firearm Permit. Nebraska residents who get both a Nebraska Concealed Handgun Permit and a Utah Concealed Firearm Permit end up with coverage to carry in 35 states! You can get these non-resident permits that I will discuss completely through the mail, you do not have to travel to these states to get them.

The Florida non-resident permit is also another good option, however it is more expensive to get, costs more to renew, and covers a couple less states. The Florida permit costs $117 for a seven year permit, and then $107 to renew. The Nebraska permit is valid in Florida now, so if you like to travel to Florida then you are covered there.

Often I am asked about the state of Iowa, well Iowa is not real friendly to concealed carry yet. The state of Iowa does not recognize any other states concealed carry permit; you must have an Iowa “Permit to Carry Weapons” in order to carry there. The state of Iowa does issue non-resident permits to Nebraska residents, however they can be difficult to get. Iowa has two different permits, the “Professional Permit” and the “Non-Professional Permit”. In order to get the Professional permit, you must have a job that requires you to carry a firearm through Iowa. With a Professional Permit, you may only carry while you are technically “working”. In order to get the Non-Professional permit, you must show documented proof of a threat on your life in Iowa that would give you justification to carry. If you have the job or justification, the permit process is actually pretty simple to go through, however unfortunately most average people don’t meet these requirements. The Iowa permit only costs $10, but must be renewed every year.

To get the Utah CFP, you must first complete a Utah training class, taught by a Utah BCI certified Instructor. Be careful here… There are some Nebraska Concealed Carry Instructors who are telling people they can sign off on the Utah training requirement, and THEY ARE NOT UTAH CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS. (Guess what happens when they sign for you? Utah rejects your application, and makes you take another class.) You can go to the BCI website to confirm that your instructor is indeed certified by Utah:

http://www.des.utah.gov/bci/documents/insoutstate_061.pdf

Once you have taken the Utah class, you will mail in your application (including your Instructors certification stamp), a photo copy of your driver’s license, a set of your fingerprints, a passport quality photo and the $65.25 permit fee. The NE State Patrol will fingerprint you and give you a copy of the fingerprint card for no charge. Go to Walgreens or Wal-Mart to get a passport quality photo taken (about $8-$10). Current processing time for a Utah CFP is approximately 60-90 days.

Please understand that although Nebraska recognizes the Florida, Iowa and Utah permits here… If you are a Nebraska resident, you must get a Nebraska concealed carry permit. A Nebraska resident may not carry concealed here using another states non-resident permit.

If you have any questions about these permits or training classes, please drop me an email and I will be happy to help.

Chris Zeeb
NE CCW Training (NE Firearms Training LLC)
www.neccwtraining.com
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