There are 33 states in the U.S. that allow citizens to obtain a CCW (Carrying a Concealed Weapon) license. Each of these states
\nhas their own unique laws for allowing their residents to obtain a CCW. Moreover, each county within those 33 states has its own process that residents of that county must follow and fees to be paid in order to obtain a CCW. Some states recognize another state\u2019s CCW license, some do not.<\/p>\n
In this article, I will discuss some reasons as to why a person would want to obtain their CCW and the CCW process specific to my personal experience in Denver County, Colorado. I will also discuss the required firearms training course that I completed to obtain a CCW, and the benefits of taking a firearms training course and acquiring handgun use experience regardless of whether you are pursuing a CCW or not.<\/p>\n
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While there are some differences between each state and county that have laws permitting a CCW, all seek to support \u201c\u2026the right\u00a0of the people to keep and bear arms,\u201d, as written in the Second Amendment in the Constitution of the United States of America.<\/p>\n
The decision to carry a firearm is absolutely a personal one. While there are some obvious reasons for obtaining a CCW; personal protection of one\u2019s self, their loved ones, and their property; Each person leads a different life in different environments and feels differently about how and when they need to provide protection using a handgun. The decision of when, why and what to carry as it relates to firearms is one you\u2019ll have to make for yourself.<\/p>\n
Some people may feel they need personal protection quite often, if say their professional industry requires them to put themselves at risk on a regular basis. Others may occasionally feel the need for personal protection, such as while traveling alone cross-country, or while attending events with loved ones in a high crime area.<\/p>\n
Whatever the reason an individual may have, a CCW allows a person to legally provide personal protection with a firearm for themselves, their loved ones, and their property in many situations that otherwise they would not be able to. Open carry of handguns, being able to carry a handgun\u00a0in the open in public, is not restricted by federal law, except on some federally restricted properties.\u00a0There are however, 5 states that ban open carry completely, and 15 states that require obtaining an open carry license, as of 2016. Obviously, open carry does not allow for the privacy that having a concealed handgun does. There are several types of firearm licenses across the country that\u00a0a person can obtain, again depending on the state you reside. One these licenses\u00a0is obtainable for retired law enforcement official known as a LEOSA (The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act) permit.<\/p>\n
This license\u00a0gives retired law enforcement officers the ability to continue to protect the public after retirement. The CCW process for Denver County, Colorado is unique onto itself. There are several steps a resident of the county must follow in order to obtain their CCW including a local and FBI background check. Below, I have listed these steps in chronological order based on my experience during this process.<\/p>\n
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You do not have to own a handgun in order to receive a CCW in Denver County Colorado. Though, in order to use your CCW for personal protection, it seems obvious that owning your own handgun is necessary. I purchased my handgun at a major firearm brick and mortar retail chain. Here, I first had to perform a computer-based questionnaire by answering a series of questions pertaining to my citizenship, residency, criminal record, drug and alcohol use, and mental health record. Only after having answered these questions to the satisfaction of the law was I able to have a background check done, where my personal information was sent by the retail company to a government agency to be cross checked and processed.\u00a0I was allowed to purchase the handgun after passing that background check.<\/p>\n
Next, I found a local firearms training course online that only\u00a0covered the required classroom taught topics for obtaining a CCW. While many states require a live-fire course and test along with a classroom test in order to obtain your CCW, Colorado Counties does not.<\/p>\n A live-fire test does not require you be a quick-draw sharp-shooter. The test aims to make sure you are able to\u00a0handle a handgun safely and without complacency, so you don\u2019t get nervous if and when it comes time to use the firearm.<\/p>\n Already having years of live-fire handgun experience, the classroom course was all I felt I needed. Those who have no experience or training with firearms and more specifically handguns, should enroll in a more in-depth course that also provides live-fire training. The classroom only course I attended cost $65.00, was 3 hours long, and was taught by a licensed instructor. After receiving my firearms training certification I was able to move to the next step. I will discuss more details about this firearms training course later in the article.<\/p>\n With the required CCW application, firearms training certificate, Colorado Driver License, proof of residency, and the $152.50\u00a0money order for fees, I visited the CCW office at the Denver Police Department to finalize the CCW application process.<\/p>\n At the police department, I signed my application under supervision of the CCW application officer, provided fingerprints for a thorough background investigation, and had a photographed head shot taken of me for my CCW ID card. With all of these things done I had now finished the CCW application process, and had to wait a maximum of six\u00a0weeks to be notified if I passed the background investigation.<\/p>\n In many states the process for obtaining your CCW can be much more difficult than here in Colorado. Some states even require that you receive the explicit \u201cpermission\u201d of the local sheriff in order to obtain your CCW. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but for someone that lives in a smaller or rural community, this could potentially lead to the infringement of someone\u2019s Second\u00a0Amendment rights.<\/p>\n Lengthy bureaucratic processes and leaving the judgement for obtaining your CCW to only one person are some of the reasons why Second Amendment supporters and organizations may have frustrations with the CCW process and firearm laws in general.<\/p>\n To obtain a CCW, you should first know the basics of handguns, and more importantly have experience using handguns. In Colorado, only a classroom setting firearms training course is required by law to obtain a CCW. You do not have to have a live-fire training course with a handgun, such as at a shooting range, or have any experience using a firearm whatsoever. This may be surprising to some, especially to those of us that have a long experience using firearms, especially handguns. Knowing the basics of handguns is important, such as knowing the difference between revolvers and semi-automatics, ammunition power vs. capacity, considerations in purchasing a handgun, and the fundamentals of gun safety. However, hands-on experience using a handgun is something that cannot be substituted with just classroom instruction.<\/p>\n The content covered in the required firearms training course in Denver County, Colorado includes:<\/p>\n Even if you have no intention of obtaining your CCW, enrolling in a\u00a0firearms training classroom course and a live-fire training course at a shooting range is something that all firearm users should do. The information that a person receives from the classroom is irreplaceable and learning from a trained instructor with years of experience is hard to beat. Even the most avid and experienced firearms user will take away new knowledge, be reminded of firearm safety practices, and acquire a fresh understanding of things they may have forgotten. Additionally, firearm laws are themselves very detailed, and can occasionally change. A knowledgeable licensed instructor will be aware of these updated laws and will share them with you during your course.<\/p>\n Even if you are not new to firearms, it is wise not becoming too comfortable in the idea that you know everything there is to know about firearms. Becoming too comfortable can lead to complacency, and complacency is a firearms user worst enemy. My instructor specifically had access to a lot of new products pertaining to handguns and pistol\u00a0accessories, such as various types of conceal style holsters<\/a>. He also had training tools such as at-home laser guns and digital target systems, which can be used to practice draws and target shooting at home while away from the range.<\/p>\n Besides having access to tools of the trade, my instructor also had a lot of access to real world experience and first-hand accounts where concealed firearms were used. Having access to these stories and being able to discuss them with other people in the class during training was a valuable takeaway. Having a CCW is a huge responsibility and also a freedom that shouldn\u2019t be taken for granted. The first step in obtaining one is knowing why you want to pursue obtaining your your CCW. Of course having your CCW is a right, but you should still have a strong understanding as to why you need one and when it will be a benefit for you to use for protection.<\/p>\n![\"Article](\"http:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/wp-content\/uploads\/TReilly-20140101DSC_0025-1-690x450.jpg\")
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Things To Consider Before You Start<\/h3>\n
What Does a CCW Training Course Cover?<\/h3>\n
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\nThere is a lot more that goes into obtaining your CCW that may not seem obvious. This is where your firearms training instructor can provide something new for you to learn.<\/p>\n![\"Article](\"http:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/wp-content\/uploads\/TReilly-20161006_DSC0172-690x450.jpg\")
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