Click here to view a slide show on the difficulties of obtaining a concealed carry license
If you’re looking to blow $300, you might consider investing in a concealed carry handgun license from the state of Kansas. The problem (not that there’s only one) is that you may not see a return on that investment. To get the license, you must pay a hefty application processing fee that goes to cover the cost of an extensive background check, and God only knows what else. If you don’t pass the background check, you will not get your money back. You have just paid for a license you will never have.
Here’s how it works: Suppose a Kansas resident wishes to apply for a concealed carry handgun (CCH) license. First, the resident must obtain an application from either the county sheriff’s office or the Attorney General’s website. Before the application can be submitted, the resident must successfully complete an 8-hour training program approved by the Attorney General. These are privately run and usually cost more than $100. Upon completion of the class, the resident may now submit his application to his county’s sheriff’s office. The application fee costs a total of $150. $40 goes to the sheriff’s office, and the other $110 goes to the Attorney General’s office. The county sheriff’s office takes fingerprints and photographs of the applicant, and also does a preliminary background check. The information, fingerprints, and photos are then sent to the office of the Attorney General. According to Charles Sexson, an employee in the Attorney General’s office, their office then conducts a far more extensive and time consuming background check. Theoretically, that explains why the sheriff’s office keeps less than one-third of the application fee.
You’ll probably pay a minimum of $250 dollars, assuming you can find a class instructor who only charges $100 (one popular instructor charges $125). The price is a bit steep for some. John Wagner, a 22-year-old resident of Leawood, Kan., was ready to run right out and get his CCH license until he looked into it more deeply. “I’m paying for my own apartment and trying save money for college in the spring. I can’t afford to throw away $300 on a license that tells me I’m now allowed to carry my pistol I already own,” Wagner said.
Probably also on Wagner’s mind is the fact that the Attorney General’s office is not required to inform applicants whether or not they have been approved for the CCH license for 90 days after the application has been turned in to the sheriff’s department. Before July, 2007, the Attorney General had a whopping 180 days to inform applicants of their status. Even now, the office directly states on their website that applicants will not be told whether or not they qualify sooner than 45 days after the application has been turned in. And again, the applicant will receive no refund of any kind should the license be denied.
The Attorney General’s office does not do free or discount background checks. It advises those unsure of whether or not they meet the qualifications for a CCH license to seek the advice of a private attorney. By regulating which citizens can carry what in public, the state government is telling people what they can and can’t do. It’s ironic that it simultaneously refuses to tell people what they can and can’t do. Just give us $150, and we’ll tell you what you’re allowed to do with your own property three months from now, Kansas says.
Things that could disqualify an applicant from receiving a license include: Ever being convicted of a felony, a misdemeanor conviction less than five years ago, conviction of a violent misdemeanor at any time, or being involuntarily committed to a mental hospital or drug rehabilitation facility. To the credit of the office of the Attorney General, they do a pretty good job of answering general questions about which convictions might disqualify applicants from receiving a CCH license. Contact Charles Sexson. His area of expertise is CCH, and he is friendly and knowledgeable.
Much of what would disqualify an applicant from carrying a pistola would seem pretty common sense to most. Most people probably don’t think that felons or the mentally ill should be walking around downtown with concealed handguns in their trousers. But, the rules do have their critics. Jeff Newmann, manager of The Bullet Hole, an Overland Park gun shop and indoor shooting range, has his complaints. The way the law is written, an adult who was convicted of a “misdemeanor crime of domestic violence” as a juvenile would be turned down for a CCH license. “What if someone used to get into fights as a kid and got into trouble for it?” Newmann said. “Why would they reach back and bring that up?”
Part of what ticks Newmann off is the fact that a misdemeanor charge for fighting as a juvenile does not disqualify one from owning a handgun once they come of age. He wonders why someone should be allowed to legally purchase a handgun, and then be forbidden to carry it. As of yet, Newmann has not applied for his own CCH license. Until he does, Newmann will be $300 richer than 9,345 other Kansans; 70 of whom were denied licenses.