With the 5 year anniversary of the Iowa Weapons Carry Permit law upon us, and with many carry permit holders getting ready to renew their 5 year carry permits, I thought it was important to share the information on the difference between the new carry permit and the renewal permit, as well as remind the public of the process of obtaining a weapons permit in the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.

An applicant for a new permit to carry must present evidence of having completed any one of several training options at any time prior to the date of application.   In many cases, a training course that a person took in the past may have included qualification on a firing range, but qualification on a range is not a requirement to obtain a new permit – it is only an option for someone wishing to renew a permit.  If, for example, many years ago, a person completed any one of the training options specified in the law, that training can be presented to obtain a new permit.  The fee for a new permit is $54 and the permit is valid for five years from the date of issuance.

The law is clear in specifying that a person applying to renew a currently held permit must submit the renewal application at least 30 days prior to the expiration of the current permit.   A person wishing to renew a current permit is required to have received any one of several training options within the twelve months prior to the expiration date of the currently held permit, or, the applicant has the option of simply qualifying on a firing range under the supervision of a certified instructor within the twelve months before the expiration of the current permit.  The renewal fee is $29 and the permit is valid for five years from the date of issuance.

If a person who currently holds a permit does not wish to attend additional training or qualify on a firing range to renew the permit at the lower fee, a person could submit an application for a new permit less than 30 days before the expiration of the current permit or after the expiration of the current permit, in which case the application will be considered a new permit application.  Documentation of completion of any of the training options listed in the law, regardless of when the training occurred, will satisfy the requirements of the law, and the new permit fee of $54 will apply.

ALL applications for weapons permits, i.e. purchase permits, new carry permits and renewal carry permits, are accepted on-line ONLY through the Scott County Sheriff’s Office. The on-line application can be found on the Scott County web page at www.scottcountyiowa.com/sheriff.  If an individual wishes to obtain a weapons permit but does not have access to a home computer, there is a computer in the lobby of the Sheriff’s Office in the basement of the Scott County Courthouse.