Individual Firearm Permit Initial Application Instructions

Individual Firearm Permit

Initial Application Instructions

Mississippi Department of Public Safety

Firearm Permit Division

Individual Firearm Permit

Initial Application Instructions

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Contents

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 2

FEES ............................................................................................................................................................... 2

Disabled Veterans ..................................................................................................................................... 2

Active Duty Military .................................................................................................................................. 2

Active Law Enforcement ........................................................................................................................... 3

IDENTIFICATION ............................................................................................................................................ 3

ENHANCED CARRY OPTION ........................................................................................................................... 3

Retired Law Enforcement Requirements .................................................................................................. 3

Military Requirements .............................................................................................................................. 3

APPLICTION INSTRUCTIONS .......................................................................................................................... 4

B. Qualifying Questions ..................................................................................................................... 5

C. Special Designations ..................................................................................................................... 5

D. Enhanced Carry Option ................................................................................................................. 5

E. Residency ...................................................................................................................................... 6

AFFIDAVIT AND RELEASE OF INFORMATION ................................................................................................ 6

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION ...................................................................................................................... 7

LOCATIONS AND HOURS OF OPERATION ..................................................................................................... 7

Individual Firearm Permit

Initial Application Instructions

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INTRODUCTION

For first-time applicants desiring to obtain a concealed carry firearm permit, the

Application For Concealed Carry Firearm Permit (IFP-APP-01) must be filled out in

its entirety as well as any other required forms, including a notarized Affidavit and

Release of Information form (IFP-AFF-01). Failure to complete all required forms

may result in the application’s rejection.

This application and all required forms must be presented in person at the

Department of Public Safety Headquarters in Jackson or a Mississippi Highway

Patrol District Substation in Pearl, Greenwood, Batesville, New Albany, Starkville,

Meridian, Hattiesburg, Biloxi, or Brookhaven. At that time, the applicant will be

fingerprinted and photographed.

Note: If you are applying for a renewal and have had no changes in the

qualifications you met on your initial application, you can alternatively complete

the Renewal of MS Concealed/Enhanced Carry Firearm Permit application (IFP-

APP-02). However, if you have had any changes to your qualifications under

subsections (2) and (3) of MS Code § 45-9-101 or any new special designations

you must complete the full Application For Concealed Carry Firearm Permit (IFP-

APP-01) and check “Renewal Application” at the top. There are separate

instructions available for renewal on our website and at the DL stations listed

below.

FEES

There are required fees associated with this permit:

 A license fee of Eighty dollars ($80.00)

 A background check fee of Thirty-Two dollars ($32.00)

Disabled

Veterans

Active Duty

Military

Thus a total of One Hundred Twelve dollars ($112.00) is required at application.

This amount may be paid in person with cash, a personal check, a Cashier’s Check,

a Visa or MasterCard credit card or a debit card. A personal check or Cashier’s

Check should be made payable to the Department of Public Safety. A portion can

be waived if you meet certain requirements; these are documented below. All

fees are non-refundable.

Disabled veterans are exempt from the license fee for a permit. However, the

Thirty-Two dollar ($32.00) fee for the background check is still necessary as it is a

fee required by the FBI to perform the background check. If you are claiming this

exception, be sure to check “Yes” on C-3 of the application and provide a copy of

the Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC).

Active Duty Military personnel and their spouses can qualify for license fee

exemption. A copy of the current orders is required to qualify for this exemption.

However, the Thirty-Two dollar ($32.00) fee for the background check is still

necessary as it is a fee required by the FBI to perform the background check. If

you are claiming this exception, be sure to check “Yes” on C-1 of the application

and provide a copy of you or your spouse’s current orders.

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Initial Application Instructions

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Active Law

Enforcement

Active law enforcement officers employed with a law enforcement agency of a

municipality, county or state at the time of their application can qualify for

exemption from the license fee. However, the Thirty-Two dollar ($32.00) fee for

the background check is still required as it is a fee required by the FBI, who

conducts the background check, and not the State of Mississippi. If you are

claiming this exception, be sure to check “Yes” on C-4 of the application and

provide a letter on your agency’s letterhead stating you are employed at that

agency and a letter on agency letterhead documenting your completion of a

certified law enforcement training academy.

IDENTIFICATION

First-time applicants must present two current forms of identification:

Photo identification – either a state Driver’s License, a state Identification Card

or a tribal identification card from a federally-recognized Indian tribe.

*Active Duty Military personnel and their spouses who are non-residents

stationed in Mississippi applying for a firearm permit will need to provide their

military orders an original Birth Certificate and Social Security Card in addition to

a valid Driver License or ID card issued by their state of residence.

ENHANCED CARRY

OPTION

The Enhanced Carry Option is an optional endorsement that can be obtained by

civilians who opt to take an 8 hour safety course as well as by members or

veterans of any active or reserve branch of the U.S. Armed Forces or retired law

enforcement officers who have completed law enforcement or combat training

with pistols or other handguns. This option allows the person the privilege of

carrying a concealed weapon in some of the prohibited areas listed in subsection

13 of MS Code §45-9-101, except for any place of nuisance (defined in MS Code

§95-3-1), or any police, sheriff or highway patrol station or any detention facility,

prison or jail. This does not, however, allow a person to violate a prohibition

against carrying firearms posted by written notice.

Retired Law

Enforcement

Requirements

Retired Law Enforcement personnel can obtain the enhanced carry option

without the required civilian 8 hour safety course. However, formal law

enforcement training or military combat training with pistols or other handguns is

required. To obtain the enhanced carry option, the Military/ Retired Law

Enforcement Enhanced Carry Affidavit (IFP-AFF03) must be completed, notarized

and included with the application.

Military

Requirements

Current and former members of an active or reserve branch of the U.S. Armed

Forces can also obtain the enhanced carry option without the required 8 hour

civilian safety course. However, formal law enforcement training or military

combat training with pistols or other handguns is required. To obtain the

enhanced carry option, the Military/ Retired Law Enforcement Enhanced Carry

Affidavit (IFP-AFF03) must be completed, notarized and included with the

application.

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Initial Application Instructions

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APPLICTION

INSTRUCTIONS

The Initial Application IFP-APP-01 is divided into 5 parts:

A) Personal Information

B) Qualifying Questions

C) Special Designations

D) Enhanced Carry Option

E) Residency

A notarized affidavit and Release of Information (IFP-AFF-01) is also required.

Be sure to check that you are completing an Initial Application in the block

located at the upper right of the form.

Personal

Information

The Personal Information section is for documenting your identifying information.

This includes:

1) Full Name – your Last, First and Middle name. If you have more than

three, please enter more than one name where appropriate.

2) Other names – if you have been known by another name in the past,

please check “Yes” and complete Section 1 of IFP-FORM-01. Otherwise,

check “No” and continue.

3) Date of Birth – please enter your date of birth in MM/DD/YYYY format.

4) Current Residential Address – unless you meet certain exemptions, you

are required to be a Mississippi resident. Your current residential

address should reflect this. If not, please make sure you meet one of the

alternate conditions under Question B-1. Your mailing address may be

different in some scenarios and can be documented below your

residential address. Please be sure to include the county or counties as

part of the address.

5) DL Number/Social Security Number – you must provide one of these

identifiers in the block provided. This is a state law requirement.

6) Occupation – please list your current occupation.

7) Height – please provide your current height in feet and inches. You may

use a single quote (‘) for feet and a double quote (“) for inches. For

example 5’10”.

8) Weight – please provide your current weight in pounds. Please round

this to the nearest pound.

9) Gender – Please enter “Male” or “Female”. If you do not wish to

designate this characteristic, please enter “Not Specified”

10) Race – the following options are available:

Alaskan or American Indian

Asian or Pacific Islander

White

Black

11) Hair Color – please choose your hair color from these options:

Bald Red/Auburn

Black Sandy

Brown White

Gray

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Initial Application Instructions

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12) Eye Color – please choose your eye color from these options:

Black Green

Blue Hazel

Dichromatic Maroon

Gray Pink

13) Email – if you would like us to communicate with you via eMail, please

enter your eMail address. This is an optional field.

14) Daytime Contact Number – please enter a phone number that we can

use to contact you during business hours if there is an issue with your

application.

15) Place of Birth – please note the city and state where you were born. If it

was out of the country, please note the city and country of birth.

16) Citizenship – please indicate your current citizenship status. If you

answer with one of the “Other” options, please document your country

or countries of citizenship, your USCIS Alien Registration number (if

applicable) and be sure to complete IFP-FORM-01, Section 2 to fully

document your citizenship status.

Qualifying

Questions

The questions in this section are primarily derived from the qualifications listed in

MS Code §45-9-101 (2) and (3). In order to obtain a permit in the State of

Mississippi, you must meet these qualifications. The questions should be self-

explanatory. In some cases, answering in the affirmative requires that you

complete an additional form to fully document your answer. These forms

include:

IFP-FORM-02 Documenting Criminal Charges/Convictions

IFP-FORM-03 Documenting Domestic Violence Crimes

These forms can be obtained at the website or by visiting one of the locations

listed below. You should fill out these additional forms only if you answer certain

questions in the affirmative as noted on the application. These particular

questions are clearly marked with the form that would be required if you answer

“Yes”.

Special

Designations

The Special Designations section is available to document special situations that

might eliminate the required permit fee and/or provide special markings on the

permit card. Honorably retired law enforcement officers, disabled veterans and

active duty members of the Armed Forces of the United States shall be exempt

from the payment of the license fee.

However, the elimination of the license fee does not waive the charge for

fingerprinting and completing a background check. That service is provided by the

FBI, which requires a payment to that federal agency.

Enhanced

Carry Option

As noted previously, the Enhanced Carry Option is an optional endorsement that

can be obtained by civilians who opt to take an 8 hour safety course. This option

is also available to members or veterans of any active or reserve branch of the

U.S. Armed Forces or retired law enforcement officers who have completed law

enforcement or combat training with pistols or other handguns.

This option allows the person the privilege of carrying a concealed weapon in

some of the prohibited areas listed in subsection 13 of MS Code §45-9-101,

except for any place of nuisance (defined in MS Code §95-3-1), or any police,

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Initial Application Instructions

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sheriff or highway patrol station or any detention facility, prison or jail. This does

not, however, allow a person to violate a prohibition against carrying firearms

posted by written notice.

For civilians applying for Enhanced Carry, they should have completed an 8-hour

course of instruction by an instructor certified by the Department of Public

Safety. A signed certificate acknowledging the satisfactory completion of this

training needs to be attached to the application.

Current and former members of the U.S. Armed forces who have completed

military combat training with pistols or other handguns or had formal law

enforcement training may substitute this training in lieu of the 8 hour training

requirement. Retired law enforcement and corrections officers who have

completed formal law enforcement training or completed military combat

training with pistols or other handguns. In order to take advantage of this option,

the form IFP-AFF-03 “Military/Retired Law Enforcement Enhanced Carry Affidavit”

must be completed, notarized and provided with your application.

Residency

This section should be used to document your residences for the past two years.

Your most recent residence (which you provided in Section A-4) should be first,

followed by your previous residence. An additional row is provided for a third

residence. If you need to document more residences, please note them on the

back of the form or separate page in a similar fashion.

AFFIDAVIT AND RELEASE

OF INFORMATION

A notarized Affidavit and Release of Information form is also required for new

applicants. The form IFP-AFF-01 is required for new applicants. The form IFP-

AFF-02 is required for renewals where the applicant has status changes to

document. Both forms include:

 A statement that you wish to obtain a legal means to carry a concealed

weapon to defend yourself

 A statement that you have read and meet all the required qualifications

for applying for a license as delineated in MS Code §45-9-101

 An acknowledgement that you understand that your application is

executed under oath and a knowingly false statement or false document

subjects you to criminal prosecution

 A further acknowledgement that you understand that a conviction of

providing false statements or documents shall subject you to the

penalties noted in MS Code §99-19-31.

This form also contains a release to allow the Department of Public Safety to

conduct a background check to determine your eligibility for a Mississippi

Concealed Firearm Permit. Be sure to wait to sign this form until you are in the

presence of your notary.

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Initial Application Instructions

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SUBMISSION

APPLICATION

Once you have completed the application, all required forms and had your

Affidavit notarized, bring all materials to one of the locations listed below. You

may make an appointment in advance by going to the Online Appointment

Scheduler (https://telegov.egov.com/dps). If you are unable to schedule an

appointment, you may simply come to the location. However, appointments do

take precedence and you may end up needing to schedule an appointment in the

future.

Here you will submit your application, which will be scanned in with the

credentials you presented for identification. Then you will be photographed and

fingerprinted. Your fingerprints will be compared with those in state and federal

databases to ensure you have no criminal background that might preclude your

obtaining a permit.

As this background check typically takes some time, you will not receive a permit

while you are at the station. If you qualify, a permit card acknowledging your

ability to carry a concealed weapon will be mailed to you. MS Code §45-9-

101(6)(c) allows for up to 45 days before a response is required.

In the event that the Department finds that an applicant fails to qualify for a

permit, it will provide written notification stating the grounds for denial. This can

be appealed and the appeal process is documented in MS Code §45-9-101(7).

LOCATIONS AND HOURS

OF OPERATION

The following locations are available to accept your application:

Jackson Headquarters

1900 E. Woodrow Wilson Jackson, MS 39205 {601} 987-1593