Colorado Concealed Carry Renewal Reform

A small but significant reform has made it out of committee in Colorado.  In many states, in order to pass  "shall issue" concealed carry permit laws, irrational restrictions were included in the law to obtain the votes necessary.   Colorado was one of these states.   In Colorado, once you had obtained a permit to carry a gun under your coat or in a pocket, you could only renew your permit in the county where you originally applied for the permit.  If you changed your residence from Moffat county in the north-west, to Baca county in the south-east, you would have to travel back to Moffat to renew your permit, in person, or go through the entire permit process from the beginning in your new county.  This modest reform would allow you to renew in either county.

Douglas County is an example of how difficult it is to go through the original application process, which must be done in person, between the hours of 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  The timing seems designed to force people with regular jobs to take time off from work to apply for a permit.  The combined fee for the permit, non-refundable, is $152.50.  The renewal fee is $63.

While it may seem ridiculous to have to renew your permit in person, that is what is required in Colorado at this time.    The modest reform now in the Colorado legislature, HB14-1166, simply allows residents to renew their permit in the county of their new residence, as well as the county of issuance.

In contrast, South Carolina's Governor Nikki Haley just signed into law  CCW reform  that allows people to renew their permit over the Internet. 

Both  Colorado and South Carolina have bills pending to restore constitutional (permitless) carry.   Colorado's bill has been shot down (postponed indefinitely) in committee, while South Carolina's bill is still pending.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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