Maine to Pensacola--Looking for thoughts/information on concealed carry permit

[PiperCub49]

Hello all,

I'm weighing my options for carrying concealed during flight school in Florida.

I've been pro-rec'd yes for Student Naval Aviator, which of course means that I'll be heading to Florida and living there for a while. As of right now, I carry my S&W M&P Shield 9mm in a Crossbreed MiniTuck IWB holster. I do so under Maine's 'constitutional carry' law, which allows me to carry concealed without a permit. Maine and Florida have reciprocity with each other. As I understand it, that means that a concealed carry permit in Maine with allow me to carry concealed in Florida. To get the permit here in Maine, I will have to take a ~$65 handgun course and submit my $35 application, coming to a grand total of $100.

I'm having difficulty wading through Florida's application laws. Maybe there's something in there for service members, but I don't foresee myself getting any Navy firearms quals while I'm down there, so I'll probably be treated the same as a civilian (...save for the expedited application process that is detailed on Florida's permit website).

My question is, does anyone know if I should get a concealed carry permit from Maine and use the reciprocity to carry in Florida, or should I pursue an out-of-state permit in Florida? I'm considering cost and complexity.

Aaaaaand a picture, just for fun.

Thanks for any advice,
Kody

IMAG1855 by RcFlyer49, on Flickr

 

[wiseguy04]

Check out the Florida Licensing website:

http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Div...pon-License/Acceptable-Training-Documentation

They consider Active Duty military orders sufficient proof of training (pistol quals in service).

I believe the Florida permit has the greatest reciprocity nationwide (38 states)
http://www.usacarry.com/concealed_carry_permit_reciprocity_maps.html

 

[PiperCub49]

wiseguy04,

Thank you for the help. I missed some of those points in my browsing. It looks like it would cost $112 for the Florida non-resident permit and there would be no cost for a gun course because I can use my orders in lieu of the course. Maine => $100 and Florida =>$112. Essentially the same cost. In terms of convenience, the Florida permit has the edge because I won't need to go take a course. The Florida permit has the benefit of having reciprocity with Texas (might have to go to Corpus Christi for Primary, etc.), whereas Maine's permit does not.

Kody

 

[PiperCub49]

It's interesting to note the Florida doesn't seem to require that service members have knowledge of handgun safety through the military, but just that they are a member of a service. I feel like I'm sort of playing a game there, but if they didn't see it when they made the law...

 

[wiseguy04]

Yep, had the Florida permit since API as well.

Yeah, not really sure how the training loophole was overlooked when they wrote the law, but it's there.

Oh well, I've qualified with the Navy multiple times, completed civilian/law enforcement courses, and shoot IDPA regularly, so I really don't feel like I'm scamming the system.

But IMHO, anyone who intends to carry on a regular basis would be a fool NOT to complete even the most rudimentary training available.

 

[wiseguy04]

And yeah, concealed carry is not for everyone. There's a lot of responsibility that goes along with it.

For example, if you're the type of person that routinely misplaces your wallet, phone, keys, or ID... then concealed carry is probably not for you...

Edit: Not saying YOU do, more of a general comment.

 

[PiperCub49]

At what point did you first qual with the Navy?

You're right about taking courses. Training is NOT the area to pinch the penny, especially with officer pay. No excuse. Now I wouldn't go so far as to say that training needs to be conducted by a certified instructor. After all, how did the instructor learn? And how did his instructor learn? Common sense prevails there, but regular drills and shooting are a must IMO. There's a certain level of responsibility that a person take on when deciding to carry. *(I see you beat me to that one with your last post.) You have to put yourself in the sketchy situations in the training environment to see how you react before you actually get there and do some real damage to innocent people. Just my thoughts...

 

[wiseguy04]

I first qualified at the "Boat School", and then spent 4 years on their shooting team (lots of practice and fun ). My next official qual with the Navy was with my fleet squadron during work ups.

But honestly, the best training I ever received was with Suarez International. Civilian course run by law enforcement/military. Top notch, they're light years ahead of Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, or any of the other big-name schools.

https://suarezinternational.com/suarez-firearms-training/

 

[PiperCub49]

Good info! I looked forward to qualifying somewhere around SERE school, but I suppose there's really no need for it. I just figured they might want to get it out of the way somewhere in training. What the heck do I know?

Being on the shooting team must have been great fun! Shooting competition must be a great way to blow of steam.

The cost of those classes adds up fast! Everyone seems to love 'em though.

 

[wiseguy04]

No sweat. Best of luck.

Yeah, their courses are on the pricey side, but worth every penny. Way better than anything offered by .gov (with the exception of courses for Tier 1 operators).

 

[PiperCub49]

Thank you. I've got a twin brother down in P'cola now. Just finished IFS. His girlfriend just classed up to API. My girlfriend should be getting in the pipeline soon. It would be fun to take this course together. I really appreciate all the help and advice!

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Check out the Florida Licensing website:

http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Div...pon-License/Acceptable-Training-Documentation

They consider Active Duty military orders sufficient proof of training (pistol quals in service).

I believe the Florida permit has the greatest reciprocity nationwide (38 states)
http://www.usacarry.com/concealed_carry_permit_reciprocity_maps.html

States have been dumping the reciprocity with FL since they allow certain 18 year olds to carry and only about 24 now have reciprocity, but the enhanced Idaho is recognized by about 35 now.

When checking reciprocity look at a few of the maps out there, with my CC licenses the states vary on the USA carry map depending on the order I put them in, and it shouldn't, the other maps I have looked at don't do that.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

wiseguy04,

Thank you for the help. I missed some of those points in my browsing. It looks like it would cost $112 for the Florida non-resident permit and there would be no cost for a gun course because I can use my orders in lieu of the course. Maine => $100 and Florida =>$112. Essentially the same cost. In terms of convenience, the Florida permit has the edge because I won't need to go take a course. The Florida permit has the benefit of having reciprocity with Texas (might have to go to Corpus Christi for Primary, etc.), whereas Maine's permit does not.

Kody

get your Maine CC permit and get a FL non- resident, it never hurts to have more than one, and if you want to visit Maine the FL is not recognized in Maine.

 

[Gatordev]

get your Maine CC permit and get a FL non- resident, it never hurts to have more than one, and if you want to visit Maine the FL is not recognized in Maine.

Or once you're in FL, just become a FL resident (there's no down-side) and get a resident permit and save a few bucks.

I looked forward to qualifying somewhere around SERE school,

Yeah...that's not going to happen. The only weapon you'll have at SERE is some sort of knife (personally, I just rolled with a Leatherman Super-Tool, which was handy), and it will be taken away from you at a point where it might actually be used offensively (understandably). Plan to qualify before deployment, or sooner if there's an end-of-FY blaze-ex.

 

[Jim123]

... just become a FL resident (there's no down-side) ...

#Floridaman!