re: CCW Online Application Timeline

I called LSP this morning.

La. Concealed Handgun Permit holders are not exempt from the NICS background checks. This is something that LSP is working on, and may have in place later this year.

I was told that the exemption will not apply to lifetime permits -- only to the 5 year permits. (See final paragraph)

It is my understanding (which may be incorrect) that the background check used in La. for CHP purposes is less stringent that that used by the 22 states where a CHP exempts the permitee from undergoing the NICS check when purchasing a firearm. La. has to "upgrade" the CHP background check for La. permits to qualify for the NICS exemption.

This is what Federal law appears to say about the exemption (taken from a website):
A person holding a state-issued permit allowing the person to acquire or possess firearms (e.g., a concealed weapons permit) is not required to undergo a NICS background check if the permit was issued: (1) within the previous five years in the state in which the transfer is to take place; and (2) after an authorized government official has conducted a background investigation to verify that possession of a firearm would not be unlawful.33 Permits issued after November 30, 1998 qualify as exempt only if the approval process included a NICS check.34 If the state-issued permit qualifies for the exemption, the permit-holder is not required by federal law to undergo a background check before purchasing a gun.

He was close -- maybe "premature" is a better word.

The bad news is that the lifetime permits apparently aren't going to qualify for the exemption. That will be a big reason for folks to not buy the lifetime permit until this gets resolved.

quote:

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s a background check really that big of a deal though?

It's never really had a big effect on a purchase for me

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For most people it's not a big deal. But for some folks with a common name (like James Smith or Robert Jones), it can be irritating to have your approval delayed while the Feds try to figure out if you're the same James Smith who's wanted for bank robbery.