Florida CCW Question

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CGRifleman

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Can you get a Florida CCW permit without being a FL resident?
I'm active duty military on orders here, but I'm still technically an Alaska resident. Will I have to get a Florida DL to get a CCW permit?
 
I believe you can get a Florida AND/OR a Utah non resident permit. I am a non resident[Fla] and I got mine. Two friends who are non residents of Utah got their non resident Utah permit. I think they both cover about the same states [reciprocity].
 
if you're at McDill look up the Florida Department of Agriculture,.
Make an appointment and go in
They'll do everything. Pictures, prints, application and all you'll need is your military ID.
You'll have your CCW in about 2 weeks.


You can also do the whole thing by mail.


AFS
 
It's also nice to be in Okaloosa County

If you're stationed at Hurlburt, Eglin, or one of the other bases in the western end of the Florida Panhandle, just call the Dept of Agriculture office in Fort Walton Beach. They can do everything for you electronically, and you'll have your license in about two weeks.

You don't have to be a Florida resident, nor do you even need to live in the state of Florida. Your home state may not honor the Florida license, but a lot of states will, even if you aren't a Florida resident.

Here's a benefit if you're in the military, or retired: Your proof of service (ID card, DD Form 214) substitutes for the requirement to undergo training by a certified instructor. The assumption is that you already received the necessary safety training in the military.

Check these links:

This will tell you which states honor tyhe Florida license:
www.handgunlaw.us/

This will tell you how to contact the local Dept of Agriculture office and schedule the appointment (note: You can also do it by mail)
http://licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/staff/regions.html

- - - Yoda
 
CGRifleman said:
Can you get a Florida CCW permit without being a FL resident?
I'm active duty military on orders here, but I'm still technically an Alaska resident. Will I have to get a Florida DL to get a CCW permit?

The answers to your questions are yes and no, in that order.

BTW... additional off-topic info... unless you maintain a home in Alaska that you actually reside in for part of the year, you are no longer an Alaska resident for the purposes of firearms purchases, gifts or transfers.
 
Call up the local police department and make an appointment for pics and ELECTRONIC fingerprints. Mail in your package with military ID and you are GTG.

Some departments do the old ink fingerprint cards, go elsewhere. That will delay your permit for a couple months as they scan them in.
 
NavyLCDR said:
BTW... additional off-topic info... unless you maintain a home in Alaska that you actually reside in for part of the year, you are no longer an Alaska resident for the purposes of firearms purchases, gifts or transfers.
Bobson said:
Can you elaborate on that, NavyLCDR?

Sure. Residency for the purposes of firearms transactions is defined in 27 CFR 478.11. I have quoted the entire definition at the end of this post. The definition is simple but the examples are long. A person is a resident of a state for firearms transactions in one or both of two ways: physical presence in the state with the intention of making a home there, and/or active duty military orders to a state. If the OP does not maintain a home in Alaska that he resides at for part of the year, he does not fulfill either requirement for Alaska residency. Nowhere in the definition is anything about "Home of Record" or driver's license or paying taxes or being registered to vote or anything like that.

If a military member returns to their home of record state on leave to visit parents or other visit, they would fall under example 1 - NOT a resident. If the military member maintains a home in their home of record state, and lives in that home for part of the year, they would fall under example 2 - they would be a resident of that state during the time they resided in their home there. Staying with parents or relatives only for the duration of a visit cannot be considered as maintaining a home there.

Page 39 of this document:
http://www.atf.gov/publications/download/p/atf-p-5300-4.pdf

State of residence. The State in which
an individual resides. An individual resides
in a State if he or she is present in a State
with the intention of making a home in that
State. If an individual is on active duty as a
member of the Armed Forces, the individual's
State of residence is the State in
which his or her permanent duty station is
located. An alien who is legally in the
United States shall be considered to be a
resident of a State only if the alien is residing
in the State and has resided in the
State for a period of at least 90 days prior
to the date of sale or delivery of a firearm.

The following are examples that illustrate
this definition:

Example 1. A maintains a home in
State X. A travels to State Y on a hunting,
fishing, business, or other type of trip. A
does not become a resident of State Y by
reason of such trip.

Example 2. A is a U.S. citizen and
maintains a home in State X and a home
in State Y. A resides in State X except for
weekends or the summer months of the
year and in State Y for the weekends or
the summer months of the year. During
the time that A actually resides in State X,
A is a resident of State X, and during the
time that A actually resides in State Y, A is
a resident of State Y.

Example 3. A, an alien, travels on vacation
or on a business trip to State X.
Regardless of the length of time A spends
in State X, A does not have a State of
residence in State X. This is because A
does not have a home in State X at which
he has resided for at least 90 days.
 
NavyLCDR:

I apologize, I should have been more clear as to what specifically confused me.

I'm a veteran, but I never bought, gifted, or transferred a firearm during my time on active duty. I was stationed in Nevada mostly, but I retained my Washington state residency throughout my four years of service, and I also had a Washington state driver's license the entire time.

The reason I'm confused is because since separating from the Air Force, I've learned that (and this may just be a state law) I need to have an driver's license from my official home state in order to purchase a firearm, and the purchase itself must also take place in that home state.

but...
unless you maintain a home in Alaska that you actually reside in for part of the year, you are no longer an Alaska resident for the purposes of firearms purchases, gifts or transfers.
This leads me to believe I wouldn't have been able to purchase a firearm in Washington, despite being a legal resident of Washington. So I would have had to get a new driver's license in Nevada, and buy my firearm there. Is that correct?
 
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Bobson said:
The reason I'm confused is because since separating from the Air Force, I've learned that (and this may just be a state law) I need to have an driver's license from my official home state in order to purchase a firearm, and the purchase itself must also take place in that home state.
^^^^^^^^ That information is completely incorrect.

First, there is the active duty issue. All an active duty member needs in order to purchase a handgun from an FFL (which is the most restrictive of transactions) in the state they have permanent orders to is their active duty military ID card and an endorsed copy of their orders. The military ID card establishes identity and the orders establish residency. I have done this more than once myself. See ATF Rule 2001-5 on pages 135-136 of this document:
http://www.atf.gov/publications/download/p/atf-p-5300-4.pdf

Held further, a purchaser who is a
member of the Armed Forces on active
duty is a resident of the State in
which his or her permanent duty station
is located, and may satisfy the
identification document requirement
by presenting his or her military identification
card along with official orders
showing that his or her permanent
duty station is located within the State
where the licensed premises are located.
 
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Bobson said:
This leads me to believe I wouldn't have been able to purchase a firearm in Washington, despite being a legal resident of Washington. So I would have had to get a new driver's license in Nevada, and buy my firearm there. Is that correct?
^^^^^^^ As you can see from above, you would not need a Nevada driver's license.

When you were on active duty and both ordered to and living in Nevada, it would have been illegal for you to purchase a handgun from anyone (FFL or not) in Washington state, and illegal for you to purchase a rifle from a private party in Washington state because you did not meet either definition of residency in 27 CFR 478.11 - you were neither present in Washington with the intention of making a home there - nor did you have permanent orders making Washington your duty station.

Now, let's say you had orders to Nevada and you lived across the border in Arizona. It would have been legal for you to purchase firearms in both states, because according to 27 CFR 478.11 you met the definition of a resident in both states. That is in FAQ question B1 on page 178 of the above linked document.
 
Bobson said:
The reason I'm confused is because since separating from the Air Force, I've learned that (and this may just be a state law) I need to have an driver's license from my official home state in order to purchase a firearm, and the purchase itself must also take place in that home state.

This leads me to believe I wouldn't have been able to purchase a firearm in Washington, despite being a legal resident of Washington. So I would have had to get a new driver's license in Nevada, and buy my firearm there. Is that correct?

Active duty or not, a person does NOT need a state's driver's license in order to purchase a firearm in that state. You need to establish identity and residency (and prove them to an FFL). So, let's say a military spouse lives in Nevada with her husband who is active duty. Let's say Nevada does not require the spouse to get a Nevada driver's license (not sure about that). Can she buy a handgun from an FFL in Nevada? She has a Washington Driver's License, no active duty military ID card, and no orders because she is not in the military.

The answer is yes. She uses her Washington State Driver's License to establish identity, and she uses some other Nevada State government issued document, such as a vehicle registration, to establish Nevada residency. This is also in rule 2001-05 on page 136 of the above linked document. Also on the instructions to the form 4473:

447320b.jpg
 
Now that I've given you the complete run-down on residency, according to Federal law, there is going to be some poster who comes along and insists that just because they have a State X driver's license, and their military home of record is State X, they can buy guns in State X without having to live there or be stationed there, because, by God, they pay taxes in State X, are registered to vote in State X and their home of record is in State X. And to that poster, who is sure to come along - show us where any of those are mentioned in Federal regulation's definition of residency. They aren't.
 
Bobson said:
NavyLCDR, thanks a lot man. I really appreciate you taking the time to clear all that up for me.

No problem. I have participated in many, many discussions on the topic of residency for military members. The Federal Firearms Regulations Reference Guide is a great tool, as are many of the other publications in the firearms publications section of the ATF website.
 
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