National CCW information, how long a wait?

[goose]

Here we go. I applied for a "Permit to Purchase a Handgun" with our city's (in Minn) police chief. I received my permit in 1 week. I then ordered a pistol & had it sent to a FFL holder. I went to pick up the gun. The FFL holder said he called Virginia & that I was put on 'Hold', and the FFL guy couldn't give me the gun til the 'Hold' was O K. He also told me that if I wasn't 'cleared' in 5 days (Brady Bill), he could give me the gun. On day 7, I went to pick up the gun. He again said that I'm on 'Hold', but he did release the gun (5 day law).

Now I took my mandatory gun & range class. I then went to our county's (Minn) sheriff's office to apply for a CCW license. A week later I got a call from the sheriff's office and the guy there said, "It seems that you were arrested in Feb, 1956. (YES, 50 YEARS AGO!) There is NO mention of why you were arrested. Do you know why?" I told him in those days I was a maniac with a car, tickets all of the time....once 7 tickets in one day, but outside of that, I did NOTHING unusual. He then said, "We'll try to find out what the arrest was for, but "they" don't have any information on the arrest." So now I wonder. Could the sheriff's office hold up my CCW permit until they "Try" to find out what I did wrong.....a month, 6 months, a year? Heck, I had to be bailed out ($25) many times, no license. Is that considered an 'arrest'?

 

[Henry Bowman]

Heck, I had to be bailed out ($25) many times, no license. Is that considered an 'arrest'?

I'd call it that.

 

[itgoesboom]

. A week later I got a call from the sheriff's office and the guy there said, "It seems that you were arrested in Feb, 1956. (YES, 50 YEARS AGO!) There is NO mention of why you were arrested. Do you know why?" I told him in those days I was a maniac with a car, tickets all of the time....once 7 tickets in one day, but outside of that, I did NOTHING unusual.

They had cars back then?

I.G.B.

 

[scout26]

They had cars back then?

IGB:

Yes, they were powered by sticking your bare feet through the floor and running real fast. And keep a sharp eye out for the dinosaur poop in the road.

 

[Azrael256]

Ok, arrests, in and of themselves, shouldn't matter. The general rule for gun-related background investigations is felonies, serious misdemeanors, or anything for which you could have been imprisoned for one year or more. This is if you were convicted or admitted guilt. If you were able to take posession of the firearm, then you probably meet MN's requirements for CCW applications. I wouldn't worry too much about this fouling up your application.

The Sheriff has to notify you of acceptance or rejection within 30 days. Source here. He can reject your application if he thinks you're going to cause trouble, but a few youthful incidents involving driving like a maniac shouldn't hinder you if you haven't pulled another stunt in the intervening five decades.

 

[goose]

I now remember one other incidence.....hard fought softball game..we won. Then some team members & I grabbed a few 6-packs & climbed a water tower to replenish our vital body fluids. Some ol' goat was walking his dog & saw us on top of the water tower & called the police (We found this out later on the ground). The cops came and told us to come down. How did they know we were up there? We didn't think they couldn't see us in the dark. Finally the cops called the fire dept's hook & ladder truck. We then came down. Yea, I was arrested, bail= $50, at court the fine was $25 "Disorderly conduct."

Yes, it was a while ago, and I still "GO" at stop lights. Ford Explorer...S O H C, 210 HP, STICK ( a 5 speed for those that drive the slosh-o-matic), and I'm 63-1 at stop lights. I'm old? Age is only a number to me.

 

[Azrael256]

"Disorderly conduct."

I didn't see this specifically in MN's law, but, in Texas, I believe it has to have been at least 5 years since such a conviction for you to qualify for a CHL. MN doesn't appear to have such a rigidly defined statute, but such things are left to the discretion of the sheriff. I doubt a citation for boozing it up on a water tower from 50 years ago is going to cause a problem. Unless you've made a habit of stealing cars, robbing liquor stores, or smacking your wife around, I wouldn't worry about it being denied.

Do keep us informed as to how it goes for you.

On a side note, I had a 1992 Explorer when I was 16. It's just the one I ended up with. Groovy 5-speed transmission, 4.0L V6, and a fully adjustable custom ignition system that a couple of EEs from work helped me build. I could basically ignite anywhere during any stroke, although I built in some controls to keep it from tossing a rod through the hood. Something about being able to spark all six cylinders simultaneously called for some safety devices. It would get up and go with some timing advance, and it would haul quite a trailer with a little tuning the other way. I drove it for two years on two sets of Firestone AT tires (no, I didn't drag it, they were getting worn when I got the truck) and never blew a tire, flipped, two-wheeled, or got so much as a parking ticket. Finally got rid of it when the funky hydraulic clutch just wouldn't work right anymore.

 

[goose]

Azrael, Thanks for your encouragement in this issue. Also, thanks for your post of yesterday @ 5:57p, showing me the laws of obtaining a CCW from Minn. You've really raised my hopes. Thanks again.

 

[Azrael256]

Hey, anytime! I'm in the same boat. Here in Texas, they say that it might take two weeks, or it might take six months. Oh, and don't bother calling us unless it has been at least two months, we just won't answer. I have a criminal history that includes a warning for speeding in another state, and a ticket for forgetting to renew my parking tag at school (and it's a private school, so that's an administrative matter), but with all my moves in the last few years, including the back and forth to school in Oklahoma, I'm sure they're going to take their sweet time with it. I asked my instructor if I should include a letter explaining that one address is my legal home address a la my drivers license, and the other is a dormitory, which is obviously temporary. He said it couldn't hurt, but not to expect it to go any faster that way. *sigh* Oh well. I can't carry at school in Oklahoma (except leaving it in the car) without a note from the university president, and that's about as likely as me winning the lottery, so I guess it's not *that* important at the moment.

I didn't see anybody else mention it, so here's a valuable resource for you: packing.org has a whole bunch of good info on CCW for all fifty states. It's where I found the link to MN's site about CCW. They have nice color-coded maps that will show you all the relevant reciprocity information, specific citations about where you can and can't carry, and other assorted info that could come in handy. I don't know if their info is 100% accurate, but I haven't found anything that was wrong on their site.

 

[Sam Adams]

Goose

Yes, it was a while ago, and I still "GO" at stop lights. Ford Explorer...S O H C, 210 HP, STICK ( a 5 speed for those that drive the slosh-o-matic), and I'm 63-1 at stop lights. I'm old? Age is only a number to me.

I'm quite fond, at age 44, of telling people that "you can only be young once, but you can be immature forever." Its so much more fun to say and do stuff that you like to do, rather than what they expect you to do, and to shock people because they don't expect it.

Oh, how I wish I still had my '69 Goat. Blowing the doors of the pompous know-nothings in Porches and Beemers (who were trying to impress their girlfriends) with an old car was so much fun when I was younger...and how much more fun it would be now. OK, so maybe I'll have to wait until the few remaining hairs are white around 2020 before I get another Goat or other '60's muscle car, and then destroy the egos of those now entering grade school, because surely they wil not know what they'll be going up against.

 

[goose]

Sam Adams, Was your GTO the 400 HP V-8 (389 cid-?) 4 speed? Boy, that WAS a fast car. Pontiac I believe, is now coming out with another 'GTO' that really moves. I really don't know the specifics though.