With the goal of streamlining the process to apply for a concealed handgun permit, Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman and Loudoun County Clerk of the Circuit Court Gary M. Clemens recently pointed out changes in the application process that will take effect Feb. 25.
"I am happy to work with the Circuit Clerk of the Court to streamline and expedite the concealed permit process," said Sheriff Chapman. "Gary Clemens and I are always looking for ways to improve service to the community."
To apply for a concealed handgun permit, residents must print an application from the Virginia State Police website at www.vsp.state.va.us. Click on Forms & Publications, then click on Firearms to find a downloadable version of the application. Applications can also be downloaded from the Clerk of Circuit Court website at www.loudoun.gov/clerk. Click on Concealed Handgun Permits on the left side of the home page.
Residents may also pick up an application at:
- The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Administrative Office, 880 Harrison Street, in Leesburg
- The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Dulles South Station, 25216 Loudoun County Parkway, in Chantilly
- The Eastern Loudoun Station, 46620 East Frederick Drive, in Sterling, VA
- The Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court located at 18 East Market Street in Leesburg, VA.
Applications must be filled out in black ink and taken to the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Office. Residents must also provide their driver's license and proof of training for new applications or your old permit for renewals. The Clerk of the Circuit Court does not accept packets after 4 p.m. It takes up to 45 days for your application to be processed by the court.
“I value the partnership and collaboration with Sheriff Mike Chapman and his leadership team as together we are attempting to provide better services to our citizens,” said Clerk of the Circuit Court Gary M. Clemens. “Streamlining the application process for the concealed handgun permits is just one of several ways we are teaming up for the benefit of our residents.”
The applications processing costs $40.50. Credit card, cash, and check payments are accepted. For more information about obtaining a concealed handgun permit, please visit http://sheriff.loudoun.gov/handgunpermit.
Also there now appears to be a mail in options. Wasn't aware of that before. http://www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=955
Although I don't live in Loudoun County, apparently the "old" way was to require the applicant to go to the Sheriff's office to obtain a background check, then deliver that to the Clerk of the Court. This procedure was ILLEGAL, a direct violation of the Code of Virginia, § 18.2-308 Paragraph D, which specifically states that the applicant must apply to the Clerk of the Court, and that the Clerk must then obtain the background check. The law also specifically prohibits the Clerk from even requesting any additional information beyond that which is on the application. Finally, the article states, "Residents must also provide their driver's license". This is absolutely false. Nowhere in the above referenced code does it require that an applicant present a driver's license, or any other form of identification, to apply. I suspect that this confusion comes from the fact that the application MUST be notarized, and that the NOTARY may (should) require you to provide proof of identity before they notarize your application. That requirement is between the applicant and the notary, and no ID is required to submit an application to the Clerk. (I always like to point out why this is so, and why it is perfectly reasonable: The permit itself does not have a photo. A Photo ID is required to be presented with the permit. If Jim wants to turn in Mary's application, no big deal, no harm, no foul, so why should an ID be required simply to apply?)