Before You Get Your Concealed Carry Permit in New Mexico
Hello Fellow Gun Owner,
Acquiring a concealed carry permit allows you to every day carry a concealed weapon in New Mexico. Moreover, if another state you choose to visit has a reciprocity agreement under Concealed Carry Reciprocity legislation with the state of New Mexico, your New Mexico concealed carry weapon permit allows you to carry in those states as well. To find out which states recognize your New Mexico concealed carry permit, click on: https://www.gunstocarry.com/gun-laws-state/new-mexico-gun-laws/.
Do I Have to Have a Concealed Carry Permit in New Mexico?
New Mexico is a “shall issue” state. This means that if you are a resident and you qualify under state law, the state will issue you a New Mexico Concealed Handgun License (CHL). In New Mexico, you can open carry without a permit.
In order to be eligible to apply for a New Mexico concealed carry permit, you must be:
- Be twenty-one or older
- Have completed an accredited in-person or online firearm training course
- Be a resident of New Mexico or be in the armed forces or a spouse of someone in the military
- Be an American citizen
- Not have been convicted of certain misdemeanors within the last ten years, including stalking, violation of an order of protection, sexual assault and public indecency.
Under the Concealed Carry Reciprocity legislation, New Mexico will recognize permits issued by those states which have standards equal to or greater than New Mexico. To check to see if other states accept New Mexico’s concealed carry permit. The state recognizes concealed carry permits from Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming..
Steps to Acquire a New Mexico Concealed Carry Permit
Concealed weapons permits are processed at the state level by the New Mexico Department of Public Safety.
- Complete a weapons safety and training course in person or online at a New Mexico-approved facility or website. New Mexico accepts courses sponsored by a college, state, or federal law enforcement agency, a firearms training school or an organization recognized nationally and approved by the New Mexico Department of Health and Safety.
- Obtain a certificate of completion of the course.
- Go to your local Police or Sheriff to get fingerprinted
- Gather all the documents required:
- Two fingerprint cards
- Certified original copy of your birth certificate, must be issued by vital statistics
in the state in which you were born,
- Copy of certificate of completion of firearms training,
- Copy of New Mexico Driver’s License or photo Identification Card,
- Release forms and any other supporting documentation.
- Send your application and supporting documents to;
NM Department of Public Safety
SID/Concealed Carry Unit
6301 Indian School Rd. NE Suite 310
Albuquerque, NM 87110
Non-Residents: Why choose online CCW training?
New Mexico residents can apply for the Virginia Non-resident Concealed Handgun Permit to qualify for their CCW training.
Non-residents who are military and their spouses stationed in New Mexico may apply. Non-resident can also apply to have their out-of-state CCW permit transferred. They must present
- proof of American citizenship
- proof of residency
- proof of age
- a photocopy of the license that is being transferred
Since the Concealed Carry Reciprocity legislation, persons who are NOT residents of New Mexico but have a CCW from an approved state can carry handguns concealed in New Mexico.
For a list of states whose CCW permit New Mexico does not recognize click on: https://ag.ks.gov/licensing/concealed-carry/out-of-state-license-recognition
As a non-resident, you can take the online CCW permit from Virginia.
- Complete firearms training course at an accredited sight like Free carry Academy (http://nationalcarryacademy.com).
- Download and print a certificate of successful completion.
- Apply to Virginia website. See (http://nationalcarryacademy.com). For details.
- If you have questions, contact the state of Virginia (www.vsp.state.va.us).
Taking CCW training online allows residents anywhere to obtain their CCW permit training from anywhere as long as they have access to a computer, a tablet, or a smartphone and a printer. This levels the playing field for those who live in remote areas of the state and get easily get to a training center.
Work and family schedules and responsibilities may make it impossible to attend a physical training center at the time courses are offered.
The time and travel costs may pose a financial burden to those who want to get a New Mexico CCW permit. Online training removes those costs.
The providers of online CCW training have had to submit an application as a CCW online training provider. The New Mexico Department of Justice has studied these applications and accepted only those that fulfill criteria for accreditation.
How to Apply for a Virginia Non-Resident Permit
To apply for your Virginia non-resident permit visit:
http://www.vsp.state.va.us/Firearms_NonresidentConcealed.shtm
or go to www.vsp.state.va.us.
Click on “firearms/concealed handguns”.
Click on the “Nonresident Concealed Handgun Permits” link.
This will bring you to a page that details the application process.
Begin the application process immediately by downloading the checklist of all documents that need to be prepared to make your application.
