goconcealedcarry.com

Frequently Asked

Straight answers.

Nothing fancy. The questions we get most, answered plainly, including the ones that are awkward for us.

About this site

Is this an official government site?
No. GoConcealedCarry is a privately owned informational and advertising website operated by High Performance Media LLC. We are not affiliated with any state, local, or federal government agency.
Do you issue concealed carry permits?
No. Permits are issued only by state authorities. We publish plain-English summaries of state carry law and we refer people to a clearly labeled advertising partner. We cannot approve, pre-approve, or qualify anyone for a permit.
Is this site free?
Yes. The summaries, the quiz, and the reciprocity map are free with no signup. If you use our sponsored partner we may earn a commission. That never changes what we tell you about the law.
How do you make money?
We are paid a commission when someone we refer completes a purchase with our advertising partner. Every page that carries a partner link says so. Some pages carry no partner link at all, and those pages say that too.
Where do your state law summaries come from?
State statutes and official state agency sources, meaning each state's Attorney General, State Police, Department of Public Safety, or equivalent licensing authority. We do not rely on blogs, forums, affiliate sites, or industry commentary for any legal statement on this site.
How current is this information?
Summaries were last reviewed in Q3 2026. Carry law and reciprocity both change, sources sometimes conflict, and errors are possible. Verify with the destination state's own agency before you carry there.
What if you get something wrong?
Tell us and we will check it against the state's own statute and fix it. We have corrected our own data before and we will again. Nothing on this site is a determination that you may lawfully carry anywhere.

Permits and how they work

What is the difference between a permit and a certificate?
A permit or license is issued by a government and is the document a police officer is looking for. A certificate is issued by a company and proves you completed a class. Some states require a training certificate as a step toward a permit, so certificates can be legitimate. A certificate on its own does not let you carry anywhere.
Can I get a concealed carry permit entirely online?
Not the permit itself. Some states let you do the training online, and some applications can be started online or by mail, but the permit is always issued by a state after its own process. Any offer that hands you a downloadable document and calls it a permit is describing something else.
My state does not require a permit. Why would I get one?
Travel. Permitless carry is a rule about that one state and it stops at the state line. A permit another state recognizes is what lets you carry when you cross. A permit also survives a change in your home state's law, since a legislature can repeal permitless carry but cannot retroactively cancel a permit already issued.
What is a non-resident permit?
A permit issued by a state to someone who does not live there. Several states issue them. Their value is entirely about travel, because your home state either does not require a permit or issues its own. The key question with any non-resident permit is which states honor it, which is not the same as which states honor that state's resident permits.
Who is federally prohibited from having a firearm?
Federal law at 18 U.S.C. 922(g) bars firearm possession for several categories, including people convicted of a felony, people convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, people subject to certain protective orders, and some others. It also restricts possession for some non-citizens, with exceptions such as lawful permanent residents. If any of this might apply to you, talk to an attorney before applying for anything.
How long does a permit take?
It depends entirely on the state and, in many states, on the county. Some issue in weeks, some take months. We do not publish processing time estimates because we cannot document them, and neither should anyone else without citing the issuing agency.

Reciprocity and travel

Is one permit valid in all 50 states?
No, and anyone telling you otherwise is not being straight with you. Every state writes its own recognition rules. There is no permit that works everywhere, and there is no federal permit.
What does resident permits only mean?
It is the trap most people miss. Several states honor a permit only if the holder lives in the state that issued it. Michigan is one example. A non-resident permit can fail in those states even though the issuing state appears on a general reciprocity list. When you check a destination state, look specifically for whether it honors permits held by non-residents of the issuing state.
Which states honor nothing?
A handful of states recognize no out-of-state permit at all for carrying on your person. California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Illinois are the usual examples. In those states no reciprocity strategy works, and the only path is that state's own license where one is available to you.
What happens if I carry somewhere my permit is not recognized?
You are carrying illegally, and nobody stops you at the border to warn you. In most states that is charged as a misdemeanor, which can still mean jail time and a fine. In some states, or with aggravating factors, it is a felony. A felony conviction means losing the right to own a firearm at all.
Can I drive through a state where I cannot carry?
Usually yes, but as transport rather than carry. Federal law at 18 U.S.C. 926A provides limited protection for transporting a firearm through a state where you cannot legally carry, if the firearm is unloaded and locked away, inaccessible from the passenger compartment, and you are traveling between two places where you may lawfully possess it. It does not let you carry for self defense while you are there, and states apply it differently. Check the state before you go.
Does reciprocity change?
Yes, and that is the main reason to re-check rather than trust a map you saw once. States add and drop recognition, legislatures amend the rules, and attorneys general reinterpret them. Our own map has been corrected when a state's statute turned out to say something different from what a third-party tracker claimed.

Scams and how to verify an offer

How do I know an online permit offer is not a scam?
Check it against a government source before you pay, including ours. Ask what document you receive and who issues it, then look up that issuing state's own page. We wrote a separate guide covering how these schemes work, what the Federal Trade Commission has done about closely similar ones, and how to verify any offer in about five minutes.
What are the warning signs?
Vague language that never says permit or license. Claims of coverage in all 50 states. Talk of a legal loophole or a brand new law. A deadline that expires soon. Refund terms you can only find after paying. And the one to look hardest for: a disclaimer buried in small print admitting the document is not valid in your state.
I got a text saying my permit needs renewal. Is that real?
Almost certainly not. Multiple sheriffs' offices have warned about text messages claiming a concealed carry permit needs renewing, changing, or picking up, with a link that harvests personal information or payment. A sheriff's office will not text you asking for information or money about your permit. Do not click the link. Call your issuing office using a number you look up yourself.
I already paid for something. What should I do?
Stop carrying on it until you know what you have. Read the document and check it against the issuing state's official page. If it is a certificate of completion rather than a permit, it is not a license to carry. It may still be a valid step toward a real permit in some states, so check your own state's accepted-training list before you write the money off.
Where do I report a deceptive offer?
The Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov handles deceptive advertising nationally. Your state Attorney General's consumer protection division handles unfair and deceptive practices under state law. If you paid recently, dispute the charge with your card issuer, because those windows are shorter than most people expect.

Our advertising partner

What does RushMyConceal actually provide?
RushMyConceal is our paid advertising partner. They prepare the application for a New Hampshire non-resident concealed carry permit (a pistol and revolver license issued under RSA 159:6) that is recognized in more than 20 states. The application process is 100% online. You submit the finished form to New Hampshire State Police with the state fee, and the state issues the license. The training course is optional. It is not your own state's permit, and it does not replace one.
Will this permit let me carry at home?
Not on its own, and in a permitless state you do not need it to. If you live somewhere that requires a permit, that permit has to come from your own state. A non-resident permit is for travel to states that recognize it.
What if my own state's permit is a better fit?
Then get your own state's permit. Several state permits are recognized in more states than a non-resident permit, and several states honor only permits held by their own residents. If the places you actually drive are covered by your home state's permit and not by this one, we would rather tell you than sell you.
How much does it cost?
You see the exact price on the partner's application page before you pay anything, and checking whether you qualify costs nothing. We do not publish a price here because we do not set it and we will not quote a number we cannot document.
Is training required?
For this particular non-resident permit, training is optional. That is its main practical advantage over permits that require a classroom course and a range qualification. Whether that trade is right for you depends on where you travel.
Should I take a training course anyway?
That is a personal call and we are not going to pretend otherwise. Knowing your state's use-of-force law and prohibited places before you carry is worth something no permit provides. Plenty of people who are not required to train choose to.

Privacy and your data

What information do you send to your partner?
Only an advertising click identifier and campaign tracking parameters, such as which ad and keyword brought you here. We do not send your name, email, phone number, ZIP code, or any of your quiz answers. Anything you provide on the partner's own website is governed by their privacy policy.
Do you store my ZIP code?
No. Your ZIP is used in your browser to work out which state you are in, and only the state code moves forward. The ZIP itself is never sent to our servers, never placed in a page address, and never shared.
What happens to my quiz answers?
They stay in your browser for your visit and are used only to tailor what you see on the results page. They are not stored on our servers and are not sent to any partner.
Why do you ask about citizenship?
Federal law restricts firearm possession for some non-citizens, with exceptions such as lawful permanent residents. We ask so we can give you an honest result rather than sending you toward an application you may not be able to complete. Your answer is not sent anywhere.
Still have a question? Use our contact form. If it is about whether an offer is legitimate, our scam guide walks through how to check any of them yourself, including ours.

Sources and verification

  • NH: N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 159:6. New Hampshire State Police, Permits and Licensing Unit.

Recognition and carry-law data compiled from each state's statutes and official Attorney General, State Police, or Department of Public Safety reciprocity pages. Reviewed quarterly. Last reviewed: Q3 2026. We review and update this information about once a quarter. Laws change between reviews, so verify with the destination state before you travel or apply. Read how we verify our information, including our public corrections log.