Canton McKinley Rifle & Pistol Club

JOE’S CORNER

March 3, 2008

CHL RENEWAL
For those CHL holders that were some of the first to receive their CHLs back in April of 2004, renewal time is here! The current statutes allow you to renew at any time 90 days prior to the expiration date to 30 days after expiration of your CHL. We have been within that 120 day window since January 2008.

 To renew you will need a copy of your competency certificate that is current (no older than 6 years from the date it was issued), a CHL application form, $55.00 in cash or money order (no personal checks!), a new passport-styled photo (taken within 30 days of making application), and your drivers license. There are new application forms. These can be downloaded from the Attorney General’s website : http://www.ag.state.oh.us/le/prevention/forms/cc_standard_application.pdf or picked up at the Sheriff’s office. Call you Sheriff to find out these times. He may require you to make an appointment.

 Making application with the Sheriff is going to be the same as before. He will review your application and supporting documentation, take your money, scan your fingerprints, and send you on your way – contacting you by telephone when the background check has been completed and letting you know you can come back to pick up your renewed CHL. The new CHL will be good for 5 years. There was a new handbook published in March, 2007. Be sure to pick one up while you’re at the Sheriff’s office.

 COMPETENCY CERTIFICATION
This document is valid for 6 years from the date it was issued. In most cases it can be used for the initial CHL application and your first renewal as it will still be valid for another 2 years. For retired military applicants that used your DD214 instead of a competency certificate, it remains valid for 6 years from the date of discharge.

When the 6 years is up, your competency certificate is no longer valid and cannot be used to apply for your CHL. The statutes provide for a way to avoid taking the entire 12 hour CCW course over again by opting to take a re-certification course. This recertification course does not require the 10 hours of classroom and 2 hours of range time, but is designed to re-test your competency by taking a new written test and demonstrating your gun handling competency at the range. The actual class will vary slightly from instructor to instructor but every class will contain those basic elements. The class should only be 2 hours or so in length, include a review of the current CHL statutes, the issuing of new handbooks (if needed), and review of gun safety procedures, and your actual range time. When completed, you will receive a re-certification certificate that will be valid for another 6 years. Course fees will also vary, but a $30.00 course fee is about what to expect. Important to note is that if you allow your current competency certificate to expire you will have to take the entire 12 hour course over! You must re-certify your competency before you current certificate expires to avoid taking the entire 12 hour course over gain. The new handbook I mentioned earlier has a section on re-certification but mistakenly omits this section of the statutes.

Next time I will discuss reciprocity and how to maximize the number of states in which you can carry concealed.

Joe Matyas is a certified firearms training instructor with 36 years of training experience and teaches CCW, advanced personal protection courses, and classes that train individuals to become Certified Range Safety Officers.

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