This State Just Raised the Cost of a Concealed Carry Permit

By Erika Haas

On August 1st, the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) raised the cost of a state concealed firearm permit by more than 50 percent.

Before the hike, a permit cost approximately $37; a $24.75 state fee plus a $12 fee charged by the FBI to process fingerprint cards. Now, a permit will cost Utah residents $57.

The NRA points out that raising Concealed Firearm Permit (CFP) fees “adversely impacts the ability of law-abiding gun owners to carry a firearm for self-defense.”

Utah’s BCI is claiming the extra $20 is needed to comply with a new FBI policy regarding fingerprint submissions. The BCI used to send fingerprint cards via mail. But now, the FBI requires all fingerprint submissions be sent electronically, meaning the BCI must first run all prints through its database.

However, it seems odd that the BCI is just raising CFP costs now since this “new” FBI policy went into effect five years ago. The NRA fears the BCI is using this extra money to fund government programs completely unrelated to the processing of concealed firearm permits – which has reportedly happened in the past.

The NRA raises another serious concern in its report: the BCI implemented the fee increase without going …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms