Packing Heat: How You Can Legally Conceal Carry in 28 States

By Kody Fairfield

Would you believe there is a way for you to legally conceal carry in 28 states by obtaining only one conceal carry permit? Would you believe it if you were told that you could obtain this conceal carry permit from the comfort of your home? Well you can!

A law (§18.2-308 (G) (7)) exists in the state of Virginia which allows commercial online courses to qualify applicants for the requirements to obtain a conceal carry permit (CCW) as it is certified by the Virginia State Police. What makes this online course more exciting is that it is not only available to residents of Virginia, but to out-of-state residents as well. Better yet, Virginia is a “shall-issue” state, meaning that as long as you pass their required classes and requirements, you cannot be denied your right to conceal carry.

You may be thinking that this online course must be some kind expensive and unnavigable maze that will take hours to complete. Then there is of course the worry of failing and being out your hard-earned cash.  Well there is good news on that front also.

The course run by Survival Life will run you just under $50 and includes bonus informational books about using and owning firearms. The class is taught by a former CIA officer, and he describes the entire process this way:

1. Watch the training video.

2. Take the simple 20 question test.

3. Print your personalized certificate of completion, for the test (which I will provide you).

4. Complete the Virginia State Concealed Firearms Application process and submit.

5. Receive your permit in the mail.

Even if you are already living in a pro-Second Amendment state, having a Virginia conceal carry permit will make access to self-protection even easier, offering much faster results, with strong gun education while skipping the long waiting periods, extensive paperwork and expensive fees typically associated with the application processes.

Now this is not exactly a once-size-fits-all deal as in order for your CCW to be valid, your state must have reciprocity laws with the state of Virginia to be legally recognized. Luckily, the map above denotes the states in red who allow for just that.

The big question then becomes: what happens if you live in a not-so-friendly gun state like California or New York? In those cases, you can still obtain the Virginia CCW from the course, which will allow you to travel freely inside the listed 28 states. And if you are so inclined to comply with your home state laws for CCW procurement on top of this, it will open the doors for self protection in nearly 60% of the nation.