On a spring morning in 2016 in Carlyss, Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Officer responded to a call of a breaking and entering in progress. When officers arrived on the scene they ended up exchanging gunfire with the suspect until the suspect turned his gun on himself and killed himself. When the dust settled Cody McAdams not only killed himself but murdered his wife. Cody had a long history of domestic violence against his wife Brandi Trahan McAdams. Brandi Trahan McAdams murder…
In the aftermath of this tragic event, the Louisiana state legislature passed the Brandi Trahan Act. Most states have emergency permit laws and each state’s laws are slightly different. Below are three states that offer emergency certification with different processes.
Louisiana
The passage of Act 465 (“Brandi Trahan Act”) of the 2016 Regular Legislative Session (Effective August 1, 2016) enacts R.S. 40:1379.3.2, providing that a person on whose behalf the court has issued a permanent injunction or a protective order to bring about the cessation of abuse and which prohibits the subject of the order from possessing a firearm for the duration of the injunction or protective order may apply to the deputy secretary of public safety services of the Department of Public Safety & Corrections (DPS&C) for the issuance of a temporary concealed handgun permit.
Provides that the person shall:
Apply online or in person.
Agree to hold harmless the DPS&C.
Meet the qualifications for the issuance of a concealed handgun permit but not demonstrate use of the firearm upon application (i.e. Concealed Handgun Training Course certificate not required initially).
Pay a $25 fee authorized in present law. The fee shall be applied to the cost of a concealed handgun permit when training is completed.
Comply with all other restrictions and provisions of R.S. 40:1379.3
Colorado law (C.R.S. 18-12-209) allows a sheriff to issue a temporary emergency permit to carry a concealed handgun to a person that the sheriff believes may be in immediate danger. The application process and requirements are similar to those for obtaining a regular permit but the applicant does not have to demonstrate competence with a handgun. The applicant must be 18 years of age or older. A temporary emergency permit is valid for 90 days and may be renewed.
A person who believes he/she needs a license immediately may petition a court in the county where he/she resides for an emergency license. A court may issue an emergency license if the court determines it is necessary to protect the person from death or great bodily harm unless it knows that the person is ineligible for a license.
These are just three examples of states making an effort to help people who are in danger of violence obtain an emergency conceal carry permit. Each state may have different processes and requirements for emergency permits. Licensee’s due diligence is required when seeking state-specific information. Training is crucial when dealing with firearms. Several conceal carry trainers will offer discounts to people who receive these emergency licenses. (This is left up to each specific trainer).
Domestic violence is ugly and causes a mass amount of pain for victims and families. These types of laws may be controversial and are far from a perfect solution to a complex situation, but they do allow victims to postpone red tape if that victim thinks a concealed to carry license will protect themselves and their families.
