More Mo. residents seek online concealed carry class

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Missouri residents can get their concealed carry gun permit online without ever having picked up a gun.

Officials from Virginia State Police confirm far more Missouri residents are applying for non-resident concealed carry permits since a Virginia law allowed online classes to be sufficient to file for permits. Virginia officials have seen a 95 percent increase in Missouri applicants since the law changed in 2009.

Missouri law does not allow online classes to receive a state conceal carry permit, but does recognize the Virginia permit as sufficient.

That fact worries some Missouri gun owners like Veronica Perez. She bought two guns this year to protect her children after hearing about women being attacked, and she now practices at a Northland shooting range to prepare for her concealed carry class.

Don Pind teaches classes for concealed carry permits at Show-Me Shooters. Classes in Missouri not only force participants to handle weapons, it also requires participants to shoot them. Pind thinks the Virginia virtual classes are not enough training.

"It is like doing a video chat to learn how to drive," he explained. 

While 114 Missourians have active concealed carry permits in Virginia, Kansas residents can't use the sites to get a viable permit. Residents are required to have Kansas permits that require a class taken in person.

To find out which states accept concealed carry permits from Virginia, and how many have been issued since 2009, go to: http://bit.ly/TjQxSo