When I started working for the USCCA, my dad was very excited for me. One day I told him I was sitting next to THE Kevin Michalowski, his response? “That’s awesome! Can you ask Kevin…”
You don’t need to have a relative or friend who works at the USCCA to ask Kevin something - here’s your chance to ask him anything - This Friday!
Kevin Michalowski, Executive Editor of Concealed Carry Magazine and Content Director for the USCCA, part-time law enforcement officer, and former Navy, will be answering your questions in the Community LIVE on Friday, July 26 at 2:00 PM Central Time.
Add your questions below and stop back on Friday afternoon to comment with Kevin LIVE!
Hello
I’m new here and just trying to figure out the website
I am looking for information on laws and options for someone who has non violent felony convictions such as theft and possession of drugs from 2003. Does that disqualify them from owning a gun at all. If so, Is there anyway to appeal this since they have made significant life changes and work in a job which can put them at risk of danger?
Thank you. I appreciate any info you might have on this topic
Hi Kevin. I was wondering if California does succeed in banning concealed carry insurance, is there anyway to restructure the coverage and rename it as a retainer for legal services? If rich people and corporations can have law firms on retainer then perhaps there is a way we can collectively make an agreement to that effect.
It is possible to have such things expunged and rights restored via a court order, but you are going to need an attorney to help with that and it may be costly. Your best bet is to contact an attorney in your state who helps with such things and discuss the details with them.
Does the USCCA Headquarters have it’s own Security? If so are they hiring? I only ever see jobs posted for people with bigger brains for marketing/design/web work than what I have.
Thanks for your reply! Unfortunately Hawai’i doesn’t expunge any records other than things without a conviction. We have a pardon application in and have passed the investigation process but 10 years later we still don’t have it granted. . I live in Oregon now though.
I’m mostly interested in home and personal protection and would like to be able to have training and practice. But this whole general exclusion for old past mistakes with no mental health issues and no violence whatsoever is disheartening. I work in a profession of helping marginalized folks and giving back to the community. But sometimes things don’t go the way folks would like in court or they can be severely mentally ill and lots of people in my field have been assaulted, stalked and harassed outside of the office in their homes or other places. It would just be nice to know as a small female that I could protect myself if I had to.
It’s sad that I don’t have that right for the rest of my life when I am not nor have I ever had been a violent person. I was an abandoned and homeless single mother who made poor choices in trying to provide food and shelter for my kids. I’ve since devoted my life to helping those in that situation because I know if I would have had other options, things would have been different.
As I mentioned before, my current residence state is NJ. You may have heard the horrible laws being passed there that require firearms to hold no more than 10 rounds, or how you will never be approved for a CCW permit because of their defacto carry ban since it is a “may issue” state. They say you have to have a justifiable need and we all know they don’t actually approve anything as being justifiable… (I was literally told by a police Lt. that I would be wasting my money by applying because unless I was a LEO, or a politician/judge, I will never be approved for a CCW permit). My current line of work I am a freelance wildlife technician. This often means my contracts take me all over the country and many jobs I would look at applying to involve being alone in the deep woods looking for dangerous predators for research purposes. In fact Alaska and some other states usually have the requirement that you have to be allowed to legally carry firearms because you will be required to carry while in the field. I have a CCW from Utah as a non-resident which allows me to carry in about 2/3rds of the country, but there are some states that do not recognize it because I am not a resident of the state which I hold the permit. Do you think my circumstances may have some weight when applying, and if I am denied for no reason other than they don’t deem it to be a “justifiable need” that I can join the lawsuit against the state for this ban?
Depending on your state you may be able to petition for a restoration of rights and expungement of your criminal record if you hve been completely clean for 10-15 years.
Keep those questions for Kevin coming! I’m not going to respond to them until after Kevin gets a chance to respond on Friday! If he doesn’t get to all of the questions on Friday, I’ll add in additional resources for those questions he didn’t get to.
Welcome Jolene, I’m coming in a little early to make sure everything is working. The best answer for this question will likely come from your state’s Department of Justice. They typically have a system for restoring CCW rights, but each state is different. It might require getting a pardon from the governor… or something less. Start with the DOJ. Be patient and be persistent. Best of luck.
BJP… both Hatch and Under Armor make really good cold weather shooting gloves. Forget about those bulky Minnesota ski gloves they are too big for any sort of shooting. A good pair of gloves made with some level of neoprene will work well. But remember, you can’t get something for nothing… what you gain in dexterity you will lose in warmth… find the balance.
Right now, this is all in the hands of the lawyers. And that is really the only comment I can make. Our leadership team here at USCCA is working diligently to insure that we can offer every responsibly armed American the best possible legal protection. But as always, getting good tactical training and making good decisions will really help, too. So, if there is something you think we need to be teaching, let us know.
Moonwolf, I’m the kind of guy who does stuff people tell me can’t be done. If you want a CCW permit from NJ, apply for it. Explain to them your circumstances and let the chips fall where they may. You will never get a permit if you don’t apply for it. You may also look into getting a Florida non-resident permit. That permit is accepted in some of the states where Utah is not. Keep fighting for your rights. Or… move out of NJ. South Dakota is nice.
We are all responsible for our own security here at the USCCA… that’s kinda the point of this whole concealed carry thing. My security team is right here on my hip. Keep watching the job postings, we want to hire great people.
. I live in Oregon now though.