What It’s Like To Get Your MN Permit To Carry

Over this past weekend, my dad took my sister and I to Gander Mountain's Firearm Academy to take the Minnesota Permit to Carry class. Ever thought about carrying a concealed weapon? You might want to think twice.

Growing up, I have always been exposed to firearms. I started tagging along hunting with my dad at the age of 11, and took my firearm safety course at 12. I am a huge whitetail deer hunter, along with pheasant whenever possible. I have used handguns for the same amount of time - and always thought it would be a good idea to get my conceal and carry permit.

I took the Permit to Carry course all day on a Saturday. It is four hours of going over the laws and regulations for someone to carry a loaded firearm, and the last two hours is the actual shooting test. Thankfully, they make sure you know how to fire a gun before giving you a permit to carry one freely. It was such a stressful test for me, as someone who is very familiar with firearms. And even though I passed the course, I am still not 100% sure I want the responsibility of carrying a firearm.

Come to find out, in Minnesota you do NOT need to conceal your weapon if you have a permit to carry. (However, concealing it is a very good idea) If you do choose to carry a loaded firearm, your responsibility for how a situation turns out goes from 0% to 110%. The stress that comes along with carrying a weapon is a real thing, and should be something a person heavily considers when making that decision.

Even if someone does not want to carry a gun on them, the class to get your permit is a great learning tool. There are so many things that go into the judicial system (and what gives you the right to use deadly force against someone) that it's mind-boggling. I highly recommend everyone to take the class!