To get a Kansas Concealed Carry Handgun License, you must first complete an eight-hour handgun safety and training course approved by the Kansas Attorney General. Concealed carry classes in Kansas run about $100 through a certified instructor, cover state law and safe handling, and end with a 25-round live-fire qualification. After the class, you take your certificate to your county sheriff, pay a $32.50 fee, and submit your application.
What the Class Covers
Every applicant has to complete an eight-hour course taught by an instructor certified by the Kansas Attorney General, or an NRA-certified instructor whose credentials the AG has recognized as meeting state standards.1Attorney General of Kansas. Concealed Carry FAQs The AG’s office publishes the list of approved instructors, so start there rather than with a general web search.
The classroom portion covers three things: Kansas law on concealed carry and the legal use of deadly force, safe storage practices to prevent unauthorized access, and the basic mechanical operation of handguns. The legal instruction is the part most students underestimate. The rules about where you can carry, how signage works, and when force is justified are more nuanced than they look, and getting them wrong is how a licensed carrier becomes a criminal defendant.
Then comes the range. You fire 25 rounds total at three distances:
- 5 rounds at 3 yards, one-handed grip
- 10 rounds at 7 yards, two-handed grip
- 10 rounds at 10 yards, two-handed grip
You have to handle the weapon safely and hit the target consistently. If you don’t pass the qualification, most instructors will let you retake it, but that’s up to the instructor, not a statewide policy. Bring a handgun you actually shoot well; the qualification isn’t difficult for someone who has practiced, but it is not the day to try out a new pistol.
When you pass, the instructor issues a certificate of completion. Keep it. You cannot file your application without it.
What the Class Costs
Course prices are set by the instructor, so they vary, but around $100 is typical.1Attorney General of Kansas. Concealed Carry FAQs Ask up front what the fee includes. Some instructors bundle range time, targets, and ammunition; others expect you to bring your own ammo and cover range fees separately. A $75 class with $40 in add-ons is not cheaper than a $100 class that includes everything.
The class fee is separate from the license fee. Once you have your certificate, you’ll pay $32.50 to your county sheriff when you file the application.2Attorney General of Kansas. Concealed Carry Licensing The Attorney General’s own fee was eliminated on July 1, 2023, so ignore older guides listing an additional $100 AG charge — it no longer applies.
Who Can Take the Class and Apply
Before you pay for a course, make sure you meet the basic requirements. You need to be at least 18, a Kansas resident, and a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. Applicants aged 18 to 20 receive a provisional license valid only within Kansas; it converts to a standard license with reciprocity when the holder turns 21 or renews after that birthday.1Attorney General of Kansas. Concealed Carry FAQs All licenses are valid for four years from the date of approval.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 75-7c03 – License to Carry Concealed Handgun
You also cannot be a “prohibited person” under federal or state law. Federal disqualifiers under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) include felony convictions, fugitive status, unlawful drug use, adjudication as mentally defective or commitment to a mental institution, dishonorable military discharge, renunciation of citizenship, certain domestic restraining orders, and misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts The Kansas Bureau of Investigation checks all of this against your fingerprints during the application. If a disqualifier applies to you, the Attorney General is required to deny the license, and you will have spent the class fee for nothing. Sort that out first.
After the Class: Filing Your Application
The application goes through the sheriff’s office in the county where you live. You cannot mail an initial application, and you cannot file it in a county where you don’t reside. Bring the following:
- Your original training certificate
- A current 2×2 inch color photograph, passport-style
- The completed application form, filled out in black ink (available from the Kansas Attorney General’s website or the sheriff’s office)
- A valid Kansas driver’s license or state ID
- $32.50 payable to your county sheriff’s office
The sheriff fingerprints you at the appointment, collects your paperwork and payment, and forwards the file to the Attorney General for the background check.2Attorney General of Kansas. Concealed Carry Licensing
From there, the Attorney General has up to 90 days to issue the license or send a written denial. Many applications process faster, but 90 days is the legal maximum. If you’re denied, the written notice will identify the legal basis, and you can request a hearing under the Kansas Administrative Procedure Act to challenge it — useful if the denial rests on an error in your record or something that should have been expunged.
Why Take the Class if Kansas Is a Permitless Carry State
Kansas has allowed permitless concealed carry since SB 45 took effect in 2015, so any adult who can legally possess a firearm can carry concealed in Kansas without a license.5Kansas Legislative Research Department. Carrying of Firearms Given that, a lot of would-be students ask whether the class is worth it. Two practical reasons say yes.
The first is reciprocity. Dozens of other states honor a Kansas CCHL, and Kansas honors theirs in return.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 75-7c03 – License to Carry Concealed Handgun Without the license, your carry rights end at the state line.
The second is federal law. The Gun-Free School Zones Act makes it a federal crime to possess a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school unless you hold a license issued by the state where the school zone is located.6Duke Center for Firearms Law. Litigation Highlight: How Permitless Carry Can Expand Federal Sensitive-Place Restrictions In any Kansas town, moving around without crossing a 1,000-foot school zone is nearly impossible. The CCHL provides the federal exemption; permitless carriers do not have it.
The license also functions as documented proof that you’ve been trained and vetted, which tends to help in interactions with law enforcement and with some employers.
Renewing Later
Once you have the license, renewal is much lighter than the initial application. The Attorney General’s office mails a renewal notice with a form 90 days before your license expires. No new class, no fingerprints, no sheriff’s office visit.2Attorney General of Kansas. Concealed Carry Licensing You fill out the form, have it notarized, attach a current 2×2 photo and a copy of your ID, and send it by certified mail to the AG’s office in Topeka, or hand-deliver it. The renewal fee is $0 as of July 1, 2023.
One deadline to respect: if your license lapses and you don’t renew within six months, it is considered permanently expired. At that point you start over from scratch, including retaking the class and paying the sheriff’s fee again.2Attorney General of Kansas. Concealed Carry Licensing