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Getting My CCW Permit |
Page Four of this Tennessee CCW report.
Update: Wednesday March 9, 2005
Note: The info below about my getting fingerprints at Mocassin Bend is OUTDATED. They don't do it there anymore. These days you go to the UPS Store on Gunbarrel Road. Here's a link with an address, map and directions:
Today I completed the final step in getting a carry permit in Tennessee: fingerprinting. As I explained on the previous page, I had called the 800 number given to me at the Drivers License Station, and set up an appointment for Wednesday, March 9, at 11:45 AM at the Mocassin Bend Mental Health Institute. (There is another location for fingerprinting on Bonny Oaks Drive, but that's farther to travel for me.) Here is a map showing the location of the MBMHI:
I had a business appointment at noon, so I went to the MBMHI early, to see if I could get the fingerprinting done at 11:30 instead of 11:45. I entered the grounds of the facility, and slowed to a stop at a "security shack," where I was given a V.I.P. Visitor's Pass to clip on my shirt. I told the security officer I had come to be fingerprinted, and he directed me to the human resources building, which is the first building on the right as you leave the security shack. There are plenty of parking spaces.
After entering the building, I saw the receptionist, and she asked me if I was there for fingerprinting, and pointed to a fellow sitting in the lobby at a desk with an electronic fingerprinting machine. Here is a picture I found on the internet that looks like his machine, except that he was using a laptop computer with it:
He had a little paper form with my name and a State Transaction number on it, which we both signed, and he gave me a copy. Tennessee Applicant Processing Services (TAPS) is done by IDENTIX Identification Services for Tennessee.
I was pleased to know that the fingerprinting was done electronically without the messy black ink that I had seen previously. There is a smooth piece of red glass on the machine, and he took my prints on that glass, wiping it carefully between each print. The process was quick and painless, and took about five minutes. He informed me that all I had to do now was wait for my permit to arrive in the mail, and that it was taking from three to four weeks these days.
Final Update: April 8, 2005
Yesterday, April 7, my Tennessee Handgun Permit came in the mail. It was "gummed" to a form asking if I wanted to update my voter registration information, which I don't need to do. I think they had to glue it on something in order to mail the little card, and so they used this form. If you are thinking about getting your permit, go for it. It's not that hard to do.
TN Handgun Permit Statistics for 2007 (By County)
CLICK HERE for a summary page of Tennessee Handgun Permit information, including a phone number to the Nashville Handgun Permit Office, a link to a PDF application form, and the address where to mail your forms.
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