• Two forms of Identification are required to obtain a Pistol Purchase Permit

 A valid, State Issued Driver’s License or ID card and any one of the following:

1. Mortgage statement
2. Insurance statement
3. Bank statement
4. Water bill
5. Electric bill
6. Cable bill
7. Phone bill
    
• Residency Requirement

Thirty (30) day  Requirement: Persons who have moved to Washington County must have established residency in Washington County for a period of thirty (30) days. Proof of residency must be presented. Persons who have left Washington County for a period of more than thirty days will have to re-establish residency upon their return.
 
• References
1. Applicants must have three (3) separate character references.
2. References must be at least 21 years old.
3. References must be a resident of Washington County.
4. References must not be related to you, or each other, by blood or marriage.
5. All references must have different addresses from each other and the applicant.
6. Applicant must provide a valid phone number for the references.
7. The applicant must be a citizen of the United States and have been a resident of the state and county for thirty (30) days. The Sheriff may require the applicant to submit any appropriate documentation.

• The applicant must be twenty-one years old or older.
• The applicant does not suffer from any physical infirmity that prevents the safe handling of a handgun. The Sheriff will require the applicant to sign a release authorizing the Sheriff to receive physical and mental health records from a health care provider who has ever provided treatment or care to the applicant.
• The applicant must successfully complete an approved firearms safety and training course and deliver to the Sheriff proof of certification.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office will keep the application on file for thirty (30) days. After thirty (30) days the application will be placed in an inactive status and a new application will have to be completed to obtain a Pistol Purchase Permit. 

Citizens who have a valid Concealed Carry Permit issued by the State of North Carolina are no longer required by Law to apply for a Pistol Purchase Permit from our Office.

• Your permit to carry a concealed handgun must be carried along with valid identification whenever the handgun is being carried concealed.

• When approached or addressed by an officer:
   you must disclose the fact that you have a valid concealed handgun permit and inform the officer that you are in possession of a concealed handgun. 
  You should not attempt to draw or display your weapon or your permit to the officer unless and until he directs you to do so. Your hands are to be kept in plain view and you are not to make any sudden movement.

• At the request of any law enforcement officer, you are to display both permits and valid identification.

• You may not, with or without a permit, carry a concealed weapon while consuming alcohol or while alcohol or controlled substances are in your blood unless the controlled substance was obtained legally and taken in a therapeutically appropriate amount.

• You must notify the Sheriff who issued the permit of any change of address within thirty days of the change of address.

• If the permit is lost or destroyed, you must notify the Sheriff who issued the permit and you may receive a duplicate permit by submitting a notarized statement to that effect along with the required fee. Do not carry a handgun without it.

• Even with a permit, you may not carry a concealed handgun in the following areas:
  -Any law enforcement or correctional facility
  -Any space occupied by state or federal employees
  -Any financial institutions
  -Any premises where the carrying of a concealed handgun is prohibited by the   posting of a statement by the controller of the premises
  -Educational property
  -Areas of assemblies, parades, funerals and demonstrations
  -Places where alcoholic beverages are sold and consumed
  -State-occupied property
  -Any state or federal courthouse
  -In any area prohibited by federal law
  -Any local government building if the local government has adopted an ordinance and  posted signs prohibiting the carrying of concealed permits

• If you are in a vehicle and stopped by a law enforcement officer, you should put both hands on the steering wheel, announce that you are in possession of a concealed permit. Do not remove your hands from the steering wheel until instructed to do so by the officer.

Washington County Government
Administrative Building // 116 Adams Street // PO Box 1007 // Plymouth, NC  27962
Phone: 252-793-5823 // Fax: 252-793-1183
jbennett@washconc.org

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