There are various states concealed carry licenses that are common throughout the country. Utah is one of those popular concealed carry licenses. In fact, before Illinois allowed lawful carrying of firearms in 2013, and began issuing concealed carry licenses in 2014, the two most common concealed carry licenses to have were Florida plus Utah. However, is the Utah concealed carry license still relevant today, and is the Utah concealed carry license worth getting?
The answer to that question is, it depends. As previously said before Illinois allowed concealed carry, Utah was a very popular license. This is because Utah allowed licensees to carry in many different states. However, now the Illinois concealed carry license allows licensees to carry in many different states. This is called reciprocity and recognition, basically meaning a state will honor the concealed carry license from another state. For example currently, as of the time of this writing, Wisconsin honors Illinois concealed carry license. So determining if you should get the Utah concealed carry license depends on reciprocity, but more important depends on where you plan to travel.
Where do You Travel?
Where do you plan to travel? As of the time of this writing, the Illinois concealed carry license is honored and accepted in 26 states. Keep in mind this can change. However, if you plan on visiting any one of these 26 states the Utah license would be redundant. However, with the addition of the Utah concealed carry license, you can carry in 7 additional states. Please continue reading for more information on how and where to check current reciprocity maps.
The Utah concealed carry license does require additional expense for the licensee. There is a separate licensing fee payable to the state of Utah. Also, there is a separate class the Illinois student MUST take. This is because of certain topics required by Utah, which wouldn’t be included in an Illinois concealed carry class. A separate class is no less than 4 hours, however, some Illinois instructors will offer add-on classes which typically are an extra 2 hours to discuss the Utah required curriculum.
But Utah isn’t the only option for out of state licenses, known as non-resident concealed carry license. Florida and even Arizona have become more popular than Utah for the non-resident concealed carry licenses. This is primarily because (depending on your instructor’s credentials) no additional classes are required. If your instructor has the proper credentials both Florida and Arizona will honor Illinois concealed carry class curriculum as their own.
Also, The Illinois plus Florida licenses allow the student to carry in virtually all the same states as the Illinois plus Utah licenses. The difference is Utah allows Washington state, and Florida does not. Florida allows New Mexico and Florida but doesn’t allow Washington state. As a runner up Arizona allows all the same states as Florida, but not Florida. So again, it depends on where you intend to travel.
Let’s talk about costs. Again the Utah concealed carry license will require additional class fees, and this is something that students should consider when determining if they should get the Utah concealed carry license. Class fees are typically in the ballpark of $100 for the 4 hour Utah class. Licensing fees are as follows…
- Utah $63 for non-residents for 5 years.
- Florida $102 for 7 years.
- Arizona $60 for 5 years.
So how do you decide if you should get the Utah concealed carry license?
Going back to reciprocity, this is how you decide. Determine where you intend to travel, and check to see if that state honors the Illinois concealed carry license or not. If not, check to see which non-resident licenses that state does honor. The two best resources that aggregate this information are HandgunLaw.us and USACarry.com.
Some people collect concealed carry licenses like baseball cards. If that’s the case go for it! Others prefer to save the time and money and opt for the Arizona or Florida concealed carry licenses. Those who don’t travel much simply stick with Illinois. It’s up to you to decide if the Utah concealed carry license is worth it for you.