Kentucky requires a qualifying firearms training course before a license to carry concealed deadly weapon (CCDW license) is issued. The approved course...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
Kentucky requires a qualifying firearms training course before a license to carry concealed deadly weapon (CCDW license) is issued. The approved course runs no more than eight hours. It includes actual live-fire range shooting with a handgun. An instructor may not charge more than $75 to conduct the applicant course. A copy of your completion certificate goes in with the application.
The training rule applies to applicants for the CCDW license, who must complete a qualifying firearms training course before the license can be issued under KRS 237.110(4)(i). If you carry under permitless carry and never apply, the course requirement in that subsection is not triggered for you.
The separate instructor and instructor trainer rules below apply to people who want to teach the class, not to a first-time carrier taking it.
The course must be taught by a firearms instructor certified by a qualifying national firearms organization, or be a course offered or approved by the Department of Criminal Justice Training. The statute names these organizations as examples, and the list is not exclusive:
An approved course must include these four elements:
Those four elements are set out in KRS 237.110(4)(i)2 and KRS 237.110(4)(i)4, along with the length and range provisions.
The class may not exceed eight hours under KRS 237.110(4)(i)1. The range portion is required, not optional. You fire no more than 20 rounds at a full-size silhouette target, and at least 11 of them must hit the silhouette portion, under KRS 237.110(4)(i)3. A legible photocopy or electronic copy of the completion certificate is accepted as evidence of qualification when submitted with the application, under KRS 237.110(5)(a).
Kentucky's provisional license statute carries an exemption from retaking training:
These rules bind the person teaching the class and the person who trains instructors.
| Rule | Requirement | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Instructor certification course | No more than 16 hours | KRS 237.122(3) |
| Instructor trainer course | No more than 16 hours, provided by the department | KRS 237.120(2)(b) |
| Instructor certification term | Valid for 3 years, then renewed through in-service training | KRS 237.122(4) |
| Maximum charge for an applicant course | $75, with actual range, target, and classroom costs passed through separately | KRS 237.122(8) |
| Falsely reporting to the department that training was conducted for a student instructor or applicant | Class D felony | KRS 237.126(2) |
The instructor certification course itself must be taught by a certified instructor trainer and may not exceed 16 hours under KRS 237.122(3).
Holding a license does two things permitless carry alone does not:
A firearms safety course offered or approved by the Department of Criminal Justice Training may not exceed eight hours under KRS 237.110(4)(i)1.
Yes. The approved course must include actual range firing of a handgun in a safe manner. You fire no more than 20 rounds at a full-size silhouette target, and at least 11 must hit the silhouette portion of the target.
Yes. A legible photocopy or electronic copy of the completion certificate is accepted as evidence of qualification when submitted with the application.
The course must be taught by a firearms instructor certified by a qualifying national firearms organization, or it must be a course offered or approved by the Department of Criminal Justice Training.
A firearms instructor or instructor trainer may not charge more than $75 to conduct an applicant training course, though actual range, target, and classroom costs may be passed through separately.
A firearms instructor or instructor trainer who falsely claims to have conducted required training commits a Class D felony under KRS 237.126(2).
This page covers one part of our Kentucky concealed carry guide.
Read the complete Kentucky guideBrowse local instructors offering state-approved training in your area. Book online, complete your training, and get one step closer to your concealed carry permit.