A Pistol Purchase Permit allows you to purchase a single handgun with a single valid purchase permit in North Carolina and is only available from the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office for citizens who reside in Brunswick County. It does not entitle the applicant to carry a concealed handgun. For information pertaining to Concealed Carry Permits, click here.

Permits cost $5.00 each ($3.00 fee to apply online) and a maximum of three (3) permits may be purchased per application. Pistol Purchase Permits are valid for a period of five (5) years from the date of issuance.

Requirements

Please read all of the following requirements carefully before completing the application as you must meet all of them in order to be issued a Pistol Purchase Permit. Please note that a gun safety class is NOT a requirement.

Applicants Must:

  • Be a citizen, naturalized citizen, or resident alien
  • Be 18 years old – NOTE: Applicants under twenty-one (21) may NOT purchase from a Federal Firearms Licensed Dealer
  • Be a resident of Brunswick County for a minimum of 30 days
  • Have a valid NC Driver’s License or NC ID Card displaying your current Brunswick County residential address
  • Resident Aliens: Must bring a resident alien card, social security card and a NC driver’s license or NC ID card
  • Military personnel must bring forms 1380E (active duty) or DD-214 (discharged).
  • Naturalized Citizens: Must bring your Naturalization Certificate or valid US Passport
  • U.S. Citizens born outside of the U.S.A. to U.S. parent(s) must bring your documentation from the Department of State (Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Certificate of Citizenship, or Certification of Report of Birth)
  • Effective December 1, 2015, North Carolina General Statute 14-404(e1) requires applicants to sign a release of court orders concerning mental health and capacity for pistol purchase permits.

Applicants Must NOT:

  • Must NOT be convicted of any felony, or similar offense in any jurisdiction or currently under indictment for any felonious offense
  • Must NOT be a fugitive from justice
  • Must NOT be an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana, any depressant, stimulant or narcotic drug
  • Must NOT be adjudicated mentally defective or have been committed to a mental institution. To be prohibiting, a commitment to a mental institution must be involuntary and it must result in the person being committed to either in-patient or out-patient treatment
  • Must NOT be convicted of a Domestic Violence Offense
  • Must NOT have a substantial history of convictions, arrests, or reports demonstrating a continuing pattern of criminal activity during the previous five (5) years
  • Must NOT be discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions
  • Must NOT be an illegal alien or unlawfully residing in the United States
  • Must NOT have been a citizen of the United States and renounced that citizenship
  • Must NOT have an active court order of protection (50B) that alleges any domestic threat of violence

Application Process

  • Step 1: Complete Application

    The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office allows citizens to apply for a Pistol Purchase Permit online or in-person. Please note there is a $3.00 fee to apply online and there is no fee to apply in-person.

    Online Application: The application can be completed online through the Online Pistol Purchase Program. After completing the online portion of the application, you must come in to the Sheriff’s Office within five (5) business days to complete or provide a Release of Court Orders Concerning Mental Health and Capacity for Pistol Purchase Permit. Your application process will not begin until this release has been turned in.

    Online Application

    Apply In-Person: The application and Release of Court Orders Concerning Mental Health and Capacity for Pistol Purchase Permit can either be downloaded by clicking on the links below or picked up in-person at any of the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office locations. Once both of the forms have been completed, you must bring them to the Sheriff’s Office and turn them in for processing.

  • Step 2: Wait For Application To Be Processed

    Once the Pistol Purchase Permit Application has been submitted and the Release of Court Orders Concerning Mental Health and Capacity for Pistol Purchase Permit has been returned to the Sheriff’s Office, it will take up to thirty (30) business days for the application to be processed. If the application is approved, you will be contacted to schedule an appointment to pick up the permit. If your application is denied for any reason, you will be notified within seven (7) days.

    NOTE: Please be patient as permit applications can take up to thirty (30) days to process.

  • Step 3: Pick Up Permit

    Upon notification of approval, the applicant must come to the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and provide a valid NC Driver’s License or NC ID with the correct address or military ID with proof of residency in Brunswick County to pick up the permit. No other forms of identification will be accepted. No one will be allowed to pick up your permit for you.

    If you applied in-person, you must provide $5.00 for each permit purchased. Cash is the only payment accepted and you must provide exact change.

    NOTE: Military Personnel must have Picture ID and form from Provost Marshal’s Office. (Army 1380 Form) (Air Force SL Form)

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