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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky Lowers Concealed Carry Age Limit to 18 and Adjusts Permit Fees
Last action · January 15, 2026: introduced in Senate to Committee on Committees (S)Sponsors: Aaron Reed and 15 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Kentucky lowers the minimum age requirement to carry concealed deadly weapons without a license from twenty-one to eighteen years old. The measure also sets paper application fees at $60 and electronic application fees at $70 for concealed carry licenses through the Department of Kentucky State Police, while establishing strict training, background check, and revocation protocols.
Young adults aged 18 to 20 gain the legal ability to carry concealed deadly weapons without a license in locations permitted for license holders, while all applicants face altered fee structures and background check mandates handled by state and local law enforcement agencies.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Persons age eighteen to twenty
Individuals aged 18 to 20 become eligible to carry concealed deadly weapons without a license if they can lawfully possess a firearm.
Department of Kentucky State Police
The department must process electronic and paper applications, conduct background checks, issue licenses, maintain automated listings, and submit annual statistical reports.
County sheriffs
Sheriff offices receive paper applications, collect fees, retain designated portions for official expenses, and transmit materials to the state police.
Private business enterprises
Private business owners, commercial lessees, and healthcare facilities may prohibit persons from carrying concealed deadly weapons on their premises by posting signs.
Key Facts
- Persons age eighteen or older, who can lawfully possess a firearm, may carry concealed firearms or other concealed deadly weapons without a license in the same locations as valid license holders.
- The Department of Kentucky State Police is authorized to issue and renew concealed carry licenses valid for five years across the Commonwealth.
- The paper application fee for a concealed carry license is sixty dollars ($60), with twenty dollars retained by the sheriff, twenty dollars sent to the Department of Kentucky State Police, and twenty dollars transmitted to the Administrative Office of the Courts for background checks.
- The electronic application fee is seventy dollars ($70), with thirty dollars retained by the Department of Kentucky State Police, twenty dollars sent to the sheriff, and twenty dollars transmitted to the Administrative Office of the Courts.
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- Applicants must undergo background checks including state records checks, National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks, and immigration checks where applicable.
- Firearms training courses must be not more than eight hours in length and include actual range firing of a handgun, requiring at least eleven out of twenty rounds to hit a full-size silhouette target.
- License holders are prohibited from carrying concealed firearms into police stations, detention facilities, courtrooms, governing body meetings, portions of establishments primarily devoted to dispensing alcohol, elementary or secondary schools without consent, and controlled airport areas.
- Private business enterprises, child-care centers, and healthcare facilities may prohibit persons holding concealed deadly weapon licenses from carrying concealed weapons on their premises.
- The Department of Kentucky State Police and the Administrative Office of the Courts must submit annual reports to the Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives by March 1.
- Out-of-state concealed carry license holders may carry concealed deadly weapons in Kentucky subject to state laws, and non-resident licenses for new residents remain valid for up to 120 days under specified conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a paper concealed carry license application cost?
Where are license holders prohibited from carrying concealed firearms?
What firearms training is required for a license?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · introduced in the Senate.
Procedural history
1 action- Jan 15, 2026SenateIntroducedintroduced in Senate to Committee on Committees (S)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 11 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Lowering Concealed Carry Age Threshold
The legislation shifts the age threshold for carrying concealed weapons without a license from 21 down to 18 years of age.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
- Controversy80Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz75Current news / social attention level
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