Beginning today, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office will accept applications for licenses to carry a concealed weapon, although permits will not be issued until January.

Applications will be accepted between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. each nonholiday Monday at the Douglas County Jail, 3601 E. 25th St., which is south of Kansas Highway 10 on the eastern edge of Lawrence.

Application forms will be available at the jail and the sheriff’s office at the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, 111 E. 11th St. They also can be printed from the Kansas attorney general’s Web site, www.ksag.org.

Applicants must provide:

¢ A 2-inch by 2-inch photograph showing the applicant’s face from the chin to the top of the head, much like a passport photo. The photo must have been taken within 30 days.

¢ A certificate from an approved firearms instruction course.

¢ A completed Kansas application for concealed handgun license.

¢ Fees, to be paid separately by money order or cashier’s check. New applicants must pay $110 to the Office of Attorney General and $40 to Sheriff of Douglas County. License renewal applicants must pay $50 to both.

¢ A fingerprint card. Fingerprints will be taken by a sheriff’s officer when the application packet is submitted.

The application packets will be sent to the state attorney general’s office. The first licenses will be granted Jan. 1, 2007.

Applicants are required to complete an eight-hour training program before they can receive a license.

For more information, call sheriff’s Sgt. Al Deathe at 830-1019 or the state attorney general’s office at (785) 296-2215.