A. An application fee, a renewal fee and a firearms training course are not required for an applicant or licensee who is:

(1) a current or retired certified law enforcement officer pursuant to the Law Enforcement Training Act [Chapter 29, Article 7 NMSA 1978]; or

(2) a current member of the New Mexico mounted patrol who has successfully completed a law enforcement academy basic law enforcement training program for New Mexico mounted patrol members pursuant to Section 29-6-4.1 NMSA 1978.

B. A law enforcement officer or New Mexico mounted patrol member shall submit to the department two full sets of fingerprints and a color photograph of the law enforcement officer or New Mexico mounted patrol member. The department shall conduct an appropriate check of available records and shall forward the fingerprints to the federal bureau of investigation for a national criminal background check.

C. A retired law enforcement officer is not required to submit an application fee or a renewal fee if:

(1) the officer was a certified law enforcement officer pursuant to the Law Enforcement Training Act for at least fifteen years prior to retirement; and

(2) the retirement is in good standing as shown by a letter from the agency from which the officer retired.

D. A retired law enforcement officer who has been retired ten years or less is not required to complete a firearms training course.

E. A retired law enforcement officer who has been retired for more than ten years shall be required to complete a firearms training course. The officer shall be allowed to attend any local law enforcement agency's firearms qualification course; provided that the officer supplies the officer's own ammunition, handgun, targets and range equipment. A local law enforcement agency shall not be liable under the Tort Claims Act [41-4-1 to 41-4-27 NMSA 1978] for providing a firearms training course to a retired law enforcement officer pursuant to this subsection.

F. A retired law enforcement officer's concealed handgun license shall have printed on the license "retired police officer" and shall be valid for a period of five years.

History: Laws 2005, ch. 242, § 7; 2015, ch. 157, § 1.

The 2015 amendment, effective June 19, 2015, provided an exception to the fee and firearms training course requirements of the Concealed Handgun Carry Act for certain certified law enforcement officers and New Mexico mounted patrol members, and required the department of public safety to obtain fingerprints and available records and forward fingerprints to the FBI for a national criminal background check; in the catchline, added "and New Mexico mounted patrol members"; in Subsection A, after "licensee who is", added the paragraph designation "(1)", in new Paragraph (1) of Subsection A, added "current or retired", and after the semicolon, added "or"; added new Paragraph (2) of Subsection A; and added new Subsection B and redesignated the succeeding subsections accordingly.