Clean City Event

Firearm Purchase Permit

All Nebraskans have an important role to play in stopping the spread of COVID-19 and saving lives.  Our lobby is currently open and you may apply in person for a firearm purchase certificate.  We are also accepting firearm purchase certificate applications through the mail by following these instructions. 

For your convenience, download and print the Firearm Purchase Certificate Application and mail it to our office.  You may also call our office at 402-223-4080 to arrange for an application to be mailed to you.  Below are instructions on obtaining and submitting firearm purchase certificate applications.  

Application Submission Instructions

  1. Complete the application, have it notarized, and write your phone number at the top of the form;
  2. Provide a photocopy of your Nebraska Driver’s License/State ID with your current address;
    *  If applicable a photocopy of your permanent resident card.
  3. Mail the completed application, required identification photocopy, and $5.00 fee payable to:

Beatrice Police Department
201 N 5th Street
Beatrice, NE 68310

Once the Beatrice Police Department receives the application, we will conduct the background checks and then send the permit back to you via the U.S. mail.  

Pursuant to Nebraska Statute 69-2403 a firearm purchase certificate is required to purchase, lease, rent, or receive a handgun. The law applies to both retail and private party transactions. The law also prohibits selling, leasing, renting, or transferring a handgun to a person who does not possess a handgun certificate.

Certificate Exceptions

A certificate is not required if:

  • The person acquiring the handgun is a licensed firearms dealer;
  • The handgun is an antique;
  • The person acquiring the handgun is authorized to do so on behalf of a law enforcement agency;
  • The transfer is temporary and the transferee remains within
  • In the line of sight of the transferor
  • Within the premises of an established shooting facility; or
  • The transfer is between a person and his or her spouse, sibling, parent, child, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or grandparent.

Documents Required at Time of Application

  • Current Nebraska operator’s license or Nebraska state ID card. The Nebraska license or ID must have your correct legal name. The address on your Nebraska license or ID must be a current residential address in Gage County and match the address on the application. Completed permits will only be mailed to the Gage County residential address on the application. The Police Department will not accept applications or issue purchase permits to applicants with only a post office box.
  • Application fee of $5.
  • Applicants born on a United States military base outside the U.S. must provide their birth certificate.
  • Applicants that are not U.S. citizens must also provide a copy of their citizenship papers, U.S. Passport, or alien resident card.

Age & Residency Requirements

To obtain a handgun certificate from our office you must be at least 21 years old and a current Gage County Resident.

Disqualifiers

Applications will be denied if the applicant:

  • Fails to answer all questions on the application
  • Has been convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding 1 year
  • Is a fugitive from justice
  • Is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance
  • Has been adjudicated as a mental defective or has been committed to a mental institution
  • Is an alien unlawfully in the United States or an alien admitted to the United States under a non-immigrant visa
  • Has been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions
  • Having been a citizen of the United States, has renounced his or her citizenship
  • Is subject to a court order that restrains the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or child of such intimate partner
  • Has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence
  • Is under indictment or information (i.e. charges have been filed in court) for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding 1 year

Re-Application Upon Expiration

Certificates are valid, statewide, for three years at which time applicants must re-apply for a certificate. All documentation above is required at the time of application regardless of whether a certificate has been issued to applicants in the past.

What to Do When You Receive Your Firearms Purchase Certificate

Upon receipt of your certificate, please inspect the document and ensure that the personal information is correct and that the Police Chief’s signature appears. In the event of any typographical error or omission, please bring the certificate to the Beatrice Police Department within 30 days for any corrections that may be necessary. Notification of any corrections beyond 30 days after issuance shall require a new application.

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