As far as I know, there is NO secret. All paperwork must be filled out correctly, must include a passport type photo, must have a set of fingerprints and, a piece of paper from an NRA or other type instructor saying you know how to fire a gun. All I and the others in the class had to do was fire ONE round. At least that is how it is in Florida. You can usually attend A CCW class at a gun show, and they will walk you through the paperwork (all i's dotted and t's crossed), take the picture, do the prints, and run you through the range. I think this ran me about $40.00 for the class. All that was left to do at that point was get a money order for the state fees, lick the envelope, add postage and wait for the state to do their thing. Mine took alomst two months to the day.