It sounds to me like they were issued their permits under federal law HR 218 (Law Enforcement Safety Act of 2004). This is also called the National Concealed Carry for Cops Law. This was signed into law by President Bush in 2004. While most of it has to do with currently employed LEOs, Section 3 of the Act states:
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`(c) As used in this section, the term `qualified retired law enforcement officer' means an individual who--
`(1) retired in good standing from service with a public agency as a law enforcement officer, other than for reasons of mental instability;
`(2) before such retirement, was authorized by law to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of, or the incarceration of any person for, any violation of law, and had statutory powers of arrest;
`(3)(A) before such retirement, was regularly employed as a law enforcement officer for an aggregate of 15 years or more; or
`(B) retired from service with such agency, after completing any applicable probationary period of such service, due to a service-connected disability, as determined by such agency;
`(4) has a nonforfeitable right to benefits under the retirement plan of the agency;
`(5) during the most recent 12-month period, has met, at the expense of the individual, the State's standards for training and qualification for active law enforcement officers to carry firearms;
`(6) is not under the influence of alcohol or another intoxicating or hallucinatory drug or substance; and
`(7) is not prohibited by Federal law from receiving a firearm.
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That would lead me to the assumption that the individuals that were offered the permit were retired state investigators or LEOS. As the law states, it exempts those individuals from state and local laws pertaining to carrying concealed weapons. It essentially alows those individuals to carry concealed anywhere in the US or it's territories. As a retired federal investigator for the Army, I have my HR 218 concealed carry permit.
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