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Guilford County Sees Rise In Gun Permit Applications, Processing Delays

AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File

The Guilford County Sheriff's office is seeing a major uptick in gun permit applications, as well as longer wait times for processing.

The Sheriff's office says that between April 1 and July 27, there were about 8,500 applications for pistol permits, compared to nearly 2,500 during the same period last year. That's an almost 250 percent increase.

Concealed carry permit applications are up over 50 percent.

The News & Record reports this is due to a combination of high demand and a slowdown caused by COVID-19 safety measures.

These conditions have led to an average processing time of 90 days.

Department officials say a factor in the concealed carry permit delays was a nearly two-month suspension of fingerprinting, which is part of the application process.

The office says it has put in place procedures to address the wait times, including approving overtime, restructuring personnel duties, emphasizing online and mail renewals, and increasing appointment times for fingerprinting.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here. WFDD wants to hear your stories — connect with us and let us know what you're experiencing.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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