Wake County sheriff cuts wait time for pistol permits after gun rights groups sued

The Wake County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday it will once again process pistol permit applications within 14 days.

During an unprecedented increase in applications, people have had to wait for permits for up to 70 days.

Uncertainty during the pandemic and civil unrest as protests have broken out across the country have increased the demand for guns, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Eric Curry said.

“There is the fear that during election years, the Second Amendment would be a major political issue and that the new administration might make changes,” Curry said. “Gun and ammunition sales surge ahead of every election.”

The Sheriff’s Office has issued 47,000 permits to Wake County residents so far this year, up from 12,616 in 2019 and 12,229 in 2018, a release from the Sheriff’s Office stated.

Because of the high number of applications, the Sheriff’s Office took longer to process them — as long as 70 days.

The Sheriff’s Office is required by state law to process pistol permit applications within 14 days. During that time, the Clerk of Courts conducts background checks to make sure applicants meet all requirements to own a gun in North Carolina.

However, in March, the Sheriff’s Office temporarily stopped accepting applications to reduce the backlog. After gun-rights groups sued, the Sheriff’s Office had to resume accepting permits in “as timely a fashion as possible under the current conditions,” a court order stated.

Since then, more lawsuits have been filed over how long it has taken the Sheriff’s Office to process the applications. One of them, filed by Arianna Assadi and Grassroots North Carolina, claimed the longer wait infringed on the Second Amendment right to bear arms, but Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins ruled the way the Sheriff’s Office was processing applications was not unreasonable considering the conditions of the pandemic, according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Office sent on Oct. 22.

The Sheriff’s Office was able to reduce the time it took to process applications by pulling other staff like student resource officers, who did not have to be in schools, to work on permit processing, Curry said.

“Wake County residents should be proud of the work of the gun permits staff,” Sheriff Gerald Baker said in a statement. “Despite having to deal with an unprecedented demand for permits, while dealing with a pandemic and major election on the state and federal levels, this staff is determined to serve this County with determination, dedication and sacrifice.

Other North Carolina counties have also seen increased demand for gun permits. Durham County had a 445% increase in pistol permit applications in June 2020 compared to June 2019. Orange County received 395 permit applications this June compared to 86 last June, The N&O reported.

This story was originally published November 7, 2020 at 12:17 PM with the headline "Wake County sheriff cuts wait time for pistol permits after gun rights groups sued."