Large increase in Central Ohioans seeking concealed-carry permits
With recent legislative changes decreasing the amount of training required for Ohioans to have a concealed-carry permit, the number of applications from people wanting to carry has seen a dramatic rise.
Previous regulations required 12 hours of training to obtain a concealed-carry permit. In March, that criteria was decreased to just 8 hours. Since then, the number of applications arriving at the Franklin County Sheriff’s office has gone up to such a degree that they want to hire additional staff to handle the increase.
In 2014, the department handled just under 6,500 permit applications. In the first six month of this year, they’ve already seen 4,095. And in only half of that time were the guidelines loosened, so the high volume of applicants is expected to continue. Already, five employees are processing the permit requests and conducting the necessary background checks. Hiring an additional staff member would lighten the loan for workers already sifting through piles of paperwork.
The sheriff’s office has put in a $60,000 request to Franklin County commissioners to pay for the new employee and cover the cost of running the increased number of background checks. (jj)
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