RENO, Nev. (AP) - The Washoe County sheriff’s office has announced plans to eliminate an enormous backlog of concealed carry weapons permit requests by July, authorities said.
Appointments are booked through March 2022, KOLO-TV reported Monday.
“Let me be clear, there is no excuse for getting this far behind,” said Sheriff Darin Balaam, who attributed the backlog to halted operations due to the coronavirus pandemic, a transition to new software and an increase in the number of people purchasing guns.
Jay Hawkins, the training and compliance manager at Reno Guns & Range, said classes in the last year rose by more than 400%. The business went from offering three classes a month to up to 15 at one point, he said.
Hawkins said the backlog is frustrating for many residents, but he believes it was out of anyone’s control.
“It’s the perfect storm of all of these different factors that hit all within a short period of time that just drove people to worry about their personal safety,” he said.
There are more than 4,000 appointments booked for a permit in the county, with 72% being new applicants, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office has said it will be implementing several changes to address the backlog, including opening its administrative office on Fridays and Saturdays for permits only for the first three weeks of March. The office will also remain open Monday through Thursday.
It will also reduce the duration of appointments from 45 minutes to 30 minutes, allowing for an additional 78 appointments a week, officials said.
In April, the Administration Services Division will add staff support and continue to offer permit appointments on Fridays, creating an additional 180 appointments a week.
“I know that for people with expired permits, this is a small consolation. For those people and for those who cannot get an appointment to apply for a CCW for months, I apologize. I understand your frustration. We are working through the problem and if the steps we are taking don’t help, we will take more,” Balaam said.
Sheriff’s office staffers said they will be calling appointment holders to reschedule to an earlier timeframe for renewals first and then first-time applicants.
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