Concealed gun permits increase in county

Concealed pistol license applications have skyrocketed in both Whitman County and the city of Colfax, and it appears to be a nationwide trend.

Colfax Police Chief Rick NcNannay said he is processing concealed pistol licenses as fast he can these days.

The chief said his office has processed more than double the number compared to last year.

“Last year at this time, we had processed 11 permits,” he said Monday morning. “This year we’ve processed 25.”

McNannay said he believes the number of people applying for licenses is politically driven.

“The public is exercising their Second Amendment rights,” he said. “They don’t want to be victims. They want to control what happens to them. We already know bad guys have guns.”

Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers said last year at this time the office had prepared 19 applications. This year, the sheriff’s office has processed 82 applications.

Myers said he started seeing a surge in applications last summer.

“A lot of people are concerned about their Second Amendment rights,” Myers said. “Their concerns might be valid, but we’re not seeing it coming to fruition. But people are concerned.”

“It’s keeping my sheriff’s office busy,” he said. “Many days my office is inundated.”

Myers said he believes people are driven by political debates they see on television.

“People want to make sure that their right to bear arms is upheld,” he said. “It’s a person’s right and priviledge to carry a weapon.”

After filling out an application, the process takes from two to three weeks. Background checks are more stringent now than in the past, McNannay said.

Applications are sent to the state Department of Licensing, which also contacts the FBI. There is also a 30-day waiting period. Applicants must be more than 21 years old, have no history of mental illness and have no felonies.

“The background checks are only as good as the agency that conducts them,” he said.

McNannay said he’s only had one rejected application so far.

Myers said there have been no changes in the application process and he doesn’t see any changes in the near future.

“The Second Amendment is strong and isn’t going to be changed, at least not right away,” he said.

He said the only change that might take place is tighter background checks.

Washington’s concealed weapons law is among the country’s most relaxed. This state is a “shall issue” state, meaning that as long as minimum legal standards are met, the government can’t refuse to issue a license.

Washington also shares the distinction along with two other states, Georgia and Pennsylvania, of requiring no training or demonstration of proficiency by a person seeking a permit.

Myers said most folks feel they have a right to bear arms.

“Some people might consider a permit an infringement on that right,” he said. “That’s my own two cents.”

A state legislator has introduced a bill that would create a more complete database of mental health commitment information to improve the quality of background checks related to firearm purchases and concealed carry permits.

If the bill passes, it would help track serious mental health problems that are sometimes not revealed in the state’s current system.

Washington has more than 350,000 people with concealed pistol licenses.

Washington shares reciprocity with a dozen states, McNannay said. State permits are recognized in Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Michgan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah.

Washington does not recognize licenses issued by all the other states.

McNannay said the city issues gun permits for city residents and the sheriff’s office issues permits for county residents. Each city with a police department can issue permits to its residents, he said.

Someone who carries a permit is not obligated to tell a police officer about it, although McNannay said it is a courtesy to let the officer know.

McNannay thinks the number of applications will level out after a while.

“It’s your Second Amendment right to possess a gun,” he said. “The more good people who carry guns makes our job a little easier.”

As far as gun control, McNannay said that begins at home.

“If you have a gun, you have to control it,” he said. That means keeping it locked in a safe place when it is not in use, unloaded, with ammunition locked in a different location.

He said most criminals get guns from burglaries.

A concealed weapon permit is $52.50 for the first five years and is renewable for a lesser amount.

The permit is the size of a driver’s license and allows the licensee to openly walk down the street with a gun unless it creates public alarm, McNannay said.

Myers said in the next 60 days, he hopes to have an online process established that he hopes will relieve some of the pressure in his office.