Applications for gun permits show increase

A recent spike in applications for concealed pistol licenses has been seen following the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., Dec. 2.

Nanette Bolyard, records and information officer with the Whitman County Sheriff's Office, said that as of Tuesday morning, 25 original concealed pistol license applications had been received in the office since Dec. 1. An original license is a first time application. She said this compares to a usual two or three applications per week.

“I don't even know if those are all original,” she said, referring to the small figure possibly including application renewals.

Bolyard said that the majority of the 25 applications received this month have been on Mondays, 11 of them being received Dec. 7 and 10 of them on Dec. 14.

“It is because everybody watches the news on the weekends and then comes in,” she speculated. “Mondays we do not get a lot of other work done.”

Bolyard also speculated that the recent uptick in applications relates to the Dec. 2 San Bernardino shooting in which 14 people were killed – not including the perpetrators – and 24 people were injured.

Bolyard said the process for concealed pistol licenses is to fingerprint the individual and complete a criminal history check.

“There are very few that do not get approved,” she said.

She said that once a license is granted, the individual could then carry a concealed gun, and they also do not have to wait to buy a gun.

“It is a shorter wait period to buy a gun (with a license),” said Bolyard. “You can buy a gun without a license, it just takes longer and you can't conceal it.”

Bolyard encouraged those seeking to apply for a concealed pistol license to call ahead to the office to see what the work load there is before arriving.

“Calling ahead is always good,” she said, noting that Wednesday afternoons and Thursday mornings are rarely a good time to arrive. “Things can change any time.”

Concealed pistol licenses can only be issued by the county in which the individual wishing to obtain one resides. Bolyard noted that Spokane County has been backed up on the applications, and one person came from that county to apply here but was turned away.

“The county has to do them,” she said.

In addition to the Whitman County Sheriff's Office, the Pullman Police Department has also seen a surge in applications.

Penny Reavis of the Pullman Police Department provided the Gazette with figures representing November and December 2014 and 2015. In Nov. 2014, 23 applications were received there, compared to the 56 received this year. In Dec. 2014, 10 applications were received between Dec. 1 and 15, compared to 18 received in that time period this year.