Panel OKs money to cut gun permit backlog
TALLAHASSEE (AP) – A legislative panel on Wednesday approved $3.8 million in new spending to help cut a backlog of 90,000 applications for concealed weapons permits that one top official attributed to Florida’s economic woes.
The Legislative Budget Commission, with members from the Florida House and Senate, also approved more spending to handle similar increases in unemployment compensation and public assistance requests tied to the recession.
The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs will hire 61 temporary workers between April 1 and June 30 to process the gun applications in Tallahassee and eight regional offices, but most of the money will go for criminal background checks.
The costs will be covered by licensing fees – $117 for an initial permit and $65 for a renewal required every seven years.
The surge of applications began in November, said Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson.
“A lot of it has to do with the fact that the economy is having some tough times right now,” Bronson said. “The amount of crimes are beginning to increase. I believe that people are feeling a little threatened.”
Bronson said crime always increases when times are bad. He cited the case of a concealed weapons permit holder who shot and killed a shotgun-wielding man who tried to rob him at an Orlando car wash last month.
“There can’t be a police officer standing by every single citizen,” Bronson said. “We all know that.”
His department has 142 tubs of unprocessed applications. The average wait time for people calling to check on their applications is 17 minutes and the daily dropped call rate is 43 percent.
“They’re clogging the phone lines calling up to find out why their license hasn’t been processed,” Bronson said.