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The blast of firearms certificates set a record in Douglas County last year.
6,600 gun permits issued in 2012 by the Sheriff. That compares to 4,500 in 2011.
The increase caused the Sheriff to reassign a deputy and civil staff member to help handle the background checks required before permits are issued. That puts four staff members at the counter to process about 145 requests a day. Normally it’s around 40 applications.
Background checks still take only about 15 minutes so there’s no need yet to increase office hours. Chief Deputy Marty Bilek said staff is not only seeing more numbers but types of people seeking gun permits. Recently a mother with children in a stroller applied for a firearm certificate.
