The state police have historically received around 5,200 applications per month, but since December 2012, the state police have received 91,940 applications for a license to carry a handgun. In January alone, more than 23,000 applications were submitted. While the number of requests have tapered off a little, state police received 6,500 new license requests in the month of June.
With the amount of requests, the processing time has been pushed back to 110 days.
Based on a comprehensive review, processes are being streamlined and additional personnel have been added to process 45,000 pending applications. The review process also included plans to address future spikes in application requests.
With this new process, the backlog should be eliminated within eight to ten weeks. New license applications received after mid-September are expected to be processed within the required 60-day timeframe.
