Hi everyone-
This morning my wife and I took the plunge and both submitted our applications for our CCW permits with the Durham County Sheriffs Deparment. I thought some might find it useful if we chronicled our experience here. Based on the horror stories we have heard this will no doubt be a "journey." Feel free to ask any questions/contribute. I will update the timeline below periodically.
To set the stage, my wife and I have no criminal history, no military service, and no reason for being denied on any questionable mental health grounds. We were informed when filing the application that they would request medical history from ~6 various institutions. They did not ask us for our primary care providers, the list was auto generated for us. Of these, UNC Hospitals would send us a bill (for an undisclosed amount) for pulling our records. This bill should come in approximately 30 days, at which time it must be paid for the process to move forward. The person we worked with informed us that we should not hassle the sheriffs office for any update until we at least receive this bill. I read online that an applicant must often follow up with these institutions to ensure they have sent over the requested materials thus delaying the process. The sheriffs department made no mention of this responsibility. While at the sheriffs office (7/15/15) we were fingerprinted extensively and photographed. The actual forms were fairly simple and took minimal time to compete. In total we paid $180 cash for the permits ($90 each).
Timeline
7/15/15 - Permits filed with Durham County Sheriffs Dept.
8/14/15 - UNC Hospitals invoice received in mail for $15. - Wife's
8/19/15 - UNC Hospitals invoice received in mail for $15. - Mine