Flood of gun applicants stalls system

July 18, 2001

BY DAWSON BELL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

The rush of applicants newly eligible for concealed weapons permits has created a bottleneck in the fingerprint office of the Wayne County Sheriff's Department, with fingerprint appointments being scheduled into January.

The delay has some applicants steaming, because they view it as an attempt by Sheriff Robert Ficano to block implementation of a law he opposed.

Ficano denies that allegation and said Tuesday he expects to be able to offer relief soon. But some gun owners are skeptical.

"I think they're kind of dragging their feet," said Charles Hamill of Westland. "They figure if they make people wait longer, they'll get frustrated and forget about it."

Hamill, 25, said he submitted his application July 5 and is scheduled to have his fingerprints taken Sept. 20. Under the law that went into effect July 1, sheriff's departments are required to complete fingerprinting within 5 days. The prints are used by the State Police and FBI for criminal background checks.

Ficano said he simply doesn't have the personnel available to meet that deadline. He said he has already reassigned deputies to meet the increased workload. But it hasn't been enough to keep pace with the hundreds of new applicants, he said, and he hasn't been authorized to hire additional staff.

Wayne County has distributed more than 5,000 CCW license application kits since July 1. Hundreds more were picked up at local police departments in the county. Ficano said he didn't know how many had been submitted with fingerprint requests.

Within the last few days, however, applicants have been receiving appointments into next year. Since the background checks on the prints can take 4-6 weeks, and additional delays are expected as county gun boards process the applications, advocates of the new law are complaining that it could take nearly a year to issue a license in some cases.

Ross Dykman, director of the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners, said he anticipated delays in implementing the new law. Dykman said he has fielded reports from around the state about county officials placing cumbersome, or illegal, demands on applicants. Kent County, for instance, has asked applicants to obtain signed statements from health care providers that the applicant is not mentally ill, something not required under the new law.

But Wayne County has been "the biggest pain in the neck," Dykman said.

Ficano said that in the last week he has reached agreement with local police departments to delegate fingerprinting authority for their cities. The sheriff said he expects to announce the program later this week.

Under the new law, adults who complete a gun safety course and clear background checks are presumed to be eligible to obtain a license. Approved by the Legislature in December, the law went into effect July 1 after the Michigan Supreme Court rejected a petition drive aimed at blocking it.

-------------------------------
I can't imagine waiting a year!!
(or giving fingerprints)

I had to give fingerprints and get medical statements saying I wasn't crazy. Then it took about 6 weeks. Little do they know. [whacko]

For those of you from other states, Wayne county is the malignant tumor on the side of the otherwise healthy state of Michigan.  It's  democrat, welfare, liberal, corrupt and dirty.
The officials over there have been bitterly fighting the CCW reform by all means, fair and foul. Mostly the latter.  Be surprised by nothing that comes out of that sesspool.

Which only proves that Concealed Carry Permits are a complete waste of time and money..
How can anyone require that you need a LICENSE in order to EXCERSIZE a CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT ?

They should do what Vermont does..