Police see flood of gun permit applications

AVON, Ind. (WISH) - A recent rush of gun buyers is putting pressure on police as they process an avalanche of applications for gun permits.   

It's getting so busy, 24-Hour News 8 found one Hendricks County town that is asking for the public’s help in making the process move more quickly. 

At the Avon Police Department, one person processes all the applications for gun permits. 

"And when the court persons gone she does that job,” says Avon Assistant Police Chief Bill Weems. “Our evidence tech is gone – she does that job – as far as filling all that paperwork. People come in for crash reports and police reports."

Weems says the number of permit applications in Dec. 2012 was nearly triple the number from Dec. 2011. 

A lot of extra work. 

Weems posted on the department's Facebook page, a request. He asked the public to take action first, before ever showing up at the police department. 

"A lot of times they're coming here first instead of going online filling out the application," said Weems.

You need to go to the state of Indiana gun permit application web page first. Fill out the application , and schedule a time to get fingerprinted electronically.

Only after that should you go the police department in your jurisdiction. The department will then run a check on you. 

"If we run them through our in house case system, and we see maybe they had a mental illness run on them, or some type of criminal history, we get to put on the application if they should be approved or not," says Weems. 

The state makes the final decision.

Avon is not alone. 

Marion County has also seen a big bump in the number of gun permit applications the past three months of this year compare to last, going from 600 in Dec. 2011 to more than 1,100 in Dec. 2012. 

This month, Marion County has already had more than 900 permit applications.

The entire process takes about 12 – 14 weeks.