A new proposal aims to do away with a fee charged to those in Prince William County who wish to get concealed gun carry permits.
Residents who apply for a state concealed carry permit are charged a $50 fee. In Prince William County, the sheriff’s office processes those permits usually within 10 days. They check for any possible criminal history for the applicant.
“It usually takes about five minutes to do each applicant,” said Prince William County Sheriff Glen Hill. “Sometimes we stay late to do them because I like to get them back to the applicant in a timely manner.”
Hill said he has two people in his office who process concealed gun permits, and they only do so when they’re done with their regular duties. A total of $35 goes to the sheriff, and the remaining $15 goes to the clerk of the circuit court.
If Prince William abolishes the fee, it would be the first locality in Virginia to do so, according to Prince William County Chairman At-large Corey Stewart, who proposed abolishing the fee. The move comes as there are rumblings Stewart will mount a campaign for governor next year, and after Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced the state would no longer recognize concealed carry permits from 25 states.
The decision sparked a rush by Virginia residents to get new concealed carry permits from Utah, which are recognized in more than 30 states.
“I support the rights of Prince William County citizens. Look no further than here in Virginia, where our current Attorney General has put gun owners in a position of defending the exercise of their Second Amendment rights rather than expanding them. This policy allows well qualified citizens to freely exercise their Second Amendment rights. Eliminating the fee will remove another barrier for our citizens,” stated Stewart in a press release.
For Hill, whose office processes about 400 permits per month, doing away with the fee boils down to a budget issue. The sheriff’s office stands to lose at least $75,000 in annual funding with the move.
That would be a problem, he said.
“It usually takes about five minutes to process each application, but if there are problems, and we need to investigate further, it can take a lot longer,” said Hill.
The Prince William County Board of Supervisors is expected to approve the measure at its February 9 meeting.
