CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Frustration continues for some people looking to get or renew their concealed carry permits.
Some WCNC Charlotte viewers say they are still waiting for their paperwork to be processed and claim the process is taking so long that their current permit is expiring before getting a new one.
Paul Valone with Grass Roots North Carolina believes Sheriff McFadden with Mecklenburg County's Sheriff's Office is choosing to move at his own pace with the process.
“Stopping Sheriff McFadden's delays on handgun permits is like playing Whack-A-Mole," Valone said.
Valone and others are struggling to understand why it is taking so long for McFadden and the sheriff’s office to approve concealed carry permits.
“More recently, he's trying to delay concealed handgun permits by sending all mental health record requests to the Veterans Administration, regardless of whether or not they served in the military,” Valone added.
In North Carolina, to conceal carry a handgun, state law requires a person to get a concealed handgun permit first. The sheriff's office is responsible for determining whether the applicant can get that permit, which first requires a mental health check. The mental health checks out to local hospitals, the A-A and other organizations.
“The mental health facilities do not return the record checks in chronological order," the sheriff’s office said in a statement. "They have 45 days to approve or deny an application after all paperwork is received."
Gun owners are claiming that the process is taking so long that their current permits are expiring before the renewal is approved.
“Citizens are constantly complaining that he's taken forever to get their permits, and their permit runs out before the new one comes in," Hyatt Guns owner Larry Hyatt said.
WCNC Charlotte's Myles Harris asked the sheriff's office about claims that the permit process is taking too long.
The sheriff's office responded with the following statement:
“There is no delay in the process. We are currently processing applications received in late November and early to mid-December of 2023 that we received mental health documentation for at the end of December 2023 and the first of January 2024.”
Hyatt said the permit process has been a topic inside his business, but he’s not pointing the finger at Sheriff McFadden. “I don't believe they're doing it on purpose," Hyatt said. "But I do think we have a really bad system."
Valone aims to continue his efforts to prevent any gun owner from facing similar issues when it comes to getting their permit.
“We have spent 30 years passing a ... concealed handgun law and removing restrictions to that law in order to allow lawful North Carolinians to protect themselves and their families," Valone said.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.