Carbon County will resume processing license to carry firearm permit applications next week, Sheriff Tony Harvilla said during Thursday’s commissioner’s meeting.

“Beginning Monday, June 15, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office will resume the processing of Pennsylvania License to Carry Permits,” said Harvilla. “In order to limit the anticipated high volume of applications for new and renewal permits, the individual will be required to schedule an appointment by calling the sheriff’s office at 570-325-2821.”

All applicants are required to have a valid Pennsylvania Drivers License or Photo ID.

“To protect sheriff’s office employees and the general public, and in accordance with CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health Guidelines, masks covering both nose and mouth and on-site hand sanitizing are required. In order to accommodate the backlog of new applications and renewals the sheriff’s office will be open on a temporary basis on Wednesday evenings until 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday mornings from 8:30 a.m. until noon.

“Credit card payments will not be available on evening or Saturday appointments; personal checks, money orders and cash payments will be accepted. Applications can be obtained on-site and through the link that is available on the Carbon County Courts webpage.”

It typically takes about 10-15 minutes to handle a request, though the process could take longer due to the volume of applications, which is why Harvilla stressed the need to call in advance.

“We do about 12,000 a year, so we’re probably behind I would say in the area of 600,” said Harvilla. “The other issue is we depend on the Pennsylvania Instant Check System to do the background check, and there are occasional delays depending on the volume of applications so we may have to deal with some delays in getting reports back from the system.”

Licenses are issued to all those who qualify, based on a background investigation done by the Sheriff’s Office through the PIC system. Once an application for license to carry is filed, the Sheriff has 45 days in which to do the investigation and notify the applicant. The license is valid for five years. The Sheriff has the ability to revoke the license at anytime for misuse.

The deadline to apply was extended to the end of July due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“And that’s the reason we wanted to get an early start on this so we could address the backlog before that deadline expires,” said Harvilla.