Ugg, Gwennett County.. CCW Permit

Rob: The GA Code is pretty clear about how long a Probate Judge has to issue a firearms license. It's 60 days. Period. If a Probate Judge in Gwinnett Co. or any other county is taking longer than that, they're in violation of their oath of office.

Maybe you ought to take a copy of the applicable code in with you when you apply and, in a really nice way, find out if they're aware of their obligation to follow the law. (That's what I did recently, in another county, and it worked. I even discussed the matter with the County Attorney, and suggested that he have a discussion with the Probate Judge.)
 
i've been waiting for 7 months so far. Sheriff called last week and told me 4-6 more weeks. 4-6 months doesnt sound so bad to me :)

fyi i'm in upstate NY.
 
I'd bet that "gun friendly" (Schumer/Klinton) NY doesn't have the 60-day, "shall issue" provision in their law. :)
 
It's not just the county it's the GBI that takes so long. Factor screwing around on the local level and then more screwing around from a state agency and there you have it. I live in ATLANTA that's FULTON county to all you suburbanites. I don't want to hear about how long it takes. It takes longer here than anywhere else in the state. I'll bet the parking is better at every other courthouse in the state too. My wife was told 8 months maybe . It takes over two months for a renewal. I went and got one down in Macon many years ago so I could get it quick and used my parents address. When it came time to renew I did it up here. I would not suggest quoting laws or ticking the staff in the probate office off. They may be violating the law but good luck proving it was intentional. If you waited six months and your neighbor waited two then maybe you'd have a case.

Don't get me wrong, I'm on your side. I think they should be able to do an instant background check and give it to you like a driver's license. I hate having to suck this up but at least we don't live somewhere like NYC where you have to have a permit just to POSESS a handgun. I would love to have someone try to tell me what I can posess in my own home. Georgia has great laws unlike some states. There's no tests to take, rediculous fees, listing of handguns you can carry, ect. It's not as bad as it could be!
 
atlctyslkr: The reason the GA legislature wrote the firearms licensing statues as they did was to protect citizens from bureaucratic b.s.

The G.B.I. has absolutely no authority or say-so as to whether a person is issue a firearms license. The reporting authority, in this case the G.B.I., has 45 days to make a report to the Judge of the Probate Court. If there is no negative information, the reporting authority isn't even required to make a report.

Regardless of the backlog at the G.B.I., the Judge of the Probate court is REQUIRED to issue the permit within sixty days of the date of application, whether or not information has been received from the reporting authority. The reason folks in Fulton and other counties that are taking so long get treated as they do is because they're not familiar with the law, or they choose not to "educate" the Judge of the Probate court as to what the law requires.

There's an Attorney General's Opinion that states that "shall issue" means just that. In this case, "shall issue" means "must issue" within 60 days, whether there's been a report from the G.B.I. or not.

Get a copy of the code and take it to the Judge of the Probate Court and ask him/her by what authority are they delaying the issuance of the permit. Suppose they NEVER hear back from the G.B.I., do you really think that the legislative intent was for the permit to never be issued? Of course not!
 
I renewed mine in Gwinnett for the third time last week. It took about ten minutes. The routine was a bit different this time with a two page form to fill out.

I was then asked to raise my right hand to swear or affirm the information was correct. A new right index fingerprint was taken. I then signed another form and paid one dollar extra for a temporary license that was stapled to my old license and I was on my way.

The probate clerks were friendly and I had no problem. The cost to renew with the temporary was sixteen dollars.

ez45
 
What I recently did was drop a copy of the OCGA pertaining to this issue off by the Probate Judge's office. She wasn't in, but her clerk was. I very politely asked the clerk to have the Judge review the law and to please let me know by what authority she was holding up permits longer than the prescribed 60 days.

I later ran into the County Attorney at my local bank and spoke briefly with him about the situation, suggesting that he have a talk with the Probate Judge.

Couple of days later, my son's permit was issued. Apparently the G.B.I. report just miraculously appeared, coincidental with my proactiveness. ;)
 
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