Luzerne County fails to send LTCF renewal notices

State reps: County failed to send gun permit notices
By Michael P. Buffer (Staff Writer)
Published: April 16, 2010



The Luzerne County Sheriff's Office has not been complying with a state mandate to notify gun owners when a license to carry a concealed weapon is about to expire, according to two state legislators.

State Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston, and state Rep. Ed Staback, D-Archbald, sent a letter dated March 29 to Acting Sheriff Charles Guarnieri about the compliance failure. Staback, chairman of the House Game and Fisheries Committee, said Guarnieri is required to send renewal forms to license holders 60 days before a license expires.

Guarnieri and Joseph F. Sklarosky Sr., solicitor of the sheriff's office, have not returned calls seeking comment. Mundy and Staback said they haven't heard from Guarnieri. Staback said he has left several phone messages for Guarnieri.

Jerry Schutz, president of the Luzerne County chapter of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, brought the issue to Mundy's attention. Schutz said his organization may have to initiate a court action to force the sheriff's office to comply with the notification requirement.

"We'll do that if they don't get on the ball," Schutz said.

A license to carry a concealed weapon expires after five years. Without an expiration notification, many gun owners may not know their licenses have expired, Schutz said.

"This is a big problem for a guy carrying a concealed gun," Schutz said. "He can be stopped for something. A policeman stops him, and he's in big trouble."

The Luzerne County Sheriff's Office charges $31 for a license to carry a concealed weapon. Staback said state Act 17 of 1995 allows sheriffs to charge an additional $1.50 to cover the cost of mailing expiration notices.

"… We urge you to follow the law and mail the renewals," Staback and Mundy wrote. "By doing so, you not only fulfill your oath of office, you provide a community service to gun owners that they expect and deserve."

Schutz said he had to tell former Sheriff Barry Stankus to mail the renewal forms. He said the sheriff's office stopped mailing when Michael A. Savokinas became sheriff in January 2008.

"They are paid extra money to cover the cost of this notification," Schutz said. "They are taking the money and not sending the notices."

Guarnieri was the chief deputy sheriff and has been the acting sheriff since Savokinas resigned last September. In February, Gov. Ed Rendell nominated retired Wyoming Borough police Chief John F. Gilligan for the post.

mbuffer@citizensvoice.com

The reps need to tell the sheriff he is also overcharging for the LTCF at $31. Plus they want him to charge an additional $1.50 for renewal notices.

That renewal notice charge is already in the $25 set by the UFA.