Luz Co: No gun permits for two weeks....

[Steve in PA]

An "inconvenience"............????


Sheriff limiting gun applications

Because of county layoffs, gun permit requests won’t be taken for 2 weeks.
By Sherry Long slong@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

Because of county personnel cuts, the Luzerne County Sheriff’s Department will not accept gun permit applications for two weeks.

Sheriff Michael Savokinas sent out a press release Friday saying he needs to revamp the department since county officials announced staff cuts to help balance the budget.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience during this time of transition,” Savokinas said. His directive is in effect until Jan. 19.

A deputy and a civilian, both part-timers, oversaw the gun permit division in the department, accepting applications every week day until they were laid off. They were among 20 part-time employees and three full-time clerks in the sheriff’s office who lost their jobs during county layoffs that took effect Thursday.

Another full-time vacancy created by the retirement of a deputy will not be filled.

Savokinas said he is rotating a handful of deputies to cover bailiff duties at the courthouse – transporting prisoners and processing the gun permit applications.

“I had to completely retrain individuals to carry out these duties,” Savokinas said. “We have deputies now only handling courtroom functions, but also clerical.”

He called it a “bad decision” to lay off the part-time employees because his department will spend more on overtime costs to handle all their duties, Savokinas said.

Once applications are accepted again, Savokinas will limit the drop-off period from noon to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. There is a $31 permit application fee – $15 of which goes to Luzerne County and the remainder to the state police and sheriff’s deputy training commission. People can download an application from the county’s Web site, www.luzernecounty.org

Anyone who had previously applied for a permit and has been informed the permit is available may pick it up next week. Hours are 4-8 p.m. Monday through Friday on the second floor of the sheriff’s office, 200 N. River St.


Sherry Long, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7159.

http://www.timesleader.com/news/Sher...ted=Y#comments

[knight0334]

I gotta blame the bean counters more than the Sheriff with this. He should still accept them regardless, just that folks should expect turn-around time to increase.

If they just do the PICS call and a quick look into other county/state DB's they can issue them in minutes and have his butt covered legally. A single deputy should be able to pump one out every 5-10 minutes.

[Mike M]

A friend of mine turned his app. in the other day, and was told he MIGHT get his LTCF sometime between the 1st and 3rd week of Feb...

[gnbrotz]

This is a serious issue. The Sheriff, however well-intentioned, does not have the discretion to suspend this process, even temporarily, or to extend the turn-around time (beyond the 45 days permitted by law) because of staffing issues.

Imagine if a Sheriff attempted to suspend prisoner transport for two weeks, to save the money normally spent on the gas.

[jerkin]

What's up with the $31 fee? I thought the UFA set the fee at $25. I wonder if he can legally restrict the times he takes applications, like every 3rd Tuesday of the month between 1:00 and 3:00.

[SSGF109]

Once again the lies and corruption of Luzerne county will effect the taxpayers. All the crooks in county will once again cover up mis management, corruption and payouts. I think the DOJ needs to step in and do an dept investigation. I would first start with the commissioners like Screptnek and Petrillo.

[gnbrotz]

The "Sheriff Fee Act" also permits a $6 'modernization fee' to help cover the increased costs of a laminated LTCF.

[Michele]

I've heard about this being done in other types of areas, so its just a suggestion.

If there must be budget cuts and layoffs, why not get a mature high school student or a college student to take care of the applications. Give them school credits. I'm quite sure there are plenty of students out there that intend to get into some kind of government or even local community government. What better way to get them started than with how important 2A is!

[HiredGoon]

This is a serious issue. The Sheriff, however well-intentioned, does not have the discretion to suspend this process, even temporarily, or to extend the turn-around time (beyond the 45 days permitted by law) because of staffing issues.

Imagine if a Sheriff attempted to suspend prisoner transport for two weeks, to save the money normally spent on the gas.

Yeah, it seems the sheriff considers "gun permits" the least important of his official duties.

[normanvin]

This is a serious issue. The Sheriff, however well-intentioned, does not have the discretion to suspend this process, even temporarily, or to extend the turn-around time (beyond the 45 days permitted by law) because of staffing issues.

Imagine if a Sheriff attempted to suspend prisoner transport for two weeks, to save the money normally spent on the gas.

Yeah, it seems the sheriff considers "gun permits" the least important of his official duties.

Here is the link to the story. There is a comment area. I think it is important that people know what Greg had posted.
http://www.timesleader.com/news/Sher...1-02-2009.html