CONCEALED CARRY Sheriffs expect lines to be long

Those who show proof of imminent danger may get an emergency license.
& lt;a href=mailto:meade@vindy.com & gt;By PATRICIA MEADE & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Statewide, some sheriffs will not be surprised to find camped on their doorstep Thursday morning hundreds of men and women eager to be among the first to apply for a concealed-carry license.
"I've heard that some people intend to show up here at 4:30 [a.m.]," said Maj. Michael Budd at the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department. "We're hoping that people hold off a few days. We're expecting more than we can handle and I don't want people to sit eight hours and then be told to come back."
The process, which includes fingerprints, is expected to take 15 to 20 minutes per applicant. Mahoning County will process applications -- one at a time -- weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"I'm hoping people will wait a while, realizing [Thursday] will be overwhelming," Budd said. "We'll handle it the best we can."
If lines are long, some sheriffs may decide to accept applications Thursday, then arrange a time when applicants can return for fingerprints, said Bob Cornwell, Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association executive director. He said sheriffs won't know until Thursday if they'll be dealing with one or 1,000 applicants.
Mahoning's system
Budd said the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department will not accept applications and then arrange to have people come back for fingerprints. He explained that each application must be time-stamped and the department is expected to process each license, which includes a background check, within 45 days.
Qualified applicants who want a temporary emergency license can receive it in two to three days, Cornwell said. The applicants don't have to provide a certificate of firearms training but must have their fingerprints taken for a background check.
Applicants for an emergency license, which lasts 90 days, must show proof of imminent danger. The proof can be documentation from law enforcement, such as a police report, or a court, such as a temporary restraining or civil protection order.
Issuance of an emergency license is up to the sheriffs, Cornwell said. A businessman who has been robbed while making a night deposit may qualify or someone whose life has been threatened in a domestic situation, he said.
Another change
After Thursday, using "affirmative defense" -- carrying an unlicensed gun for protection, such as the businessman making night deposits, will no longer be accepted by courts, Cornwell said. Those people must also obtain a concealed-carry license, he said.
Until now, most of those who claimed affirmative defense were generally able to justify their actions in court if charged with carrying a concealed weapon.
Sheriffs in all 88 counties, meanwhile, had the option of buying or leasing the license making package, which includes a computer, camera, software, supplies for 1,000 hologram licenses and training. The equipment cost $8,200 to buy, $230 a month to lease, Cornwell said.
"It takes 328 license to pay for it," he said.
Of the $45 license fee, $15 goes to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation for background checks and $5 to the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission. If someone has lived in Ohio less than five years, an extra $24 is charged, the cost of an FBI background check.
& lt;a href=mailto:meade@vindy.com & gt;meade@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;