Allegheny County Sheriff LTC concealed carry
Courtesy Allegheny County Sheriff
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In Pittsburgh there have been so many people trying to get their concealed carry permits that they’re backed up to the end of 2020. The Allegheny County Sheriff has decided to do something about the backlog by offering drive-thru concealed carry permit services. This is a solid plan and one that could help streamline things in a lot of cities and states (so take notes, people).

According to CBS Pittsburgh:

The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office is set to hold two more drive-thru events where people can fill out paperwork for a ‘license to carry’ permit.

The first of these events will be held in North Fayette on August 15 from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

The second event will be held in Forward Township on August 29 from 8:00 AM until 3:00 PM.

An appointment will be required for these events.

Appointments can be scheduled on the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office website.

Applicants who show up for their appointments will be asked briefly to exit their vehicle for a COVID-19 screening that will consist of temperature checks and a questionnaire.

After the temperature check and questionnaire, Sheriff’s Office personnel will then process their paperwork.

Upon approval of the paperwork, a license will be printed and delivered to the applicant’s vehicle.

You can visit the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office firearms page here for more information. License to carry questions can be found here.

This is my favorite part of the Sheriff’s FAQ page:

Q:  I was told that it takes weeks to obtain a license, is this true?
A:  Allegheny County transitioned to a one-step process in late 2014. MOST applicants are in and out in about five minutes and leave the same day with their license. However, in some circumstances, the PA Instant Check System (PICS) can return a status of “RESEARCH”. This means that the state is researching something and they have 45 days, by law, to return a status of either “APPROVED” or “DENIED.” So, it is possible (but not likely) that you won’t get your license the same day you apply.

It would be great to see the permitting process handled better across the board. With all of the COVID-19 drama going on, the process has crawled to a standstill in many areas.

Why not do more drive-thru applications nationwide? Wouldn’t it be faster (assuming people do as they’re supposed to and fill out the paperwork in advance)?

Now if only they gave away ammo like a prize to go with your shiny new license….

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48 COMMENTS

      • Your neighbors to the west, Ventura Co, over 6 years ago it took 1 year to get your CCW. 4 years ago it took 6 months. The past year it’s now taking less then 3 months. Ventura Co Sherrifs has been increased staffing and streamlineing their process the past 5 years to accommodate the increase in CCW applicants.

        • If your permit application is processed by the sheriff’s office then it shouldn’t take very long considering the population . Here in Fl, permits are processed statewide by the agriculture commissioner’s office, I know it’s strange but that office processes many types of statewide permits. The ONLY statewide office holder in Fl that is a democrat is, you guessed it , the ag. commissioner. She put the( covid 19) slowdown into effect earlier this year, but amid protests and a personal law suit(still processing pot permits) things are back to normal. I got my cc in 2015, it took an hour in the office (county tax collector) and 35 day wait. I even received a letter apologizing for the delay, it should have been done in 30 days. Three weeks ago my wife and a friend applied,(six hours at the tax office due to covid restrictions) but the permits arrived in 16 days. Side note my son did his in Ct, before I did mine and after all the bull shot there waited 6 months to get his golden permit. Glad every day that I left that tax heavy, freedom less lefty enclave.

        • Renewed my FL CCL in Aug last year, all on line, took photo with my iPhone cropped to fit their template paid by debit card and had new license in 7 days… I had expected some kind of hassle with our new commissioner (not my choice) but that did not happen, guess she wants to keep the job for awhile, we’ll see if a viable challenger steps up next time… Now if only I can get an appointment to renew my DL (need the NEW “verified” DL) by Oct….

    • Why not apply online? Even send them a screen shot pic for the mug shot if required, prints might also be possible. The ones trying to take away the guns in general are all in for online voting…

  1. It would be great to see the permitting process handled better across the board.

    It would be BETTER if they just did away with permits period… Hell my DL expires in Oct and Can’t even get anyone on the phone to make an appointment and web site just says appointments are full… but appointment is required and I need to show up with the documents (“certified” birth cert, SS card, proof of address?) for their new bullshit “VERIFIED” DL.. I’ve only had a DL since 1967…

  2. Gee, i wonder if Illinois knows about this? It would sure help them streamline their process from the current six months it takes to renew. Of course, if you are a criminal it takes less than a day to find somebody who will sell you a gun.

  3. State of Maryland needs to adopt this method and change to a “Shall Issue” state. Issuing via drive thru is an excellent idea for those legal and law abiding gun owners.

    Every state should be “Shall Issue” state.

  4. Big smile!!! The mayor of Pittsburgh must be frothing like a rabid dog.

    Makes me proud of our Commonwealth. Now, all we have to do is sell the City of Brotherly Love to NJ.

        • Mayor F@@ktard and several council members committed at least two felonies with their scheme. The big disappointment but no surprise is that they’re not in Leavenworth making boulders into gravel.

    • Agree from another PA resident. Our CCL process is not bad and reasonably priced.

      I still haven’t forgiven or forgotten those three representatives from Philthy that tried to write that crazy gun registration a year or so ago. If we can’t sell the place, maybe we could fence it in.

    • That would put my inlaws behind enemy lines. I’d prefer we just hang the mayor, DA and city council members on the Ben Franklin Bridge with signs around their necks that say “Sic Semper Tyranus”. We could add the governor and the AG as well.

  5. “Applicants who show up for their appointments will be asked briefly to exit their vehicle for a COVID-19 screening”

    WTF does the China flu have to do with a carry license?

    • Soon as a public employee union member croaks from the Wu-flu, the responsible agency will be getting a total anal exam from every ambulance chasing “labor” lawyer within the driving range of their Escalades and Navigators. So folks have to go through the nifty little shadow play to ensure we’re not sick. Eh, if a scrap of t-shirt over my ugly mug and a quick thermometer scan is all they want, whatever. My state is a “shall issue” and with my status as a veteran I don’t need a training class. Did it with my wife anyway which was fun.

    • Maybe they don’t want to get sick and potentially die from this 100 percent not a hoax dangerous virus that has killed the best part of 200,000 Americans and over a million people worldwide in less than eight months?

      Nah, that can’t be it. Must be them damn liberals again.

  6. As the 2 nd. is Witten and practiced by the several states, known as Constitutional carry,no permission or application needed, none of this If It Pleases The Crown Bravo Sierra.

    • National ‘Super Size’ first, ‘International’ later.

      (Not in my lifetime, anyways… )

    • Question,

      It ain’t right, but if you do not follow the rules they send police people with guns to take both you and your gun away.

      That, of course, is the change we fight for.

      • Somehow I think your advice wasn’t necessary or needed…
        Somehow I think his question was rhetorical…

        We (I) don’t give a fk what some loser in a uniform THINKS he’s gonna do….
        They come around here to take ANYTHING from me, there won’t be any talking…. NONE…. PUNK!

    • “Why do I need a permit to exercise a Constitutionally guaranteed right?”

      Because you need one to invite 5,000 of your buddies to hear you speak on the Mall in Washington D.C….

  7. There was a time in this Nation not so long ago. When a group of citizens were denied their Constitutional Rights by not only the government but, certain parts of the citizenry. Those citizens Stood Up in the face of the injustice risking Arrest, Beating, Loss of Property and Murder. Their struggle was long and filled with uncertainty. Yet they refused to be denied Their Rights by refusing to comply with and breaking those unjust laws. Many were jailed and imprisoned. Many were Beaten and Murdered. Still they soldiered on with only the hope that some day they or their children would enjoy the Rights, Enshrined in the Bill of Rights. What those people had is something that is greatly lacking today in the fight for The Rights, Enshrined in the Bill of Rights. The desire to be truly Free of Unjust Laws and the Courage to risk everything in order to Be Free. The Desire…The Will…The Courage…The Three most important components in the fight for Freedom.
    https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj307SxyI_rAhVJZc0KHQfwCjkQyCkwAHoECAwQBA&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr_OpFxCx-A&usg=AOvVaw098KOv5k63hYOilN2SCA64

  8. More red woohan death virus virtue signaling. The case fatality rate is somewhere between .02-.04,%, about the same as the common cold. Which essentially it is. The PCR does not specifically test for SARS-COVID -19, it detects any virus, even a variety of common cold viruses.

    Quit all this non-sense virtue signaling, it would be news worthy if Penna actually just did away with permits altogether, but the big bad Wolfe would never let that happen.

    • You need to check your math. Or stop listening to Fox News. Or both, preferably.
      With 160,000 dead and 5.2 million confirmed cases, that puts the death rate at 3.1%. That doesn’t sound so bad, until you realize 3.1% of the US population is over ten million people.

      This is why I’m not a Republican. I don’t want to associate with MORONS.

      • It is strange that ciphering the simplest of percentage math seems beyond most conservatives.

        Simply take the number of deaths divided by the number of positives and you may easily ascertain the mortality rate.

        Of course, if you think that COVID-19 is no worse than the flu, and it is actually a democratic hoax, then you don’t really need actual numbers to sustain your delusion.

        Carry On!

  9. I live about 60 miles away, but didn’t realize how gun friendly Allegheny County could be. Pittsburgh certainly isn’t.

  10. Everyone’s arming up. I went to Academy Sports a couple of days ago and the only handgun ammo left was a few of 22lr shotshell and 44 magnum.

  11. So is this some wierd PA thing where one needs to do the paperwork in person? We just put ours in the mail and a few days latter the permit shows up.

    • Yes. In PA you have to go to the Sheriff’s office to file for the permit. It doesn’t take long though, and it’s almost always done same-day. Personally, I like it better than stuffing something in the mail and waiting 4-6 weeks for some desk jockey to get around to it.

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