Dam breaks in Columbiana County; Fingerprinting begins

May 12, 2004
(Lisbon) Morning Journal News

Fingerprinting of concealed carry applicants to begin

LISBON —The first applicants for concealed weapons permits will be getting fingerprinted Thursday, beginning the final step in the process before permits can be issued.

County Sheriff David Smith said they’ve begun scheduling applicants to be fingerprinted because the fingerprint scanning equipment is finally back up and running.

Approximately 262 people have applied for concealed carry permits since the law allowing Ohioans to carry a concealed weapon went into effect April 8.

Under the law, the county sheriff has 45 days to process the application and either issue a permit or deny the request. Smith reported two weeks ago the process had been slowed because they had to order a new fingerprint scanner after the existing one broke.

The new equipment has arrived, the software bugs have been worked out and Smith said deputy Commander Daniel “Skip” MacLean has begun scheduling applicants for fingerprinting, with the first to arrive Thursday.

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"Skip tells me we’re going to be OK unless we have another serious glitch with the system," Smith said.

The law requires sheriffs to perform background checks on the applicants to determine if there is anything in their past that would preclude them from being issued a permit, such as a criminal record or mental health problems.

Smith said the fingerprint scan will take about three hours to perform.

"Rather than have people wait around that long a time ... we’re telling them to come back and get their permit."

MacLean said he will call the applicants back and tell them when they can pick up their permits once the fingerprint and mental health background checks are completed.

Smith is still confident they will meet the 45-day requirement regarding the 47 people who applied the first day. A decision on those applications must be made by May 23.

The sheriff’s office was required to purchase special equipment for $8,000 that will enable them to print out permits that will resemble driver’s licenses.

Smith said one of the remaining obstacles has been the inability to conduct background checks into whether the applicant has any mental health problems that would prevent being issued a permit. He said they can now conduct a computer search through the Ohio Attorney General’s office for that information, but it lists only people who have been forced involuntarily to seek mental health treatment.

He said the database excludes those who sought mental health treatment on their own, "and that concerns me. There’s no way I can check on that."

Smith praised MacLean, who serves as jail commander and is also in charge of registering sex offenders, for taking on the additional responsibilities.

"It’s put a lot of work on top of what he’s already doing," he said of MacLean. "With his efforts and help we’ve so far averted hiring anyone additional to do this task."

Commentary:
Numerous individuals have contacted OFCC about delays on concealed handgun license applications in the Columbiana County Sheriff's office. OFCC has been working with both the Buckeye State Sheriff's Association and the Columbiana Co. sheriff's office to investigate the problems, and to suggest possible workaround solutions.

While the technical problems appear to be in the past, it should be noted that this delay could likely have been avoided had Sheriff Smith chosen to exercise his option to take applicants' fingerprints manually (paper cards and ink).

As for Sheriff Smith's "concerns" about not being able to access the private medical information of former grief sufferers, eating disorder victims, and rape survivors who voluntarily sought counseling - why on earth would he want to?

The bottom line is this - the law states that Sheriff Smith SHALL ISSUE licenses to qualified applicants no more than 45 days after their application was submitted. Those who submitted their applications on April 8 have less than two weeks to go!

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