March 23, 2020 12:07 PM UTC

Neville: Two-Day Delay in Issuing Gun Permits 'Unacceptable'

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• by: Jason Salzman

(Seriously? – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Delays in issuing gun permits, which are required for all firearm purchases in Colorado, have increased as fears of coronavirus have escalated, prompting Colo Republican House leader Patrick Neville to call the “drawn-out wait times” for gun permits “unacceptable.”

The permitting process recently required about two days, and 5,000 people Coloradans were waiting in line as of March 17.

“While I warned constituents we could see longer than normal wait times to do COVID-19, I also urged [the state of Colorado] to prepare for this well in advance,” wrote Neville in his statement, which was distributed by Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, a hard-line pro-gun group.

“However, these drawn out wait times are unacceptable,” wrote Neville, who represents the Castle Rock area. “Today, I am calling on the governor and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to do whatever necessary to shorten the lines and expedite the process for a quick checkout.”

It usually takes about 10 minutes to obtain Colorado gun permits, which are issued by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Gun sales in Colorado have spiked nationally and in Colorado in recent weeks.

Neville didn’t return a call asking why he thought a two-day delay in gun permitting was “unacceptable,” given all the other issues faced by the state at this time–and whether he’d received a response from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, which did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

The Denver Post reported that from March 10 -17, the number of gun permits requests had doubled from last year, from about 14,600 to about 7,400.

Neville’s has expressed concern for the economy during the coronavirus outbreak as well, tweeting Thursday, “If we can NOT weaken the dollar, that would be great,” in response to news that Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was considering checks of $1,200 for Americans.

Over the weekend, Neville also participated in a drive to collect personal protective equipment for distribution in Colorado.

The effort was initiated by Democratic House leader Alec Garnett of Denver and Neville.