PICKAWAY COUNTY, Ohio — If you’re going to Pickaway County to get a CCW permit, take a number.
“It’s important,” Sheriff Matthew Hafey said. “I’ve always been a Second Amendment proponent.”
When Sheriff Hafey took office last year, he wanted to implement a faster turnaround for those wanting or re-upping on CCWs. The old system was by appointment only, which could mean a three-to-four month wait. Since May the new system allows walk-ins.
Aubrey Booker handles the licenses and background checks. The most people she’s seen come in in one day is 35 while averaging about 25 people a day.
It’s an expedited process. Hafey says from filing to approval takes about six days. Before, it took about two weeks.
In the second quarter this year, Pickaway County has already issued and renewed 361 licenses, which is a 200% jump from the same time last year.
According to the Ohio Attorney General’s website, in 2020 Pickaway County ranked 82 out of Ohio’s 88 counties in issuing CCWs with 254. Already in 2021, it has issued 236. And people getting the permits aren’t just from Pickaway County. Some are traveling from as far away as Toledo, Dayton and Cleveland.
“A lot of these people are making the trip because their sheriff’s office might be backed up,” Hafey said.
Hafey says appointment-only systems create a backlog. He says if people don’t have all the necessary materials, they have to make another appointment.
Out of all the counties surrounding Pickaway County, only Madison County also uses the walk-in system, where Hafey says he got the idea from. It might explain why in 2020 Madison ranked seventh in the state for new CCW licenses (2,629) being issued. Its population is about 45,000 people. Compare that to Franklin County (7,525) that took the top spot on that list; a county with a population of more than 1.3 million people.
“I believe if you want to, as long as you’re not legally disqualified, if you want to be able to carry a handgun in order to protect yourself or your family, then by all means it’s your Second Amendment right,” Hafey said.
Faster doesn’t mean easier.
Hafey says anyone who is not allowed to own a gun, by law, is denied.
“We make sure we do things the right way,” he said. “Everything we do is triple-checked.”
The Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office handles CCW requests Monday thru Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. It is also now offering a 24/7 pickup option for those whose permit has been approved.