I put this together with the help of Taurus221 and I have already sent it to the entire State Senate. Please feel free to copy it and send it to the Senate too.
Honorable State Senators,
On February 03, 2010, House Bill 258 was signed into law. House Bill 258 increases, from $34.50 to $65.00, the filing fee assessed by the Superior Court in connection with an application for a license to carry a concealed deadly weapon. The Act also extends the term of validity for new licenses from 2 to 3 years and the term of validity for renewal licenses from 3 to 5 years.
Increasing the fees for licenses, as well as the period for which such licenses are valid, will enhance efficiency and preserve resources by reducing the frequency with which the Superior Court and Attorney General’s Office must allocate resources to administer the program. This was strongly supported by the firearms community.
With that being said I would like to bring some concerns in regards to Delaware’s concealed carry permit process. In the past two years the wait time for a new permit has risen from 60 to 90 days to almost six or more months. This is due to a rise in the amount of applications being submitted and the lack of people to process these applications. This back log is also causing people who need to renew their permits to wait until the middle or the end of May to received their permits when their renewal applications were submitted in the beginning of January or February. There is also a concern that these people may not receive their permits before the May 31‘st deadline leaving these people in legal limbo as to whether or not they are still legally allowed to carry a concealed deadly weapon.
My other concern is the Concealed Carry Permit itself. The permit has absolutely no anti-forgery protection. The permit is a printed card with a passport photo that is laminated. Many State agencies and private business now use computer printed ID cards similar to the drivers' licenses. These cards are less likely to be duplicated or reproduced. One of the State agencies that now use computer printed ID cards is the Delaware State Fire School (EMT cards).
I want to thank you for you time reading this email and would like you to strongly consider sponsoring a bill to rectify these concerns.
Thank you
