Did you know that there are people out there who still use snail mail? Yeah, we were surprised too. Well, Utah has gotten one step closer to modernization with its new online concealed firearm permit renewal application.
Now, gun owners can exchange postage stamps, icky-tasting envelope glue and weeks of waiting with a few clicks of the mouse and instant confirmation. Well, you’ll still have to wait for a week or two for the government to mail you your new concealed carry permit, but at very least this digital application should cut down on processing time. The form should also only take about 10 minutes to complete.
One of the great things about the new system is that it walks citizens through every step of the process. The U.S. government has a reputation of being – what’s the word? Long-winded? Confusing? Boring? We’ll go with all three. Rather than waiting two weeks for a rejection letter because you accidentally forgot to jump through the necessary hoops on form 393-DX2, now you can get an instantaneous error message when you screw up – no waiting necessary!
Of course, Utahns (is that really what you guys call yourselves?) aren’t the only ones who will benefit from the digital overhaul. Utah Pulse reports that the new online application form should cut processing time by more than 50 percent. That means less red tape, faster concealed carry permits, and fewer tax dollars spent on processing bad handwriting.
It’s not surprising that they’re pushing the new system. Commissioner Lance Davenport said with about as much enthusiasm as you could possibly expect from a government official, “The most convenient way to renew your Concealed Firearm Permit is online.” You can tell that he can barely contain his excitement.
And to all the Amish, old-fashioned folks, and technophobes out there, fear not: you can still submit pen and paper applications if you prefer something a bit more tangible.
It’s nice to see that the government went through the trouble to make the lives of gun owners a little bit easier. Some readers might recall that the Wisconsin Justice Department recently requested $788,600 so that they could hire more workers to process a flood of backlogged concealed carry applications. We can’t say for certain that this new digital system will prevent a similar situation from happening in Utah, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
