Utah has the edge on firearm permits

Utah has something that people from all over the country and Canada are clamoring for. Is it ski resort passes? Salt water taffy?

No, it's Utah's concealed firearm permits.

According to the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification, which manages the permits that allow a person to legally carry a concealed firearm, the number of permit applications has nearly doubled in the past two years.

Statistics show in 2004 there were 8,147 permit applications. This year, BCI officials estimate the applications could go beyond 16,000, straining the resources of a program that hasn't seen a budget increase since it was implemented more than a decade ago.

The issue of staffing and funding is among a slate of topics scheduled for discussion Wednesday by legislative members of the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee.

Authorities say the demand for Utah's concealed firearm permits is such that nearly 58 percent of the applicants are people from out of state.

"We know it's becoming very popular," said BCI chief Ed McConkie, who says Utah's concealed firearm permits are fast becoming the national standard. In Utah, a person must be 21 or older, must submit to fingerprinting and be photographed, must undergo both state and federal criminal background checks, must have hands-on gun time, and must be taught by a certified instructor. Some states do not have all those requirements.

It also doesn't hurt that Utah's permit is one of the cheapest to get in the country. The application fee is $54 and only requires $10 to renew every five years. McConkie said other states charge hundreds of dollars for a permit and require about $100 more to renew between two to three years after.

Utah's license is also recognized by an estimated 30 other states, said Clark Aposhian, a firearms instructor of 11 years and chairman of the Utah CCW (concealed weapons permit) Review Board. "Permits are not automatically recognized by other states like drivers' licenses," Aposhian said. "Utah's is the best in the nation right now."

Word has spread on firearm enthusiast Web sites and through the National Rifle Association that Utah, along with Florida, has the best deal in the nation. McConkie said the news has also attracted Canadians seeking a permit that will be valid in several U.S. states when they visit for hunting trips.