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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe number of gun permits issued by the state rose by 83 percent during 2013 compared with the previous year, according to Indiana State Police.
The state issued 111,000 personal protection permits in 2013, and at year's end Indiana had 538,000 active firearms license holders, the Evansville Courier & Press reported Sunday.
"It really was an aberration of things happening nationally in politics, and both sides, pro-gun and anti-gun, making an issue of it," Capt. David Bursten said, referring to the surge of license applications.
State police had generally received about 4,500 applications until last year, when deadly shooting events, including the one at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut in December 2012, led President Barack Obama to seek stricter ammunition policies and universal background checks. Indiana gun permit applications surged to 23,000 in January 2013, and applications for the first six months of the year reached 90,000.
Wait times for permits took weeks or even months longer than normal, prompting state police to add five temporary employees to help ease the workload.
Bursten said those five positions will remain filled indefinitely while the state evaluates whether the demand for gun permits remains steady.
Most applications can clear the state police within two weeks, but incorrect information on applications can delay processing times, Bursten said.
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