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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- So far this year more than 57,100 people have applied for a permit to carry a concealed gun.
Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification figures through Aug. 31 show that of those, more than 56,300 have been granted permits.
Last year there were 44,891 applications.
Lt. Doug Anderson told a legislative committee last week that the bureau expects to process 70,000 applications next year. The bureau has added eight employees this year to deal with the backlog. It currently takes 58 days to issue each permit.
In the fiscal year that ended in June, just over 50 percent of the applicants were from outside Utah. Utah's permit is accepted by 34 states.
The state checks a criminal database to determine whether those with permits have become ineligible. Last year it suspended 495 and revoked 332.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
