Protests marred by rioting and looting in Birmingham appear to have spurred the surging interest the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office has seen this week in local residents applying for pistol permits. 

Beginning Monday and continuing through the week, the sheriff’s office has seen permit applications come across in record-breaking numbers. Tuesday’s count of approximately 250 permit requests more than doubles the previous single-day high, said Sheriff Matt Gentry on Wednesday.

“Yesterday we handled approximately 250, and today we did approximately 240,” he said. “In the past, the most we’ve ever sold in one day was 115. It’s been busy, and we’ve set up tents outside the sheriff’s office where deputies and office staff are helping people fill out their requests and walk them through to expedite the process as quickly as possible. We believe in being customer-oriented, and I’m really proud of our staff’s professionalism and courtesy as they’ve worked with everyone this week.”

Gentry said the numbers began peaking after protesting turned violent earlier this week in out-of-town areas where many Cullman County residents regularly commute to work. 

“I think it was what had transpired within driving distance to us that prompted this response; the things that happened in Birmingham and other areas close to us,” he said. “Talking to people here to get their permits throughout the day, their biggest concern is the current events that that have been taking place nearby.”

Obtaining a pistol permit allows residents to legally concealed carry their weapons, as well as carry their loaded weapons in their vehicles in the State of Alabama. The permit application process at the sheriff’s office takes about 15 minutes and costs $15 for a one-year permit (or $75 for a five-year permit), and disqualifies any applicant who, through a criminal background check, has a felony or domestic violence conviction, as well as persons deemed mentally incompetent by the courts. Residents are not required to register their weapons with law enforcement in Alabama.

Gentry said the typically busy slate of firearms training courses that the sheriff’s office offers to the public has been temporarily disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. But, he added, classes will resume in the near future. Follow the sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page to be updated on upcoming scheduling announcements.

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 234.