A spike in applications for concealed handgun licenses in 2016 pushed the number of people allowed to carry a concealed weapon to a record high in Deschutes County.

According to data compiled by Oregon State Police, 13,202 people — 7.5 percent of Deschutes County residents — are licensed to carry a concealed firearm.

In Deschutes County in 2016, 4,252 people applied for new licenses or to renew existing ones, which must be renewed every four years. The increase burdened the department to the point it had to add another employee to process applications because the wait for a license grew to several months. Previously, the department had two employees tasked with processing applications.

The growth last year was much greater than in each of the last three years. There were 2,900 applications in 2015; 2,732 applications in 2014; and 1,525 applications in 2013.

Capt. Paul Garrison with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said historically the office sees an increase in applicants during presidential elections, as well as after terrorist attacks throughout the world and nearby mass shootings.

“I think it’s probably combined with an increase in our population, combined with so many more people are now made aware of these types of terrorist attacks,” he said.

The spike could be the result of news of active shooters and terrorist attacks being spread more quickly via social media, Garrison said.

He also pointed to the 2015 shooting at Umpqua Community College and the May 31 incident when Nicholas Berger took an employee at the High Desert Museum hostage and was later shot and killed by police. Garrison said that sort of event likely makes people want to take safety into their own hands since so often law enforcement is reactive in such horrific events.

“Regardless of where law enforcement is worldwide, we are behind the curve in our response,” Garrison said.

However, Garrison said he hasn’t noticed an increase in armed citizens intervening or protecting themselves when threatened in such scenarios, despite the rise in licenses.

All license applications go through the local county sheriff’s office. To qualify, an applicant must be a U.S. citizen or a legal resident who has lived in the country for six months and has applied for citizenship. Applicants must also be at least 21, reside in the county where they are applying and have completed a gun safety course, such as a hunting safety class or a class taught by law enforcement professionals.

Upon the submission of an application, the sheriff’s office then fingerprints and photographs the applicant, processes the application and has OSP run a background check.

Several things, such as being a felon, having a misdemeanor in the past four years or having been committed to a state psychiatric facility, will cause a rejection of an application. Garrison said the department doesn’t track how many applicants get rejected, but said the most common cause is likely that the applicant was a felon.

Garrison said in Deschutes County, that process is now taking 30 to 45 days to complete.

The backlog makes sense, as Central Oregon has more license holders per capita than the statewide rate of 6.2 licenses per 100 people.

In Deschutes County the per capita rate is about 8, which is higher than the state average yet lower than other Central Oregon counties. In Crook County, 2,749 licenses makes for a 13.2 per capita rate, besting Jefferson County’s rate of 9.

The greater Portland area has the most concealed handgun licenses in terms of sheer numbers, with Washington County having 23,864, Clackamas having 26,016 and Multnomah having 26,498. Even though Multnomah has more licenses than any county in the state, it is also Oregon’s most populated county, and has about half the statewide per capita license rate at 3.3.

— Reporter: 541-383-0376, awieber@bendbulletin.com