Wake County sheriff being sued again allegedly for not issuing permits to gun applicants. | Stock Photo
Wake County sheriff being sued again allegedly for not issuing permits to gun applicants. | Stock Photo
A guns-rights advocacy group is suing Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker accusing him of failing to issue permits in what one observer said could be an attempt to protect staffers from dealing with the public and catching the COVID-19 virus.
Grassroots North Carolina is a nonprofit whose stated mission is protecting constitutional rights including the right to bear arms. This is the third lawsuit the group has filed against Baker, the first was in March after the sheriff suspended pistol and concealed-carry permits for a month because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
That suit was resolved after a court ruled the Sheriff’s Office must resume receiving and processing applications.
A report in the Carolina Journal on Aug. 7 said the latest lawsuit filed on July 31 alleges that Baker violated a state law that requires the issuing or denial of permit applications within 14 days. Approvals are taking two months, the report said.
Grassroots N.C. members in a news release on Aug. 3 said Baker appears to be “dragging his feet” in issuing the permits in violation of the earlier court-ordered decree.
"Sheriff Baker seems to think he is above the law," Grassroots N.C. president Paul Valone said in the news release. "Grass Roots North Carolina intends to prove otherwise. Since Baker doesn’t seem to be getting the message, we will deliver it loud and clear."
However, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office in a statement said 18,282 permits were issued between January and July of this year, while 8,169 were issued during the same period last year.
Sheriff’s officers said the demand for permits has gone up. The Sheriff’s Office reportedly processed 1,250 applications during one week, but that left 750 still waiting to be processed, the Carolina Journal reported.
In a statement to the Carolina Journal, the Sheriff's Office said "[it] will not litigate pending legal matters in the media. However, Sheriff Baker stands by his decision to protect the health and well-being of this staff and general public during this pandemic."
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