Utah is revoking concealed-carry permits at near-record rates, but not because permit holders are breaking the law. Of the 399 pulled this year, 323 have been for the same reason—unreadable fingerprints.
Previously, permits couldn’t be rejected for fingerprint problems — instead, a new set of prints would be required at the time a license came up for renewal. A change to state law, though, now stipulates that when fingerprints are deemed insufficient, an applicant has 30 days to submit a new set. After 30 days, the permit is suspended. After one year, the permit is revoked.
“It’s not necessarily that the person did anything bad if we’re taking their permit away,” said Jason Chapman of the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification. “We just couldn’t complete background checks.”
With its concealed-carry license recognized in 35 states, Utah is a popular state for permit seekers. Almost two-thirds of the 612,000 people with Utah permits are from other states.
