Another permit to carry office opens in Hennepin Co.

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office has opened a second location in the northern suburbs where county residents can apply for a firearms permit.

There was a 16 percent increase last year in the number of residents applying for firearms permits in Hennepin County, with 6,421 applications filed, according to the sheriff's office.

Sheriff Rich Stanek said the number of people applying for permits to carry a concealed weapon has increased each year for the past half decade.

"The sheer numbers themselves, we're up to about 30,000 people in the county who have conceal and carry permits, a lot more than that in terms of people who want permits to purchase firearms," Stanek said. "It's their right under the Second Amendment, and we're happy to comply with that and get them what they need."

Hennepin County residents applying for a firearms permit must first take an approved training course and undergo a background check. Stanek said the waiting period for the permit is typically about two weeks.

The county's gun permit office in downtown Minneapolis will still remain open. The new office at 9401 83rd Ave. N. in Brooklyn Park is open on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.