OSBI develops faster method for renewing gun licenses

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Oklahomans will be able to renew concealed gun licenses more quickly under a new renewal method.

Oklahoma began issuing concealed weapons licenses in 1996 after the passage of the Self Defense Act. The four-year licenses began expiring this year, creating a backlog of applications at the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

O-S-B-I spokeswoman Kym Koch says the agency has eliminated several steps in the local background check process to make the renewals more efficient. Koch says the background check and renewal process should now take about 30 days or less.

That compares to the 90 days it had been taking for the process to be complete.

Koch says more than 10,000 licenses have been renewed under the new system so far with no major problems.