Before December 1, residents who wanted to obtain a permit to purchase a handgun could simply log onto www.halifaxsheriff.com and complete an online application, submit to a background check and, if applicable, a permit to purchase a handgun would be issued.

Before House Bill 562, I initiated a quick and simple process which served as a convenience for the residents of Halifax County as they were notified by email or telephone their permit was ready for pickup.

This process benefited applicants by only having to make a single trip to the sheriff’s office to pick up their permits.

Now, as of this past Tuesday, the implementation of House Bill 562 has created some inconvenience in the process of obtaining a permit to purchase a handgun.

The face of the application and permit has changed and a new document requesting a mental health background has been added to the process.

The inconvenience will come with the mental health release form as applicants will have to swear or affirm to the release, sign, date, and have it notarized by a certified notary public.

This will cause a potential applicant to make an additional trip to the sheriff’s office before the process can begin.

While I apologize in advance, my solution to the matter is a simple one — at the completion of the background, a deputy will deliver the permit. Instead of two trips to Halifax, this keeps it to only one. We have deputies patrolling in all areas of the county so that means no extra cost to us or the taxpayers we serve.

I do apologize in advance for the inconvenience created by the updated House Bill 562 and encourage citizens to continue to use the online services provided at the sheriff's office website.

Before the process begins, it's required that the potential permittee bring to the sheriff’s office a copy of their social security card and drivers license. At this time, the mental health release will be signed and notarized at no additional cost.

As far as the notary for the mental health release, I encourage potential applicants to use sheriff’s office personnel to notarize that release at no charge.