State officials are asking people seeking concealed weapons licenses to be patient.
The Texas Department of Public Safety says a backlog of applications has stretched processing times from 90 days to 16 weeks in some cases.
The Amarillo Globe News reports DPS received about 48,600 applications from January to May. That's compared to 62,000 during all of last year.
DPS spokeswoman Lisa Block says the agency has hired additional employees to help process applications for concealed weapons permits.
Sales of semiautomatic weapons increased immediately after the Obama administration disclosed it was considering reinstituting a ban on assault weapons.
Copyright The Associated Press
