After being denied the right to concealed carry by California’s restrictive “good cause” language recently overturned by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Orange County residents are now swamping the Sheriff’s Department with applications:

The staggering backlog of applications for concealed weapons permits in Orange County has grown to almost 3,000 and some applicants said they’ve been told it may be years before their paperwork is fully processed.

The flood of applications was triggered by a pro-gun appeals court ruling that relaxed the restrictions on who could carry weapons. Most counties in the state have opted to wait for a likely appeal, but Orange County has gone the other way — taking applications from those who claim they need to carry a weapon for their own protection or safety.

Sheriff’s Department officials said they are scrambling to speed up the process and deal with the thousands of gun applications that have rolled in since February. The department has received four times the applications it typically receives in an entire year.

“There’s just no way this pace keeps up,” said Lt. Jeff Hallock, the department’s spokesman.

Some applicants said they have been assigned interview and background-check appointments as late as mid-2016.