A Riverside man attending a firearms training class to get his concealed weapons permit was accidentally shot by a Riverside County Sheriff's Department trainer, the department told The Desert Sun.

On Aug. 10, the man, identified only as a civilian, was participating in a course at the Ben Clark Training Center's gun range in Riverside.

According to a department news release issued in response to questions from The Desert Sun, gun range staff inspect students' firearms during the course and students are instructed to unload their guns.

During the inspection, the range staff member — a civilian instructor the department did not identify — administered a "trigger pull test" and shot the student in the leg. Range staff initially treated the injured man.

"Paramedics arrived and the citizen was transported to a local hospital where he received treatment for a non-life-threatening wound," according to the department's statement.

The "accidental discharge" is being investigated by both the sheriff's Perris Station staff and the staff at the Ben Clark Training Center.

Brooke Federico, a county spokeswoman, wrote in an email in response to questions from The Desert Sun that the injured man is a county employee who attended the training as a "private citizen" and not in their work capacity.

"We wish our employee a speedy recovery," Federico wrote.

California is a "may issue" state, meaning such carrying concealed weapons permits are issued by law enforcement agencies, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Riverside Sheriff's Department manages applications for the county.

Laws passed in 2018 required applicants to complete a training course approved by the licensing authority in their region, in this case the sheriff's department.

These courses include between eight and 16 hours of instruction on firearm safety, shooting techniques, and firearm law, according to the Giffords website.

Riverside County Sheriff's Department hosts these classes at the Ben Clark Training Center, the department's primary training facility in Riverside.

Over the past several years, interest in concealed carry permits has surged, resulting in a wait time of over two years for applications to be processed.

Sheriff Chad Bianco made expediting the time it takes to process the permits one of his priorities during his successful 2018 campaign to become sheriff.

"Although California is a 'may' issue state, my position aligns more with 'shall,' " Bianco wrote on his campaign website. "I believe that every person who desires a concealed weapons permit, otherwise not prevented by law or psychological concern, should be granted a permit."

While rare, such incidents do happen. In 2013, an Ohio man attending a concealed carry class with his wife was shot in the arm when an instructor was demonstrating a self-defense technique.

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Desert Sun reporter Christopher Damien covers crime, public safety and the criminal justice system. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com or follow him at @chris_a_damien.