The state of Colorado is seeing an unprecedented number of gun background checks.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has received more than 8,800 background checks requests and thousands are still waiting to be processed.

The Denver Post reports, the wait time is now at 68 hours. The process, required to purchase a gun, usually takes minutes. To keep up with the large number of requests, the department has expanded its hours of operation.

The background checks began pouring in Dec. 15, one day after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Connecticut and on the heels of politicians calling for bans on certain weapons and extended gun magazines.