PDI News - VA. Concealed weapon permits on the rise

By Susan Gibbs, Record Reporter FOR THE GREENE COUNTY RECORD
Published: August 20, 2009

The number of county residents applying for permits that will allow them to carry concealed weapons doubled between January and July of this year, compared to the same time last year.
In the first six months of 2008, 101 people applied for such permits through Greene’s courts. In the first six months of this year, 200 made application.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say it’s because they’re afraid President Obama is going to take their right to carry weapons away,“ says Circuit Court Clerk Marie Durrer.
Others don’t mention Obama; they just say they’re concerned about crime, and protecting themselves against it.    
“I travel alone with my children, a lot,“ says Susan Rankin of Stanardsville. “If I’m driving, I don’t want a gun on the seat beside me where my children can see it. I would rather have it locked in the glove box.“
Rankin isn’t alone, and Greene County isn’t alone: recent reports show that statewide and nationwide, people fearful of stricter gun control and/or higher crime in a difficult economy are packing heat in record numbers.
Virginia State Police report that applications for concealed weapons permits have risen consistently in the last four years. In 2006, there were 25,287 applications; in 2007, 41,472; in 2008, 55,864, and to date, in 2009, 51,137.
The demand for concealed weapons is also up in Florida, where the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services hired 61 temporary workers last spring to deal with a backlog in applications. By the end of June, the department had received 75,520 applications compared to 90,331 received in all of 2008.
Reports also say that the Texas Department of Public Safety has seen “an unprecedented increase” in applications since November, and in Utah, records are being set, with June ranked as the top month ever for applications.
“It’s a nationwide trend,“ says National Rifle Association Spokesperson Rachel Parsons. “A lot of counties and states are having to hire more people to deal with the flow of applications for permits coming in.“
Parsons says the NRA is of the opinion that the reason for the rush to conceal arms is two-fold.
“People are concerned that with the downturn in the economy, crime will go up.“, she says. And, “they want to be responsible for their own personal safety at a time when … police are not always there.“
Scott Sullivan of Dyke carries concealed to protect himself and his family, and to prevent theft.
“There was a recent kidnapping in Georgia,“ he says. “People have more concerns about crime.“
But Doug Pennington, assistant director of communications for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, says: “The problem with allowing the public to carry concealed is that “you don’t know if someone has the judgment to only draw a weapon in self-defense.“
Still, at least one dealer says handgun sales have risen along with applications to carry concealed.
“Sales have gone up drastically,“ says Tony Shifflett, owner of Rangeland LLC, a gun shop on Seminole Trail in Ruckersville.
But demand for guns is outweighing supply: “Unfortunately, we can’t get everything we want,“ Shifflett continues.  “It’s the same thing with ammunition … sales are up but it’s hard to get (product). Manufacturers are building arsenals for the military, and customers are stockpiling (what ammunition has been available).“