IA: Concealed weapon permit requests jump in Eastern Iowa

[308Mike]

Linkarooni

Updated April 28. 2009 7:44PM
Concealed weapon permit requests jump in Eastern Iowa
By Orlan Love
The Gazette
orlan.love@gazettecommunications.com

Concerns about personal security appear to be fueling a surge in handgun sales and an increase in permits to carry concealed weapons in parts of Eastern Iowa.

Jones County, for example, issued 42 new concealed weapon permits in March — well above the average of about 15 new permits per month during the past year.

Jones County Sheriff Mark Denniston said he has noticed the surge, which began in February with the issuance of 32 new permits — up markedly from eight in January and four in December.

"From the feedback I'm getting, it has a lot to do with personal protection concerns," said Denniston, who personally interviews each applicant.

More of this story..............

[Dub_James]

I think that for all we (rightly) complain about CC permits being ultimately an infringement on the 2nd, I think their existence is responsible for a whole lot people owning (if not carrying) than might otherwise be the case.

The idea that you can get Government sanctioned "permission" to carry a gun makes it a lot more accessible to people who might otherwise be very wary of the idea. It "normalizes" carry, and the more we can normalize gun culture again, the better.