“Several sheriff’s departments in the area said in the last six-months they have been slammed with new applications for concealed carry permits,” St. Louis’ kmov.com reports. And why is that, you ask? Actually, you don’t. You know as well as I do that the “protests” in Ferguson sent concerned citizens flocking to the firearms permitting process to tool up. Here are the actual numbers . . .
In St. Louis County, more than 1,000 people applied for a concealed carry permit in March of 2015. Last year, less than 500 people applied during the month of March.
St. Charles County saw a similar trend with 300 more applications filed in March of 2015 than last year . . .
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department said the unrest in Ferguson contributed to the increase in applications. In 2014, the county had a total of 907 applications. In the first three months of 2015, more than 500 people have already applied.
Is the suggestion made above that the Ferguson riots account for the surge racist? Of course not. But KMOV managed to find someone in law enforcement who refused to connect dots as big as puppy dog eyes (though a lot less friendly):
When asked about the increase in applications, St. Louis County Police Det. Michael Kaufman said, “I wouldn’t be able to give you an answer from each resident, everybody’s opinion is different. I can say from any event that happens nationwide or locally, sometimes there’s an increase.”
When it comes to anti-gun mainstream media, any police prevaricator will do. Anyway, one wonders what effect the “protests” in Baltimore will do for the number of concealed carry permits. Or not. But given Maryland’s “may issue” status, chances are the apps will be for nought. Shame.
I think you meant ‘may issue’ in the last sentence.
Yep. We certainly aren’t “shall issue.”
4 min. later, corrected….
And they’re not even reporting on what the numbers are in St. Louis, itself, which is a separate county. Or Jefferson County, directly to the south. Lots of people from Jeff County working in St. Louis, and surrounding areas.
one wonders what effect the “protests” in Baltimore will do for the number of concealed carry permits
A lot more people may try, but most will be denied.
A smart guy recently said that the news coverage of the Baltimore riots is like an infomercial for the NRA. I agree.
I would pay big $$ to see video of Shannon trying to negotiate with the protestors and convince them to not commit acts of violence . . . . .
I’m cautiously optimistic about the public response to riots in Baltimore. We see, at once:
– law-abiding community leaders and members forming lines;
– rival street gangs forming lines
in each case separating the protestors/rioters from the police and urging calm and peaceful behavior. What is going on here that is unprecedented in other urban black riots?
It will be a long time before the citizens of Maryland rise up and demand that their legislators adopt Shall-Issue. Nevertheless, there may be a movement to arm the citizenry with handguns in the home and businesses and long-guns that are transported. These would be affirmative steps toward citizen-assumption of a duty of defense-of-self.
Yeah, DD, but you want her to do it in a bikini. Hm. That WOULD be fun.
“Media Shocked”.
Well no sh!t…I wonder why, riots, looters, scared politicians sending in the troops…wash, rinse, repeat
Not looters, ‘Spontaneous inventory reduction specialists’ .
Geeze, get with it…
Great! The more law-abiding people, the better.
Yep. And an armed society is a polite society.
As a recent transplant to the Saint Louis metro I am a proud part of the above number.
Good. You can make up for me. My MO CCW will expire next year, but I’ve replaced it with an Ohio CHL, and now a lifetime Indiana LTCH. (And now that I’m back home again in Indiana, I don’t plan ever to leave.)
One valuable advantage of Shall-Issue is that the States generate regular data on the increase in carry permits. That makes news; it makes fairly hard statistics. People don’t go to the police station, plunk down $20 – $100 to get a carry permit when they have no intention to carry ever. These statistics must be carrying at least sometimes.
Uncommitted voters hear these statistics occasionally; they must be impressed to at least some extent. Carry seems to be socially acceptable in these States and growing pretty fast.
At one time I thought the political advantages of Shall-Issue outweighed the lack of political advantages (and arguably the loss of the BC advantage) that came with Constitutional Carry. My thinking has evolved. We have 50 States. About 35 are Shall-Issue and 5 are Constitutional Carry. This situation allows us to argue as follows: ‘Look, all but 10 States honor the Right-to-Carry. Most of them do a BC and require some training. Five of them have grown so comfortable with Right-to-Carry that they’ve decided that they don’t really need the BC or training; they just let law-abiding citizens carry without any red-tape. So, what makes circumstances in the 10 Won’t-Issue States so different from the rest of the country?’
The current course is working – politically – in our favor. The Shall-Issue States prove the growing popularity of carry while the slow but steady conversion from Shall-Issue to Constitutional Carry evidences that carry is not anything to be worried about at all.
The remaining 10 Won’t-Issue States won’t fall into line at their own volition. We need to get the people in the Right-to-Carry States to compel their Congressmen to pass National Reciprocity. That really requires a consolidation of Carry-in-Polite-Society in most of the 50 S
The more the merrier. Lots of folks need a “come to Jesus “moment. And the denied in Maryland might just carry without gubmint approval. Look for the lowlife looters to get narry a slap on the wrist…
Renewed my permit in at St Louis County HQ on March 15th. Only white guy there for renewal, and I’m 32. Two other black guys in there my age. 20 or so other black people, mostly couples, all age 40-70ish.
Last renewal in 2012 was about 50/50 black and white but all 15 or so people there were all under 40.
People seem in general to be sick of the BS.
“People seem in general to be sick of the BS.”
That right there is why the political momentum is flowing our way.
GunsSaveLife had the right attitude–on noting that (legal) firearms purchases near Ferguson had doubed, they weren’t satisfied; they said. “more, please.”
Several months ago I talked to a police officer in town. He told me that 5 – 8 pistol licenses a week were being processed by the town. This is a huge number for a small town with only ~1200 residential units. Within a few years everyone will be packing. I guess that’s why we have a low crime rate More guns – less crime.
But given Maryland’s “may issue” status, chances are the apps will be for nought.
Still, people will tool up the best they can.
It is clear to me that the increase does not reflect racism in any way. What it reflects is people understanding that they can never rely on the government to protect them or their property. If it is going to be done, you have to do it yourself. I wonder, hearing these reports of increased applications, does anybody track CCL allowed to lapse?
Don’t know that that would mean much. My TN permit will lapse when I retire and move to TX, where I will get a TX permit. Same for my wife.
What a shocker.
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