MI:CCW law fares well so far

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CCW law fares well so far Officials satisfied with controversial gun permits January 2, 2002BY DAWSON BELLFREE PRESS LANSING BUREAULANSING -- With Oakland County leading the pack, Michigan counties have issued more than 21,000 licenses to carry concealed weapons under a controversial new law that went into effect July 1. Another 14,613 applications were pending by mid-December, according to State Police records. Seven licenses were revoked or suspended during that period, but only one for misbehavior involving a firearm, and none involved a shooting. Representatives of several law enforcement agencies contacted by the Free Press said they had been pleasantly surprised by the CCW experience so far. Opponents of the law said it is too soon to measure long-term consequences. The law requires county gun boards to issue CCW licenses to most adults who pass a gun safety course and have no criminal record. It went into effect after the Michigan Supreme Court disqualified a petition drive aimed at suspending the law and placing the issue before state voters in 2002. Ross Dykman, director of the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners, said: "We're pretty pleased with the way it's working. There have been some delays. But there haven't been any serious problems." Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III, who chaired the group that tried to block the law, remains skeptical. "I certainly believe that the vast number of people getting these permits do not pose a threat," he said. But county gun boards can't adequately screen all applicants, "and there are going to be tragedies," Dunnings predicted. Oakland County has had the most applications (4,601), and issued the most licenses (2,334) to date. Genesee has issued the second highest number (1,520), with Kent (1,036) the only other county to top 1,000. Wayne County has had 3,700 applications and issued 595 licenses. Before the law was changed by the Legislature in December 2000, county gun boards had the discretion to deny a license for any or no reason. Under the old system, there were about 24,000 CCW licensees in Michigan, about half in Macomb County. For 10 years, Macomb has had a policy similar to the new state law. State Police officials predicted that as many as 150,000 state residents would seek CCW licenses. But Dykman said that estimate was based on experience in other states, many of which do not have as rigorous requirements for applicants. Under the new law, a handful of licenses have been revoked or suspended in counties around the state, law enforcement officials said. Most were for reasons unrelated to the use of a weapon, several when licensees were stopped for driving under the influence of alcohol and found to be in possession of a weapon. In Ogemaw County, a 61-year-old man was charged with felonious assault in October after he drew his weapon during a traffic altercation. No shots were fired. He pleaded guilty and his license was revoked, authorities said. While untoward incidents have been rare, so have reports of defensive uses of a weapon by a CCW licensee. Backers of the new law predicted that it would save lives as armed citizens warded off attackers. Those kinds of incidents are not compiled by the State Police under the new law. Dykman said he has heard scattered reports about licensees who have fended off burglars or robbers in their homes or businesses, but none in which it was clear that the ability to legally carry a weapon had saved someone from becoming a crime victim. The State Police will compile a complete report on incidents involving CCW licensing after the law has been in effect for a full year. http://www.freep.com/news/mich/ccw2_20020102.htm