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TX: Applications on the rise for concealed handgun
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Applications on the rise for concealed handguns
By Kris Abbey
kabbey@amarillonet.com
The shock of Sept. 11 may influence more Texas residents to apply for concealed-handgun licenses, according to Tela Mange with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
"Especially after Sept. 11, we had a large number of people request applications," Mange said. "We saw a big increase."
In August 2001, DPS received 3,089 requests for application packets, Mange said. In September 2001, requests rose to 6,570. In October 2001, 10,046 people contacted DPS for packets, Mange said.
Texas Handgun Facts
Here are concealed-handgun license statistics from the Dept. of Public Safety as of July 1:
226,119 concealed handgun permits were active in the state. As of April 2, 2001, that number was 213,706.
183,945 of those permits were held by men. Last year: 172,312.
42,174 of those permits were held by women. Last year: 41,394.
Potter County has 850 residents who hold permits. Last year: 800. Randall County has 1,199. Last year: 1,068.
The number of application requests dropped somewhat in subsequent months, then rose sharply in April and May.
However, Mange said, requests for packets may not translate into significantly more people returning applications and fees for the concealed-handgun license.
"It will take a while to figure out if the number of people who actually apply will go up," Mange said.
"There's a lot of soul-searching that people have to do when they're deciding if this is something they want to do. There's a lot of responsibilities that go along with that," she said.
Some people who request applications also will realize they don't qualify for a permit and won't return the application, Mange said.
To obtain a permit, one must be a Texas resident, be qualified to purchase a handgun under state and federal laws, and pass a DPS-authorized handgun course.
An array of factors can disqualify applicants, including felony convictions and some misdemeanor convictions; chemical or alcohol dependency; certain types of mental illness; and defaulting on taxes, student loans or child support, according to DPS.
Cost also may stop some from applying. For most Texans, the license costs $140. Some residents pay less, including senior citizens, the indigent, and active and retired peace officers and judicial officers.
Applicants also must pay for the handgun course, which typically costs between $75 to $100 in Amarillo.
According to DPS, the number of people holding concealed-handgun licenses statewide as of July 1 was 226,119. Men had 183,945 permits and women had 42,174 permits.
In Randall County, 1,199 people had licenses as of July 1; in Potter County, 850 people had licenses, DPS reported.
Monte Leggett, owner of Leggett Investigations, is a DPS-certified instructor for the concealed-handgun course, which he has been teaching since 1995.
He said he thinks the events of Sept. 11 have led more people to take his class. Before that date, he had classes twice a month with eight to 10 people per class, Leggett said.
"Right after Sept. 11, I was doing a class once a week with 18 to 25 people," he said. "My average class has gone up 40 percent...the smallest class I've had since Sept. 11 has been 16 people."
Leggett said each class usually includes five or six people renewing their licenses.
Another business offering the DPS-approved course is Panhandle Gunslingers, a gun shop with an indoor range.
Co-owner Charlissa Stokes said the number of students taking the concealed-handgun course has increased in the past year. She said 28 people attended the class that ran Friday and Saturday. Classes before Sept. 11 averaged nine to 12 people.
However, not everyone who completes the class goes on to apply for the concealed-handgun license, she said.
"Some people take the class and decide it's not for them," Stokes said.
Panhandle Gunslingers also offers a basic pistol class taught by Stokes for people with little or no gun experience. The class, which is limited to six students at a time, also has been more popular this year, Stokes said.
Eight men sat Friday at long tables in a small, stark classroom with a concrete floor. They were preparing to take the first portion of the concealed-handgun class offered at Panhandle Gunslingers.
Diagrams of rifles and handguns hung next to instructions about gun safety. One handwritten reminder emphasized that "safety is never an unconscious effort!"
Over the clatter of the air conditioner struggling to cool the room, instructor Jim Finley helped students fill out the written section of the fingerprint card required by DPS.
A few months ago, DPS began sending Finley application packets to give to students, Finley said. Panhandle Gunslingers also brings a law enforcement officer to each class to do fingerprints.
Finley, who has been involved with concealed-handgun legislation for years, said he believes the state and people offering handgun courses are making it too easy for people to apply.
Students formerly had to request packets from DPS and were expected to make their own arrangements for fingerprinting and passport photos, Finley said.
As Finley assisted the students Friday with their fingerprint cards, he admonished them, "If you're here looking for a Wal-Mart job - the quickest way you can get done - I'd just as soon you pick up your paperwork and leave."
The first-time applicants expressed a variety of reasons for wanting the license, none directly related to the events of Sept. 11.
Jerry Terry, who works as a prison correctional officer, said he has been handling guns for 32 years, but has decided he "might as well do it legally and properly."
He attended a concealed-handgun class once before, but didn't apply for the license then, he said.
Joshua McCrary, a senior at West Texas A&M University, said he decided to take the class because he wants to be a U.S. marshal and doesn't want to risk a black mark in his record for carrying a concealed handgun without a license.
"It's not a personal protection thing," McCrary said. "It's just so I don't get in trouble."
He said he doesn't plan to carry his gun except when traveling home to visit his family in Kerrville.
LeRoy Burch said he and his wife are retirees and "full-time RVers" living out of their recreational vehicle.
He said he's going to carry a handgun in his RV for protection on the road.
"Traveling all over the country, there are some pretty 'shady' places when you're out parking," Burch said.
http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/081802/new_applicatins.shtml
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
By Kris Abbey
kabbey@amarillonet.com
The shock of Sept. 11 may influence more Texas residents to apply for concealed-handgun licenses, according to Tela Mange with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
"Especially after Sept. 11, we had a large number of people request applications," Mange said. "We saw a big increase."
In August 2001, DPS received 3,089 requests for application packets, Mange said. In September 2001, requests rose to 6,570. In October 2001, 10,046 people contacted DPS for packets, Mange said.
Texas Handgun Facts
Here are concealed-handgun license statistics from the Dept. of Public Safety as of July 1:
226,119 concealed handgun permits were active in the state. As of April 2, 2001, that number was 213,706.
183,945 of those permits were held by men. Last year: 172,312.
42,174 of those permits were held by women. Last year: 41,394.
Potter County has 850 residents who hold permits. Last year: 800. Randall County has 1,199. Last year: 1,068.
The number of application requests dropped somewhat in subsequent months, then rose sharply in April and May.
However, Mange said, requests for packets may not translate into significantly more people returning applications and fees for the concealed-handgun license.
"It will take a while to figure out if the number of people who actually apply will go up," Mange said.
"There's a lot of soul-searching that people have to do when they're deciding if this is something they want to do. There's a lot of responsibilities that go along with that," she said.
Some people who request applications also will realize they don't qualify for a permit and won't return the application, Mange said.
To obtain a permit, one must be a Texas resident, be qualified to purchase a handgun under state and federal laws, and pass a DPS-authorized handgun course.
An array of factors can disqualify applicants, including felony convictions and some misdemeanor convictions; chemical or alcohol dependency; certain types of mental illness; and defaulting on taxes, student loans or child support, according to DPS.
Cost also may stop some from applying. For most Texans, the license costs $140. Some residents pay less, including senior citizens, the indigent, and active and retired peace officers and judicial officers.
Applicants also must pay for the handgun course, which typically costs between $75 to $100 in Amarillo.
According to DPS, the number of people holding concealed-handgun licenses statewide as of July 1 was 226,119. Men had 183,945 permits and women had 42,174 permits.
In Randall County, 1,199 people had licenses as of July 1; in Potter County, 850 people had licenses, DPS reported.
Monte Leggett, owner of Leggett Investigations, is a DPS-certified instructor for the concealed-handgun course, which he has been teaching since 1995.
He said he thinks the events of Sept. 11 have led more people to take his class. Before that date, he had classes twice a month with eight to 10 people per class, Leggett said.
"Right after Sept. 11, I was doing a class once a week with 18 to 25 people," he said. "My average class has gone up 40 percent...the smallest class I've had since Sept. 11 has been 16 people."
Leggett said each class usually includes five or six people renewing their licenses.
Another business offering the DPS-approved course is Panhandle Gunslingers, a gun shop with an indoor range.
Co-owner Charlissa Stokes said the number of students taking the concealed-handgun course has increased in the past year. She said 28 people attended the class that ran Friday and Saturday. Classes before Sept. 11 averaged nine to 12 people.
However, not everyone who completes the class goes on to apply for the concealed-handgun license, she said.
"Some people take the class and decide it's not for them," Stokes said.
Panhandle Gunslingers also offers a basic pistol class taught by Stokes for people with little or no gun experience. The class, which is limited to six students at a time, also has been more popular this year, Stokes said.
Eight men sat Friday at long tables in a small, stark classroom with a concrete floor. They were preparing to take the first portion of the concealed-handgun class offered at Panhandle Gunslingers.
Diagrams of rifles and handguns hung next to instructions about gun safety. One handwritten reminder emphasized that "safety is never an unconscious effort!"
Over the clatter of the air conditioner struggling to cool the room, instructor Jim Finley helped students fill out the written section of the fingerprint card required by DPS.
A few months ago, DPS began sending Finley application packets to give to students, Finley said. Panhandle Gunslingers also brings a law enforcement officer to each class to do fingerprints.
Finley, who has been involved with concealed-handgun legislation for years, said he believes the state and people offering handgun courses are making it too easy for people to apply.
Students formerly had to request packets from DPS and were expected to make their own arrangements for fingerprinting and passport photos, Finley said.
As Finley assisted the students Friday with their fingerprint cards, he admonished them, "If you're here looking for a Wal-Mart job - the quickest way you can get done - I'd just as soon you pick up your paperwork and leave."
The first-time applicants expressed a variety of reasons for wanting the license, none directly related to the events of Sept. 11.
Jerry Terry, who works as a prison correctional officer, said he has been handling guns for 32 years, but has decided he "might as well do it legally and properly."
He attended a concealed-handgun class once before, but didn't apply for the license then, he said.
Joshua McCrary, a senior at West Texas A&M University, said he decided to take the class because he wants to be a U.S. marshal and doesn't want to risk a black mark in his record for carrying a concealed handgun without a license.
"It's not a personal protection thing," McCrary said. "It's just so I don't get in trouble."
He said he doesn't plan to carry his gun except when traveling home to visit his family in Kerrville.
LeRoy Burch said he and his wife are retirees and "full-time RVers" living out of their recreational vehicle.
He said he's going to carry a handgun in his RV for protection on the road.
"Traveling all over the country, there are some pretty 'shady' places when you're out parking," Burch said.
http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/081802/new_applicatins.shtml
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878