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Hundreds in county get OKto carrytheir guns

Josey1Josey1 Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
edited January 2002 in General Discussion
Hundreds in county get OKto carrytheir guns Thursday, January 3, 2002
By Tim YounkmanTIMES WRITERAbout 21,000 Michigan residents have received concealed weapons permits and about 14,600 others are awaiting approval under a new state law.So far in Bay County, no applicant has been denied.In Bay County, there were 739 applications for gun permits filed since July 1, according to the Bay County Clerk's office, and 632 of them were approved with 107 pending.Bay County Sheriff John Miller, one of the three members on the gun board, said four people were told to withdraw their applications and they can reapply at a later time, but none have been denied outright."Some were held up a month or so while we checked out their records or if there was some other problem, but they have been approved," he said.A state law that took effect July 1 makes it easier for Michigan residents to get permits. The law requires county gun boards to approve applicants unless they have criminal records or mental health problems.Miller said about 70 applicants will be approved when the board meets today in the Bay County Building.The Bay County Gun Board includes Miller, a Michigan State Police representative, and local civilian firearms instructor Alan Herman. The board meets on the first Thursday of each month."Things have been going pretty smoothly," Miller said. "It's not at all like some predicted of people having gun fights now that the permits are easier to get. We've really had no problems with it."Statewide, seven licenses have been revoked or suspended, one for misbehavior involving a firearm. None involved a shooting, the Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday, based on its review of state police records through mid-December."We're pretty pleased with the way it's working. There have been some delays. But there haven't been any serious problems," said Ross Dykman, director of the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners.Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III, who led the group that tried to block the law, said he remains skeptical."I certainly believe that the vast number of people getting these permits do not pose a threat," he said.But Dunnings said gun boards cannot adequately screen all applicants, "and there are going to be tragedies."Oakland County has had the most applications, 4,601, and issued the most licenses, 2,334. Genesee has issued the second highest number at 1,520, followed by Kent at 1,036.The most populous county, Wayne, has had 3,700 applications and issued 595 licenses. http://bc.mlive.com/news/index.ssf?/news/stories/20020103bconcealedweapons.frm
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