Concealed carry permit applications jump following terrorist attacks
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Deputy Sheriff Jerry Thomas says he believes the number of requested gun permits will rise following the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California on Wednesday.
A man applies for a permit at the Fayette County Courthouse.
The number of people seeking concealed weapons permits in Fayette and Greene counties has more than doubled in the past few weeks.
This is usually a busy time of year for both gun sales and concealed weapons permit applications, but Sheriff Gary Brownfield said the increase since the Paris terrorist attacks in mid-November is above what was expected. According to office records, permit applications jumped from 15 to 18 per day to 30 to 50 per day.
“There’s multiple reasons why it’s greater,” Brownfield said. “People are scared. But I tell people, having a permit to carry a gun doesn’t give you permission to shoot somebody; you’ll have to explain your actions, probably to a jury.”
An average of 5,000 people in Fayette County each year seek, and usually receive, concealed weapons permits.
“Our gun permits are good in 32 states, though not in Maryland,” Brownfield said.
Greene County has also seen a spike in gun permit applications in the past few weeks. Sheriff Brian Tennant said applications are usually a bit higher this time of year, but there was a rise this year in November compared to a year ago.
“The September numbers didn’t change, nor did October, but November went up,” Tennant said.
According to office records, there were 79 concealed carry permit applications in November 2014 and 122 such applications made in November 2015. An increase in permit applications is expected in December as well, with 26 applications made as of Friday, compared to 16 applications for the same period of time a year ago.
“It’s a pretty noticeable spike there,” Tennat said.
Gun sales have also been on the rise, according to Buddy Marra, owner of Marra’s Mountaineer Sports Shop.
“I don’t know what it is, whether it’s the ISIS thing or whatever,” Marra said.
Marra said November and December are always a busy time for his store, but he’s seen new clients in the past few years, especially since the Newtown, Connecticut shootings in 2012.
“We’ve been seeing more women in the past two or three years. We sell more guns for protection than we do for hunting. We’re seeing a lot of professional people that you didn’t see 10 years ago, teachers, nurses,” Marra said.
Jim Ross, owner of Ross Brothers gun shop, said sales are up, but not significantly.
“It’s probably a slight increase because of the holidays. People do buy guns because of the holidays and hunting season,” Ross said.
Ross said people don’t necessarily run out and purchase guns after terrorist attacks, but there do tend to be runs on guns and ammunition out of fear of prohibition.
“I don’t know how a country feels it can control weapons through prohibition any more than it can control the flow of drugs through prohibition,” Ross said.
Ross noted there are no special requirements for gun ownership in Pennsylvania.
“All an application to purchase does is to check that you are legally allowed to own a gun,” Ross said.
Last year Ross said he had 20 or 25 customers denied purchases, primarily because of past felony convictions.
With terrorist attacks in Paris and 14 killed in a shooting in San Bernadino, California in the past three weeks, the U.S. Senate took on the issue of gun control Thursday.
An amendment to expand background checks for those trying to purchase guns at shows or on the Internet failed, 50 to 48, while one to bar those on the terrorist watch list from buying guns was defeated, 54 to 45.
Four Republicans – Mark Kirk, Illinois; Susan Collins, Maine; Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania and John McCain, Arizona – voted for expanded background checks. All four are up for re-election in 2016. The only Democrat to vote against the amendment was Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-North Dakota.
The gun control amendment needed 60 votes to pass.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.