Record numbers of Missourians preparing for armed self-defense
- From: Patriot Games <Patriot@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:52:26 -0400
http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m6d1-Record-numbers-of-Missourians-preparing-for-armed-selfdefense
Record numbers of Missourians preparing for armed self-defense
June 1, 2009
While the enormous--and sustained--spike in sales of firearms and
ammunition has been well documented for over half a year now, less
discussed is the phenomenon of more and more people seeking to take
responsibility for their own defense. Missouri, including the St.
Louis area, provides an excellent case in point.
In the St. Louis area, the surge is most marked in St. Charles,
Warren, Lincoln and Jefferson counties, where applications for the
first four months of 2009 are between 114 percent and 144 percent
higher than for the same period last year, according to data provided
by sheriff's departments.
In St. Louis, applications are up 49 percent this year, and St. Louis
County's have risen 53 percent. Illinois does not allow concealed
carry.
That, no matter how you slice it, is a marked increase.
Statewide, the story is much the same, if not more dramatic.
In Missouri, no central database exists for new permits, but the
Highway Patrol tracks the mandatory criminal background checks it
performs for new applicants.
The patrol did 14,333 checks in 2004, the first year the permits were
issued in Missouri. The number never came close until 2008, when it
spiked dramatically to 18,466. However, through the third week of May
this year, the number of checks had already reached 14,088. Most
applicants pass the background check and get a permit.
I've already quoted an article that attributed the fact that the
number "spiked dramatically" in 2008 to fears of new gun laws.
"I know Obama said he wouldn't take away any of our gun rights but
that remains to be seen," said Glen Hirsch, who was buying a gun on a
recent day.
In Springfield, concealed carry courses are booked full through April.
"I want to be able to have it when I need it," said Kevin Hale of
Aurora.
Instructors even added Sunday sessions.
"The demand for this course has pretty much tripled over what it was a
year ago," said Randy Gibson, a concealed-carry weapons class
instructor.
At this rate, though, the (record-setting, so far) 2008 numbers will
be eclipsed by mid-August.
Back to the first linked-to article--what is driving this?
"People just don't feel safe, whether it's with the political
structure or the economic situation," said Noelle Fearn, assistant
professor of sociology and criminal justice at St. Louis University.
Who can blame people? The economy is whithering, police budgets are
being slashed, and at the same time, restrictive gun laws--laws that
would make it harder for people to obtain life-saving firepower--have
once again moved to the front burner.
Harrison of Warren County said he believes the trend is a sign of the
times.
"I know people who have not put in gardens before who are now," he
said. "People who didn't hunt before are, and they are freezing the
meat. They're stockpiling guns and ammo, and it's for protection
against those who would come and take what they've got."
Nor is this trend limited to Missouri:
Schmidt and Rosenfeld agreed that the increase in new permits appears
to be happening in every state that allows concealed carry. No
organization tracks the numbers nationally, but both said they had
heard and read similar accounts from across the country.
It's a jungle out there, and likely to become yet more savage before
it gets better. Armed citizens, though, have an exemption to the
survival of the fittest rule that generally reigns supreme in nature.
Armed, trained, and determined citizens can prevail against predators
who are larger, younger, stronger, and more merciless than they are.
They can, and they must.
.
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