Posted on 09/15/2012 1:49:16 AM PDT by marktwain
Nearly 378,000 Evergreen State residents are now licensed to carry concealed pistols as Washington continues to trend with other states in the steady nationwide increase in the number of private citizens who are obtaining carry permits or licenses.
As of Friday morning, the Department of Licensing told Examiner that there are 377,840 active Concealed Pistol Licenses now in circulation, and that number will be higher by the time the sun goes down. That figure came from Bruce Tanaka, the DOL’s Firearms Unit program manager 45 minutes after Amy Srsen, the always-reliable staffer in that office, advised Examiner that 377,818 licenses were active. That clearly demonstrates how the number is constantly changing in an upwards direction.
This column has been tracking Washington’s steady rise in concealed carry applications for nearly two years. It correlates with a revelation here yesterday from Florida that in the years since the Sunshine State adopted its highly-publicized “Stand-Your-Ground” law, applications for concealed carry there have tripled.
More than 8 million citizens are licensed to carry in 49 of the 50 states – Illinois being the grim exception where the murder rate in Chicago is becoming a national disgrace – and this could be among the strongest signals why the gun prohibition lobby has lost so much traction in recent years.
It may be why on-line forums such as the Gunner's Lair, Northwest Firearms, Shooters Northwest, Wa-Guns, HuntFishNW, Seattle Guns, Hunting-Washington, The High Road, Defensive Carry and Gun Rights Media are thriving. New members join at least one of these forums every day, and while members there often engage in colorful debate and disagreement, it is fair to say they all share a fundamental devotion to the right to keep and bear arms.
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
If you’re licensed, they know you have guns. What’s the advantage in that?
Currently the bad guys out of government do not know who has guns.
If you’re licensed, they know you MIGHT have A gun. They
certainly don’t know how many, or where they are. Meanwhile, if you are involved in saving someone’s life by using a firearm, you’d better have a permit.
I used to be of the mind set that even though I carried in my vehicle; I did not want a license because “they” would know about me.
Then I started thinking about my online transactions with several gun websites. And my credit card transactions at gun stores. They already know I own weapons.
Then I came close to needing to use my firearm and I realized afterwards that had I been forced to use it, I would have been at the mercy of the court.
The wife and I now have permits.
But, right after that, I lost all of my weapons in a tragic boating accident.
I know what you mean...mine disappeared the night the crop circles showed up.
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