Now this is rational thinking!
Titusville Police Department's Assistant Chief John Lau stressed the need for gun safety.
"We do not urge people to take the risk (of taking on criminals) themselves," said Titusville Police Department's Assistant Chief John Lau. "But we are proud of people like that. With the amount of violent crime, I can understand the public wanting to arm themselves.
June 20, 2010
Number of concealed weapons holders in Brevard soars
BY KAUSTUV BASU
FLORIDA TODAY
The 62-year-old man ran to his car in the parking lot of a Space Coast Credit Union in Palm Bay to get his gun after he saw a robber with a grocery bag on his head slip a note to the teller. He held the man at gunpoint until help arrived.
A day later, a 37-year-old man with a handgun chased after an alleged robber at a Riverside National Bank in Titusville and caught him in the woods.
The citizens who helped take down the criminal suspects earlier this year are among a record number of Brevard County residents who hold permits to carry concealed weapons. A FLORIDA TODAY study of recent state statistics shows about one in 18 adults in Brevard 21 years and older has such a permit.
That's more than 23,000 people, making it more likely that the witness to a crime in progress may possess the means -- a weapon -- to try to stop it.
Experts point to changes in state gun laws over the past decade that made the permits increasingly desirable, including agreements with other states to honor Florida's certifications -- appealing to the large snowbird population.
But the same experts and some permit holders attribute spikes in the past few years to fears that the Obama administration would tighten federal gun laws.
University of Central Florida criminal justice professor Ross Wolf cited "growing distrust in the government" as a reason.
"With the change in national leadership, there was a fear that firearms laws would be changed," Wolf said, adding that people might believe they'd be "grandfathered in" and allowed to keep the permits.
Wolf said the prolonged recession might have played a part, too, as people worry about increased crime during bad economic times.
"I got one because my boyfriend was getting one. The big reason was President Obama's potential ban on rifles," said Megan Philman, 26, of Melbourne. "With the permit, we can carry the weapons in our car, motorcycle and on trips."
She said she wanted to be able to protect herself. Kathryn Beckman, 32, of Merritt Island agreed. She got a permit -- as did her husband -- in May 2006.
"I felt I would have extra protection if I was car-jacked or attacked in the street," said Beckman, who since has decided to open a gun store on Merritt Island. "You never know what is going to happen."
The statistics from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services show about 5.8 percent of Brevard's population ages 21 and over had permits at the end of May.
Statewide, about 5.4 percent of the population in that age group have concealed permits.
In the fiscal year 2005-06, 12,554 residents were permitted to carry concealed weapons in Brevard. At the end of May this year, that number had jumped to 23,616.
That's an increase of almost
90 percent, which mirrors the increase statewide.
'Right to carry' state
A permit to carry a concealed weapon is valid for seven years and costs $117. Applicants must be 21 and over, agree to a background check -- including fingerprinting -- and take a firearms class that lasts four to 10 hours.
Classes educate students about gun laws and rights, gun operation and safety.
Wolf said Florida is among the "right to carry" states, which means applications for permits to carry concealed weapons rarely are denied. Some other states may have more stringent requirements.
"In New York, which is a good example, you actually have to show why you have a need to carry it," he said. "That your need is necessary. They make you prove why you need them."
Wolf said thirty-four states have reciprocal rights with Florida when it comes to concealed weapons permits. That means a permit issued here is valid in those states.
Increased privacy
Florida passed its first uniform concealed weapons law in 1987, said Terence McElroy, spokesman for the Agriculture and Consumer Services Department in Tallahassee.
Before that, "it was generally the sheriff's office that decided who would be given a concealed weapons permit," he said.
The consumer services department began regulating the licenses in 2000.
McElroy said two important recent changes in state law reduced restrictions and increased privacy for those holding a concealed weapons permit.
In July 2008, the Legislature voted to allow permit holders to keep weapons in their vehicles at workplaces.
And a vote in 2006 protects the names of people who have concealed weapons permits. The change came about in part because an Orlando TV station put a searchable database of permits in Central Florida on its website, according to a newspaper report.
McElroy said lawmakers were worried that women who got permits to protect themselves in abusive situations would have their names and addresses revealed.
"The Legislature felt the privacy rights of people were being abused," he said.
Gun safety key
Law enforcement officers uphold citizens' rights to carry weapons and commend those who help in the fight against crime, but they also stress the need for gun safety.
Titusville Police Department's Assistant Chief John Lau stressed the need for gun safety.
"We do not urge people to take the risk (of taking on criminals) themselves," said Titusville Police Department's Assistant Chief John Lau. "But we are proud of people like that. With the amount of violent crime, I can understand the public wanting to arm themselves.
"We encourage citizens to take as many classes as they can so that they can be safe with their guns. One thing to remember, the bad guys will have the guns regardless."
Contact Basu at 242-3724 or kbasu@floridatoday.com.
Additional Facts
More gun owners
More gun owners
While Florida regulates concealed weapons, it defers to federal law on ownership. Numbers of gun owners in Florida are not available, but one indicator is the number of mandatory federal background checks done on prospective firearms buyers.
According to an FBI database, the number of background checks in Florida increased by about 50 percent from 2005 to 2009, from 370,645 to 556,540.
This does not reflect how many people went ahead with purchases nor how many were rejected.
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