More Ohioans arming themselves, seeking licenses to carry concealed

The Newark Advocate is reporting that almost four people came in every business day through the first three months of the year, 252 in all, to either renew or seek a new permit to arm themselves discretely in public, according to figures from the Licking County Sheriff's Office. During the same period in 2008, the story notes 107 people sought concealed handgun licenses in that county.

As Buckeye Firearms Association has reported, the increases have been seen across the state, with an average of 326 people per work-day picking up a CHL in the first quarter (a number that is even more impressive when one considers that many sheriffs do not accept CHLs five days per week).

Ken Richardson, who runs the sheriff's office concealed-carry licensure program, is quoted as saying he expects this year's renewals and original licenses to exceed 1200.

From the story:

When someone wants to acquire a CCL, which allows citizens to tote handguns in public, they must complete a 12-hour training course with a certified instructor like Linda Walker.

Linda Walker, a firearms instructor and the Buckeye Firearms
Association Central Ohio Chair, has seen an influx of
potential gun owners because of fears of impending
concealed-carry law restrictions or an elimination of
the law altogether. (Michael Lehmkuhle, The Advocate).

"We went from teaching one class a month with 10 or 12 students to two or three classes per month, cutting it off at the first 20 paid (customers)," said Walker, who is a certified instructor at her training school, On The Defense.

What changed, Walker said, was the election of a president that she says the gun-rights community fears will roll back advancements they've made in state and federal regulations.

Obama's victory in the November elections was a gut shot to gun owners everywhere who have been fighting for expanded rights, said Walker, who also is the central Ohio chairwoman of the political action committee Buckeye Firearms Association.

"It doesn't have to do with Obama being a Democratic president," she said. "It has to do with Obama's views on the Second Amendment."

The story goes on to say that "people across Ohio apparently feel the same way, as statewide figures from the Ohio Attorney General's Office show the total licenses issued or renewed in the first quarter of 2009 already is well above the entire number granted for 2006."

In addition to Obama, [local CHL-holder Darcy] Broseus said the floundering economy and its perceived role in increasing property crime has her wanting to arm up.

"I have no problem protecting my home, myself or my family, and it's my right to do that," she said.

[Local CHL-holder] Steve, who doesn't currently own any firearms, said the rash of home invasions targeting the elderly in November and December pushed him toward wanting to keep a handgun at the ready.

"The home invasions really motivated me to go out and get a new (permit) to have it there in case it was needed," he said.

The first item on Steve's list was Ohio Senate Bill 184, which Walker said served to clean up a sloppily written concealed-carry law passed under former Gov. Bob Taft.

SB184 most famously established the castle doctrine, but it also eliminated ambiguity on where CCL holders could carry and how the weapon had to be secured in their vehicles.

The story concludes with information on the types of people seeking licenses:

The people in Walker's classroom and Richardson's office are not from any one demographic, both said. People range from novices to enthusiasts, Walker said.

She estimated about one-third of her graduates are women. Walker has taught people from age 21 -- the minimum age requirement -- all the way up to age 88.

CCL applicants include bankers, doctors and lawyers, Richardson said.

"The people who are jumping through all these hoops to get the licenses are not the criminals," Richardson said. "The people that come in here are law-abiding. They have no felony records, no drug convictions. They are generally concerned about losing their Second Amendment rights. They're not nuts."