Weapons permits increase throughout region

BY ELLEN BILTZ

Date published: 4/12/2008

BY ELLEN BILTZ

Concealed-weapons permit applications in Virginia increased by about 73 percent from 2006 to 2007, and most local clerks' offices also are reporting significant increases.

Caroline County gave out 105 permits in 2006; the number jumped to 201 in 2007, a 91 percent increase.

Ray Campbell, the clerk of the circuit court there, said he attributed at least some of the jump to the fact that the statute for concealed-wea-pons permits changed about 2002.

"They made it harder to deny a permit," Campbell said.

Because permits must be renewed every five years, he believes much of the jump in 2007 came from those new 2002 permits' being renewed last year.

Vic Mason, the clerk of King George County Circuit Court, saw a 90 percent increase in his county. He also said he thinks the five-year renewal period may have played a role in King George's going from 116 permits in 2006 to 220 in 2007.

He said however, that over the years, his numbers have been up and down and there's no indication exactly why there was a large increase from 2006 to 2007.

In Stafford County, where permits went from 609 in 2006 to 979 in 2007, a 61 percent increase, Deputy Clerk Christy Hansbrough said she thought it had more to do with population.

Hansbrough, who processes most of the permits in Stafford, did say, however, that the group of people who obtain permits in her county is very diverse and includes many in the military.

Christy Jett, clerk of Spotsylvania Circuit Court, said permits there went from 537 in 2006 to 783 in 2007, a 46 percent increase.

The increase shows no sign of slowing this year, at least not in the Fredericksburg area. In the first three months of 2008, area clerks issued 753 concealed-carry permits, compared with 386 for the same period of 2007. That's a jump of 95 percent.

According to The Associated Press, the Supreme Court of Virginia reported that nearly 44,000 people applied for permits in 2007. That's up from just over 25,000 the year before.

Kevin Dameron, who owns Dameron's Tactical Solutions and teaches a firearms training class at Gander Mountain in Spotsylvania County, said he has seen a large increase in the number of people wanting training.

Increase in concealed-weapons permits from 2006 to 2007: CAROLINE: 91% FREDERICKSBURG: N/A KING GEORGE: 90% SPOTSYLVANIA: 46% STAFFORD: 61% VIRGINIA: 73%

Date published: 4/12/2008

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