St. Louis Carry Conceal Stats

C/C NEW APPLICANTS
St. Louis City 2004 - 0
St. Louis City 2005 - 323
St. Louis City 2006 - 347
St. Louis City 2007 - 397
St. Louis City 2008 - 627
St. Louis City 2009 - 278

St. Louis County 2004 - 0
St. Louis County 2005 - 1,367
St. Louis County 2006 - 1,005
St. Louis County 2007 - 1,368
St. Louis County 2008 - 2,326
St. Louis County 2009 - 1,454

St. Charles County 2004 - 904
St. Charles County 2005 - 373
St. Charles County 2006 - 268
St. Charles County 2007 - 492
St. Charles County 2008 - 1,237
St. Charles County 2009 - 892

Jefferson County 2004 - 953
Jefferson County 2005 - 335
Jefferson County 2006 - 209
Jefferson County 2007 - 368
Jefferson County 2008 - 853
Jefferson County 2009 - 594

Warren County 2004 - 123
Warren County 2005 - 42
Warren County 2006 - 28
Warren County 2007 - 32
Warren County 2008 - 43
Warren County 2009 - 135

Lincoln County 2004 - 225
Lincoln County 2005 - 75
Lincoln County 2006 - 67
Lincoln County 2007 - 141
Lincoln County 2008 - 258
Lincoln County 2009 - 213

The figures above are accurate up to May 22, 2009 as provided by the Missouri Highway Patrol.

I am one who believes in the right of a person to defend their self from harm, regardless of the means so long as it is not excessive. For instance, I wouldn't agree with rolling out an armored tank in response to being slapped - that would be excessive. If you are alone and a couple of people attack you, I don't have a problem with you picking up a stick or stone to defend yourself. Many people argue that guns should be all-out banned and from my perspective, that would be equivalent to banning all sticks and stones. Such arguments leave the impression on me that these people think it better that I allow myself to be beaten or killed rather than defend myself. They also seem to think, without reason, that if we banned good citizens from carrying legally authorized weapons, criminals will all of the sudden not have guns. That's ridiculous on its face. First off, what they have been demanding was exactly the state of affairs prior to the C/C law being passed. In other words; law-abiding citizens have always been banned from legally carrying guns and that hasn't prevented them from being mugged, robbed, raped and killed at the gun-point of criminals. This law only frees the victims of criminals to not fear prosecution if they pick up a stick or stone to defend their selves. There are over 30 states that have C/C laws and it hasn't harmed anyone. Some people argue that the law does nothing to affect the violent crime rate and in some places, that's true but the fact remains that in no place where the law exists has the crime rate been negatively affected and in some places it has been positively affected. I say, rather it helps or not, it can't hurt and therefore if it's what the people want - let them have it. We have evidence that it does no harm.
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The article below was posted by STLToday.com, covering the current state of concealed weapon permits issued in the St. Louis metro area. Visit the site if you want to read comments on the article.


ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
06/01/2009

Missourians are rushing to arm themselves with concealed weapons at a record pace so far this year.

Criminologists and law enforcement officials say the increase may be driven by fear of increased crime due to the recession and the perception of potential loss of gun rights from a new Democratic president.

"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.

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.

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.

Warren County Sheriff Kevin Harrison said people in his community have told him they are fearful that as the economy gets worse, desperate people are going to try to take whatever they need.

"I think a lot of people are arming themselves, preparing for that encounter," he said.

Tim Schmidt, a spokesman for the United States Concealed Carry Association, said while overall gun sales are up, the increase in concealed carry shows that more people want to have a gun for personal protection outside the home.

Participants at a firearms class in Lincoln County last month expressed a variety of reasons for wanting to carry a concealed weapon.

Vicki McMichael, 46, of St. Charles, said news reports about the murder of five women during an armed robbery at a clothing store near Chicago last year caused her to start the process to carry concealed.

"I thought about how different the outcome would have been if one of them had a gun," she said. "It evens up the odds."

A sense of security on solo fishing trips to remote areas was on the mind of Nellie Williams, 48, of St. Charles. "At least now I've got something," she said.

Michael Baldwin, 36, of Lake Saint Louis, said he wanted to be able to safeguard his family against all the violence in the world.

Ann Banks, 47, of Spanish Lake, said her father was a police officer who had always encouraged her to protect herself, but politics were another consideration.

"Obama is going to make things difficult, and people are just trying to prepare themselves for that," she said.

But Richard Rosenfeld, professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Missouri-St.Louis and co-author of "Crime and the American Dream," said the signals from the Obama administration are that it will continue to favor the firearm policies of the previous administration.

An example is recent passage of a provision to allow the carrying of firearms in federal parks, an extension of the policies of the previous administration, he said.

Lt. Chris Stocker, head of the Records Division of the St. Louis County Police Department, said many people have expressed concerns about how the change not only in the presidency but in Missouri governors could affect their right to bear arms.

"They're jumping on the bandwagon as quickly as possible believing that even if there were some major change, they would be grandfathered in," Stocker said.

Paul Bastean, who runs local gun safety classes for concealed carry applicants, said he gets e-mails several times a day about potential threats to gun ownership, especially the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sale Act, which would tighten licensing requirements.

The e-mails encourage gun owners to join groups like the National Rifle Association to help protect their rights.

Schmidt said his conceal carry group has grown by almost 34 percent in the first quarter of 2009, more than double the usual growth.

"People that are into firearms and self-defense are afraid that their rights are going to be taken away from them, so they will go out and spend money and time on what they perceive to be securing those rights," he said.

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.

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."