My wife and I recently just applied for your concealed handgun licenses, and will be taking the handgun course in a few weeks.
Though we’ve owned several handguns for quite some time, we have not yet taken the class. The primary reason for our decision to get our licenses now is the possible election of the anti-gun zealot Barry Hussein Obama.
If Barry has his way, the entire United States will have the same (or worse) unconstitutional regulations and laws as his hometown of Chicago. You know — where people are shooting and killing each at a higher clip than they are in Iraq. Where there’s a war going on.
And we’re not alone. My fellow Texans are legally arming themselves at an even faster rate:
AUSTIN — Demand for concealed handgun licenses has risen nearly 40 percent in Texas in a year, an increase being attributed to many factors, even presidential politics.
Though the exact cause may be unclear, what’s certain is that the spike in applications has caught the Department of Public Safety unprepared.
The state is taking a month longer than the 60 days allowed by law to process original applications and 80 days longer on renewals, which are supposed to be handled within 45 days.
“We’re trying really hard, but there have been delays because of the tremendous increase in applications,” said Tela Mange, a DPS spokeswoman.
She said the department is paying overtime and hiring temporary workers to reduce the backlog. Mange said she doesn’t know why applications last month were 39 percent higher than they were in April 2007.
But Ross Bransford, who trains 1,000 Texans a year to qualify for a concealed handgun license, said he believes the looming 2008 election is a big factor.
“People are not sure what’s going to happen after the election,” said Bransford, who owns Austin-based CHL-Texas.com. “Both Democratic candidates are anti-gun in one fashion or another.”
He said Sen. Barack Obama, who is leading the race for the nomination, is a “friend of (Democratic Senator) Ted Kennedy, and that scares everybody to death.”
Other instructors mentioned an increased interest from young adults after last year’s Virginia Tech massacre and recent changes in Texas law about carrying concealed weapons.
Interesting that instructors — the ones who actually talk to the students who are taking their classes — think the reasons are because of the fear of an Obama presidency AND the recent spat of shootings in “gun-free zones” on college campuses.
Anybody who seriously believes Texas is “in play” for a possible win for Obama is dreaming. His stance on the 2nd Amendment alone are going to sink him like a rock. And that 39% increase in concealed handgun licenses is not coincidental.
“You know — where people are shooting and killing each at a higher clip than they are in Iraq. ”
Yeah, if you only count the Americans protected by body armor and unlimited ammo reserves.
Left by Pat on May 8th, 2008 at 3:41 pm