Concealed handgun permit debate continues

05:14 PM EST on Thursday, March 4, 2004

Experts may differ on whether it actually stops crime, but every year hundreds of Kentuckians seek that permit anyway.

It's been eight years since Kentucky gave the green light to let citizens carry concealed deadly weapons.

And the concealed carry window remains one of the busiest in the sheriff's office.

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Huber Brinley is one such applicant. He says a concealed weapon permit will bring “peace of mind and safety.”

Brinley will have to wait three to five weeks for his permit to be approved.

That's about how long it takes after finishing the required handgun training class and paying $60.

Over half the states in the nation now permit some form of handgun carry permit.

Nearly 80,000 Kentuckians presently have them. Nearly 1,300 from Jefferson County applied in 2002. Nearly 1,000 more applied from Metro Louisville last year.

Among the places where you can take the required training is the just-opened Sportshooters Indoor Range on South First Street, where almost a third of the class-takers are women.

“Only about three-quarters if the people actually follow through. A lot of people come to concealed carry class just to get the safety training,” owner Julie Yeager says.

A small number of concealed carry holders have gotten in trouble.

State police records for 2003 show two charged with murder, nine charged with assault and seven with spouse abuse.

But factor that with the 79,000 holding permits that haven't committed crimes, and the number is extremely small.

Web story produced by Jay Ditzer.