Go Caroline!

Who says we can’t be better than King George with anything? (Oh wait, that would be me.) The Free Lance–Star:

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. [King George County only had a 90% increase -Ed.]

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.

Maybe someone should ask Campbell why it took two people I know 48 days and a phone call to get their concealed handgun permit back in 2006. The statutory maximum time given to the Clerk’s Office to issue a permit is 45 days (§18.2-308(D)). Amazingly, in the middle of 2007, another person I know managed to get a permit in 10 days.

There was an election in 2007 for Circuit Court Clerk, wasn’t there?

FYI: It’s a concealed handgun permit, not a concealed weapons permit.

And then it’s time for me to do some fact-checking:

[…]

[Owner of Dameron’s Tactical Solutions Kevin] Dameron further said that the available of Tasers to the public since the beginning of the year is increasing the number of permit applications.

The Tasers have power equivalent to those used by law enforcement officers, he said, and they require concealed-weapons permits to carry.

“A lot of females are coming to the class for that, because they feel [Tasers] are less lethal, but powerful,” Dameron said.

Uh…no, tasers don’t require a conceal handgun permit.

From a story in The FL–S back in July of 2007: “[Fredericksburg Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Andy] Cornick said it is not technically illegal to conceal a Taser unless you are a convicted felon”.

In addition, a taser is not enumerated as a weapon that is illegal to conceal in §18.2-308(A).

Furthermore, a concealed handgun permit wouldn’t include tasers since they’re not a handgun.