Jackson County residents are arming themselves at a rate 61 percent higher than a year ago.
According to the Jackson County Probate Judge’s office, through the first three months of 2009, it issued 392 firearms licenses to county residents.
That compares to 231 permits issued through the first three months of 2008.
Altogether in 2008, the office issued 1,093 permits. Through last Friday, April 24, it had issued 467 permits thus far in 2009.
*Data in this story was corrected from the figures in the print edition published April 29.
What the above statistics show is that there has been a 61% increase in the amount of people who wish to posess a firearm LEGALLY. Most people that go out and commit crimes with a firearm do so illegally. With this rapid of an increase in people obtaining licenses, i can not help but think that people believe their safety is in jeopardy. Maybe the police should be less concerned with trying to suck revenue off of the interstate and address the apaprent safety issues we are having in our own neighborhoods.