CBS is reporting that a record number of Americans are asking about how to get concealed carry permits.
It goes without saying that what prompted so many to purchase guns and sign up for classes to earn their license to carry concealed weapons has to be the shootings in Dayton, El Paso, and Gilroy. Other cities like Charlotte, NC have seen a rise in concealed carry permits because of an increase in crime in the city (see below).
Inside the Laguna Shooting Center, experts offer everything from concealed carry classes to active shooter training. Protocols and practices outlined in the training manuals have changed as the types of mass shooting scenarios change.
“The officers took out the guy as soon as they got there,” said Terry Wingert, an instructor with the Advanced Security Institute.
Wingert, a former police officer, has taught concealed carry classes for 40 years all across California. He teaches up to 300 classes a year, and when a mass shooting happens, inquiries go up 10-15%.
The El Paso shooting was the worst of the three shootings. It took 20 minutes to stop the killer who walked around randomly shooting people. If someone had been armed, it would be a different story.
On the other hand, the Dayton police arrived within one minute and neutralized the shooter at the door of Ned Peppers. If they hadn’t shown up so quickly, the shooter would have been able to enter the night club and there would have been many more casualties.
WBTV in Charlotte has seen a rise in concealed carry permits because of a rise in crime:
Shooting ranges in Charlotte are busier than ever, and so is the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office as more people apply for concealed handgun permits.
“There was a lot of people in there I was very surprised,” Mecklenburg County resident Leia Haley said.
Haley is a single mom and she has never owned a gun before – but says it’s time.
“Charlotte is on the high rise of a lot of murders and burglaries… just protecting me and my kids because it’s just four of us,” she said.
She turned in an application and eventually wants to concealed carry.
