Minnesota: "Gun law starts to trigger inquiries"

[cuchulainn]

from the Star Tribune (Minneapolis St Paul)

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3855146.html

Gun law starts to trigger inquiries

David Chanen, Star Tribune

Published April 30, 2003

Long before Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed a handgun-permits bill Monday, many county sheriffs were bracing for a barrage of calls and visits from those seeking applications.

It got to the point Tuesday that after nearly 60 inquires, the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office issued a plea that people wait until the law takes effect May 28.

There were 293 permits issued throughout the county in 2002. Sheriff Ross Litman expects that his office will handle as many as 4,000 applications by the end of this year.

Washington County Sheriff Jim Frank said, "It certainly has been the hot topic of the day. I've noticed an increase in permits to purchase guns since the beginning of the year in anticipation of this law passing. Our phones have been fairly busy."

The law will make permits to carry handguns available to more people. The new permits will be issued by county sheriffs.

Counties with bigger cities appeared to be fielding more calls. In Hennepin County, where nearly 600 permits were issued last year under the old system, the Sheriff's Office received nearly 100 inquiries by early Tuesday afternoon.

"Many of the questions are the same," said Roseann Campagnoli, a sheriff's spokeswoman. Once procedures are finalized, she said, the Sheriff's Office "will publish them on our Web site, [via] recorded messages and any other way we can find."

The phones were relatively quiet in Otter Tail County, which has issued the most permits in the state, 1,007. Of the 10 callers, most were concerned about the safety training required under the new system.

"I'm not surprised we had a small number. In the past we've really believed people have had the right to carry a gun if they've been a good citizen," said Sheriff Brian Schlueter. "We've been a leader in this area, and I can't recall one violation for any permit holder."

One person walked into the Big Stone County Sheriff's Office with questions, but he already had a permit. Officials from Kittson, Sherburne and Wright counties reported a trickle of calls. The 12 people who contacted the Stearns County Sheriff's Department are just the tip of the iceberg, said Chief Deputy Bruce Bechtold.

"We've had a few calls, but I think more people will call after they calm down from all the emotion," said Goodhue County Sheriff Dean Albers.

Olmsted County Sheriff Steven Borchardt, a proponent of the law, said his office had dealt with people who wanted to know whether they can put up signs that restrict guns on their property.

The Dakota County Sheriff's Office reported a steady stream of calls starting at 8 a.m. But Sheriff Don Gudmundson said interest in carrying a handgun won't have a long-term appeal.

"I talked to sheriffs in other states who have similar laws, and they told me not to worry because people eventually don't want the hassle of carrying a gun," he said. "I don't know of any cops who want to carry guns when they are off-duty." He said guns are heavy and they feel hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

Beltrami County Sheriff Keith Winger said that he wasn't surprised his office didn't receive any calls Tuesday but that he expects some.

"I know many in our community won't want to pay the fee or feel they have to take training after they've owned a gun for 50 years," he said.

Litman, of St. Louis County, said the time commitment to do background checks for those who apply will be enormous.

He said he spoke with officials at other local law enforcement agencies to see whether they would be interested in contracting to do some of the work. They just laughed, he said.

"It's very labor-intensive, and nobody wants somebody to slip through the cracks," he said. "I'm not looking forward to it."

Frank, of Washington County, said he worries about the proliferation of firearms. There are fewer than 200 permit holders in the county, but he expects nearly 10,000 applications by the end of the year.

"If just a couple of these guns fall into the wrong hands, what have we accomplished?" he asked. "Can the good that people say will come from this bill really overcome the bad?"

David Chanen is at [email protected].

© Copyright 2003 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Frank, of Washington County, said he worries about the proliferation of firearms. There are fewer than 200 permit holders in the county, but he expects nearly 10,000 applications by the end of the year.
"If just a couple of these guns fall into the wrong hands, what have we accomplished?" he asked. "Can the good that people say will come from this bill really overcome the bad?"

Yeah, and if it snows in Miami on Independence Day, all heck will break loose, too!

 

[ModIMark0]

I still don't understand this argument of "if just a couple of these guns fall into the wrong hands" arguments. Inanimate objecys have been falling into "the wrong hands" for as long as humanity has existed. Guns are certainly not the last item. I still don't understand the argument voiced by critics of the MN CCW reform who speak of minors and persons from out of state (WI IA and IL) getting a hold of guns with greater ease now. They aren't like a necktie you take off or hat you throw off in a public place.
Either the paper (Star Trib) does not have the column space to elaborate (why with a newspaper--you need to explain more, print another page, this isn't TV or radio with time constraints) on the anti CCW reform crowd or the reporters and editors believe the arguments or criticisms are logical and clear (which they are not--at least to me).
Strangest thing I saw was that opponents were at the State Fairgrounds and were saying that now, along with pizza on a stick, and all the other concessions perched on dowels or rods, one will now be able to get "gun on a stick", and they had a toy water pistol (some neon color autoloader) on a stick. All I can guess is that there is liberalization to carry at the State Fairgrounds in addition to other public areas. So what? People could carry into the Fairgrounds anyways. If there was a restriction there in the past, there was no way to prevent it, since there have been no metal detectors or screeners with wands. The "gun on a stick" charge was some poor form of attention getting.
Well, we do have shall-issue CCW now (or at least at the end of May), and it's nice to see it actually happen. And who would have thought in Minnesota?

 

[ahadams]

Mod1Mark0 - remember that almost all antigun types are animists - they believe that firearms not only act entirely independently, but can also control their owners. IOW: they're not rational on this topic and can't be expected to make sense.