![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/concealed-weapons.jpg\" "\\"concealed")
<\/a>More people are buying guns and getting permission to carry them, with nearly 1 million Floridians now authorized to have a concealed weapon, state records show.<\/p>\nLocal arms dealers and shooting range operators say they are busier, and they attribute it to the uncertainty of a presidential election year. But they also point to the primary reason for owning handguns: personal safety.<\/p>\n
In March, 1,088 Collier and Lee county residents received licenses to carry concealed weapons, about 250 more than during the first two months of the year.<\/p>\n
Statewide, the number also rose in March, bringing the total to 919,831 licensed Floridians. That’s about one in 17 adults.<\/p>\n
Despite the recent uproar, none of the local gun owners and dealers interviewed for this story attributed the uptick to fear of vigilante gun toters.<\/p>\n
Instead they pointed to what one called the “Obama\u00a0boom,” a worry that the Democratic president would tighten gun laws. His possible reelection has renewed those worries.<\/p>\n
“People are beginning to realize that their liberties are potentially in jeopardy,” said Robert Stokes, president of the Florida Sport Shooting Association, the state affiliate of the National Rifle Association.<\/p>\n
Barack Obama has said he wouldn’t “take away folks’ guns,” and gun control has not been a marquee issue in his presidency. But that hasn’t allayed concerns.<\/p>\n
“It’s easier to buy a fully automatic firearm than it is to get a drivers’ license,” said John Thedford, owner of NFA Sales, a Lehigh Acres-based dealer of “class III” weapons. That includes silencers, grenade launchers (but not explosive ammunition) and Uzis that fire out a briefcase.<\/p>\n
While others argue getting a drivers’ license is much simpler, obtaining a machine gun usually requires a background check, a signature from law enforcement and a $200 fee. Owning such weapons does not require a concealed carry license from the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.<\/p>\n
Approval for a concealed carry permit in Florida requires fingerprints and background checks, plus firearms training classes.<\/p>\n
The new concealed carry figures are part of a general upward trend in the state, going back to 1998-1999, when 26,807 new concealed weapons permits were issued. Nine months into this year’s July 1 – June 30 tracking period, new permits are at 107,059.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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