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The Watauga County Sheriff’s Office has seen a recent increase in purchase permits for handguns, but officials said it is hard to determine if that is a result of anticipated gun control regulations or if it is holiday related.

Sheriff Len Hagaman said his office has overseen 35 purchase permits for firearms purchased through federal firearm dealers, since Jan. 4. 

Typically, the sheriff’s office does see more purchase permits due to the Christmas holiday, but Hagaman said staff has received comments from citizens concerned with how new regulations may “shake out” on a national level.

“We have been really busy around Christmas and since then,” he said.

Before news of proposed executive action and reaction from the National Rifle Association, clerk offices statewide have been dealing with changes made to concealed carry permit laws passed by the N.C. General Assembly.

“Clerk offices throughout North Carolina have become inundated because more information is now required with background and mental health checks," Hagaman said. "This was way before the president said anything or the San Bernardino (Calif.) shooting.”

Purchase permit applications for handguns can be completed on a computer in the lobby of the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office.

Currently, concealed carry permit applications are not available on computer because that procedure is a little more involved, as it requires a mental health check, said the sheriff.

By the numbers

The number of concealed carry applications reached a six-year high in January 2013.

During that time, the sheriff’s office received a little more than 60 new applications, according to data supplied by the WCSO.

A similar spike in concealed carry permits, which was the second highest in the same time period, occurred in March 2009. The sheriff’s office received approximately 50 new applications that spring.

Both of these spikes followed the election and re-election of President Barack Obama.

The number of permits issued reached a six-year high in February 2009. Approximately 75 permits were issued by the sheriff’s office during that time, according to WCSO data.

The second highest surge in new permits came in March 2012. Nearly 60 new permits were approved by the sheriff’s office.

Newly issued permits reached a six-year low in the winter of 2010. According to the sheriff’s office, fewer than 10 new permits were issued each month from January to April 2010. This decrease coincided with an off-election season, as most campaigns didn’t gear up until the following spring for midterm elections.

Conflicting viewpoints

This week marked yet another push by the president to further gun regulations. Much of this is focused on background checks on firearms. 

Supporters of the president utilizing his executive power reference the hundreds of mass shootings in America during his time in office. Some of their stories hit closer to home than others.

In an open letter released by the White House, Mark Barden, of Newtown, Conn., talked about his son who was killed in a school shooting there in December 2012.

“He was killed by a man with a gun,” Barden wrote.  “My son, Daniel, was one of the 26 lives taken from us at the hands of a mass shooter at Sandy Hook Elementary School.”

Barden recalled the president's promise on the tragedy. 

“Since that day, President Obama promised us that he would use every tool available to him to spare another family the overwhelming pain of losing a child in such a horrific way,” he said. “Today, he is taking additional steps to reduce gun violence.”

U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) announced this week her thoughts on the president’s decision to take executive action on gun control.

“As citizens of the United States, we are afforded basic rights and privileges under the Constitution,” said Foxx in a statement. “One of these fundamental rights is the Second Amendment and its guarantee to keep and bear arms is clear. Today, in yet another attempt to erode our basic liberties, President Obama announced plans to undermine the will of Congress and challenge the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.”

Foxx also used the president’s decision to attack his policies on other national issues.

“Just like his unilateral actions on immigration, this proposal is an overreach of the president’s constitutionally granted executive authority,” said Foxx. “It is also an attempt to distract from his failed policies to combat terrorism and improve the economy — issues I’m hearing about from my constituents every day. Congressional refusal to pass bad policy does not transfer legislative authority to the president, and I will fight against this attempt to diminish our constitutional rights.”

http://www.wataugademocrat.com/news/gun-control-reaction/article_b096e58a-f96c-5569-8be1-775fd68d1d4a.html