MI) Gun permits surge, but not violence
Gun permits surge, but not violence
Oakland County issues more than any county; licenses up 39 percent statewide

By John Bebow and George Hunter / The Detroit News

WATERFORD — The only place Cliff Dabrowski has pulled his new 9mm Glock is
the shooting range, but he keeps it in a shoulder holster he wears every day
to protect his wife and young son.

“The police are doing a good job, but there’s just too much going on,” the
computer programer said, explaining why he applied for a concealed gun
permit. “It’s the opportunity to take care of myself and my family.”

Dabrowski, 38, of Waterford is one of an average of 88 people a day who’ve
gained licenses to carry concealed weapons in Michigan since the law was
relaxed July 1. While applications have been brisk since then, not as many
have been submitted as some expected. And law enforcement officials say the
law has caused no surge in gun violence, mishaps or vigilante justice.

Concealed weapons permits are up 39 percent statewide in the past 8 1/2
months — from 58,280 to 81,033, according to state police records.

Another 12,666 applications are pending, and most will likely be approved
soon by local gun boards.

Oakland County residents are pursuing permits in higher numbers than any
other county in the state. Oakland has issued 4,666 permits under the new
law and another 1,600 are pending. By comparison, the county issued 3,614
permits in the 18 months leading up to last year’s law change.

“I would’ve expected a whole lot more than that given all the hoopla,” said
Michael Hodge, an attorney for a group that last year lost a court fight
opposing the new law.

As expected — and intended — it’s easy to get a permit under the new law.
Of the nearly 50,000 applications filed statewide since July 1, 74 percent
have been approved, 25 percent are pending and only 1 percent have been
denied.

As the law nears its first anniversary, the majority of Michiganians favor
it. A new Detroit News poll shows 58 percent support the law; 38 percent
don’t. Following the trend in new CCW applications, men favor the law more
than women do, according to the poll.

It looks like the law will be on the books indefinitely: Money to fight it
dried up after the state Supreme Court last summer blocked a first attempt
to force a statewide vote. And plans for a ballot initiative this fall are
off, said Carolynne Jarvis, executive director of the Michigan Partnership
to Prevent Gun Violence.

“You simply cannot do these things without money,” she said.

The new law, which requires applicants to take a gun safety course, has been
great for Metro Detroit gun dealers and shooting ranges.

“Business has been very good,” said Tom Potapa, a worker at Peters Indoor
Range and Gun Shop in Roseville. The range’s 10 shooting stalls are booked
every weekend, mostly with instructors preparing gun owners for concealed
weapons permits, he said.

Mike Carson, executive director of Brass Roots, a pro-gun organization, said
a lot of people in this first wave of new CCW applicants waited for years
for the opportunity.

“I attended Oakland County gun board meetings (before the law change), and
they would turn a lot of people down,” Carson said. “I expect you’ll see
more women and other demographic groups applying over the long haul. But
what you’re seeing now is the people who were anxious to get their CCW were
the first ones in line after the law passed.”

So far, that broad demographic range that Carson predicts hasn’t
materialized. Statistics collected by the Michigan State Police show the
overwhelming majority of applicants are white males. More people in their
40s have applied than in any other age group; few young people are applying.
Only 3 percent of applicants are 25 or younger.

Neva LaRue of North Branch is among the 10 percent of applicants who are
women. She drives to Royal Oak each Tuesday to participate in a women’s gun
group sponsored by the Michigan Coalition For Responsible Gun Owners.

“For me, protecting myself is a big issue,” said LaRue, who twice was turned
down for a CCW permit before the law passed, and has a pending application
now. “I’ve been assaulted twice by the same man. I don’t want to get hurt
again. I don’t want to get dragged out of my car again — and I don’t want
to see other women have to go through that, either. So I’m really active in
trying to get women involved in defending themselves.”

Such self-defense has not yet resulted in any kind of wave of new gun
violence among those with fresh CCW permits, several law enforcement
officials throughout Metro Detroit agreed.

“That’s really the surprise,” said Wayne County Sheriff Robert
Ficano. “There are no altercations or incidents I’ve seen that are at all
attributable to the law change. We thought there might be some.”

Still, more guns on the street makes many people uneasy.

“Being able to carry a gun might be good for some people’s sense of
security, but I’m not sure they’ll be able to deal with conflict properly if
they have a gun,” said Detroiter Jeffrey Knight. “With people getting laid
off, and all the stresses people are facing now, you’ve got a lot of people
on edge; I’m not sure adding guns to that mix is a good thing.”

Members of local gun boards acknowledge they are concerned that the statute
gives them little leeway in denying applications.

The old law limited permits to those who could demonstrate a clear need. The
new law grants permits to anyone 21 or older with no felony convictions or
history of mental illness.

The law allows different counties to take some different approaches. In
Macomb County — which had a fairly liberal approach to gun permits before
the new law was enacted — almost all first-time CCW applicants go through a
brief, face-to-face interview. In Oakland County, the gun board relies
almost entirely on applicants’ paperwork.

The biggest concern, some gun board members say, is assessing applicants’
mental health. The new law empowers gun boards to deny applicants with a
history of mental illness, but private mental health records are very
difficult to obtain.

“We’re relying on applicants to tell the truth,” said Capt. Michael McCabe,
chief of operations for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department.

“Obviously, there are probably going to be some people who aren’t going to
tell the truth. It’s an uncomfortable feeling.”

And yet, it’s also uncomfortable to be an empty-handed chance
witness to crime.

Auburn Hills computer technician Steven Kreft safely thwarted two violent
crimes near his Auburn Hills home in recent years. He once jumped from
behind a Twinkie rack to scare off an armed party store burglar. And he
turned his car around and made a ruckus to chase away a man who jumped out
of a woods and grabbed a woman jogger.

So when the state made it easier for everyday citizens to get concealed
weapons permits, Kreft quickly prepared for more chance encounters. He now
carries a Kel-Tek .32 semiautomatic.

“I realized I’m responsible for my own safety,” Kreft said. “It’s not that
I’m going to go around shooting anyone — in fact, I think I would walk away
from an incident more quickly now because I have a gun. But having a gun
gives me another option.”

Gun permit law
* County gun boards can issue three-year permits to carry a concealed weapon
as long as applicants are at least 21.
* If they deny a permit, gun board members have to explain why.
* Applicants cannot be convicted of a felony or selected misdemeanors or
have a history of mental illness.
* Applicants must successfully complete a firearms safety course before
receiving a permit.
* Concealed firearms are banned from schools, day care centers, college
campuses, hospitals, casinos, bars, churches, sports arenas and stadiums.

Concealed weapons
Nearly 50,000 people have sought concealed gun permits in Michigan since
July when a new law made it easier to obtain a permit.
* 90 percent of applicants were men.
* 94 percent of applicants were white; 6 percent black.
* People in their 40s requested more than any other age bracket.
* Oakland County had the most applications — 6,355.
* Barry County, north of Battle Creek, had the most applications per
capita — 1 for every 18 residents.
* Houghton County, in the Upper Peninsula, had the fewest per capita — 1
for every 621 residents.
Source: Michigan State Police

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