CLINTON —
Weapon permits may be dwindling in Clinton County, but an area business says gun sales aren’t facing the same trend.
A state law that went into effect in 2011 making Iowa a “shall issue” state created a large spike in permits, but those permits dropped by half in 2012. Although that brought a surge of gun sales to R & R Sports in Clinton in 2011, Manager Rudy Morgan said the sales are still peaking two years later.
“We’ve seen an increase in business all across the board,” said Morgan, a 26-year veteran at R & R. “Shotguns, handguns, pretty much everything, especially older people are buying. When they’re standing at the counter, they say ‘we thought we’d probably never own a gun, but we think we need one now.’”
That doesn’t surprise Clinton County Sheriff Chief Deputy Kevin Cain.
Cain handles a majority of the weapons permits handed out by Clinton County, and although the permits seem to be leveling off for now, according to Cain, the permits that were granted in 2011 are for a five-year period.
“I can say there has been a dramatic increase in the volume of permits to carry,” Cain said. “Can I say we’ve had a drastic change in crime? I can’t say that crime is reduced or that there is more gun crime. I don’t see a dramatic change because of the law change.”
The volume of permits has increased, Cain said, and the discretion that used to be in the sheriff’s office control, is now mostly gone.
In 2011, 1,341 permits were approved in Clinton County. In 2012, the county issued 688 permits. The sheriff’s office denied 17 applications during these two years.
There are still a few areas where the office can deny permits for specific conditions or through state and federal code, but mostly a potential gun owner must earn a certificate or be an honorably-discharged veteran to receive a weapons permit.
But denying a permit in the past wasn’t a regular item on the Sheriff’s office to-do list, Cain said.
“It wasn’t that people that applied in 2011 couldn’t get a gun before,” Cain said. “It just came to light more in 2011.”
R & R Sports is still seeing new customers, and the majority of them are there for home defense, Morgan said. Businesses like R & R Sports are feeling the effects of a national movement toward more weapons.
“Our suppliers that normally have…thousands of guns in stock have absolutely nothing,” Morgan said.
With the added interest in home safety, organizations like the Izaak Walton League have stepped up to offer training courses.
The group recently held a permit-to-carry course, and will host a hunter safety course in the spring. Group members have hosted hunter safety courses for awhile, but the permit-to-carry course was a first for the league.
Izaak Walton League member Wayne Schoel said training helps everyone involved.
“Just for safety sake, any time you have a weapon in a person’s hand, the more safety precautions on using and being aware of surroundings, makes for a safer environment,” Schoel said.
With the increased demand in firearms, including with younger children in hunting and sport shooting, Schoel sees an advantage in having as much information as possible.
“We think it’s very important to have information available,” Schoel said. “When 11 and 12 year olds take our hunter education course, they are given a couple of very good books that have a lot information on how to carry weapons safely and what to watch for.”
Top News
Related Photos
-
Brian Forney of Dynamic Firearms Instruction speaks to a class of approximately 50 people trying to get their Iowa permit to carry at the Izaak Walton league in March. Katie Dahlstrom/Clinton Herald
Discussion
March 19, 2013
Two years after law change, gun sales still swift in Clinton
- Top News
-
-
What you need to know about preparing for tornadoes
Tornado survivors and seasoned observers suggest people do two simple things to prepare for tornadoes: Know where to take shelter, and move quickly when the time comes.
-
VIDEO: Tumblr sold to Yahoo! for $1.1 billion
Yahoo! has purchased Tumblr for $1.1 billion, hoping to compete more effectively with sites like Google and Facebook.
-
Indians earn 2nd in hurdles
Thomas Brantley, Devin Norman, Shykeem Williams and Mike Osaro were all smiles after seeing that their time in the finals of the Class 2A shuttle hurdle relay was their best ever.
-
Fitness club is expanding
CLINTON — Less than two years after opening, the Iron Horse Fitness Club is more than tripling their space by moving to the former Rodeo Saloon and Feedhouse. Owners Ashley and Brad Gendreau, 31, of Thomson, Ill., will move by August from the locatio
- A few issues to be resolved This past week was once again rumored to be the last week for legislators at the Statehouse, but while many of the major budget bills were agreed upon, a few of the most stubborn issues remain to be resolved. The House and Senate have now agreed on h
-
Panthers take 2nd at state
A successful track season was capped by a second place performance for Erie/Prophetstown on Saturday at the Illinois Class1A girls track and field state meet.
-
Striding for awareness
CAMANCHE -- Organizers for the third annual Strides for Clinton County Autism Family Walk and 5K run agreed that Saturday's turnout was better than last year. "It's getting bigger every year," Lori Bigwood, one of the organizers for the event, said.
- Clinton avoids heavy storm CLINTON -- Jim Blaess, official weather observer for the National Weather Service, said Clinton County was lucky during Sunday's storms. "We dodged a bullet," said Blaess, adding that the county did not see any tornados. The county did not receive a
-
Gas prices up 11 cents over past 2 weeks
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) -- The average U.S. price of a gallon of gasoline has jumped 11 cents over the past two weeks. The Lundberg Survey of fuel prices released Sunday says the price of a gallon of regular is $3.66. Midgrade costs an average of $3.8
-
10 Things to Know for Monday
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.
- More Top News Headlines
-
