Front Sight, Press

Concealed pistol permits up 43 percent in Wash

By JOSH FARLEY
KITSAP SUN

SEABECK, Wash. — In Julian Piercy’s mind, the small bulge in his shirt near his lower back is a way of "leveling a situation."

The clip that he fastens to his waist band before leaving the house isn’t just another accessory. It gives him an option, he said, when all others are off the table and a life is on the line.

When he feels the pressure of metal on his back, it gives him confidence that he has a chance of protecting those he cares about most.

"As a parent, I am the first line of defense for my children," he said. "Not the police."…

…Spurred by fear of a violent attack or because they have actually survived one more Washingtonians are getting a concealed pistol license. The license, or CPL, allows them to travel with a hidden gun among an unknowing public. License holders jumped from about 179,000 to 258,000, 43 percent, between 2003 and 2007. The state Department of Licensing says permit applications in Kitsap County jumped from 1,587 in 2004 to 3,339 in 2007…

Federal buildings, courthouses, military installations, bars, schools and airports are off limits to concealed weapons, but they are allowed in most other public areas. In fact, Washington’s constitution permits its residents to "open carry" with a gun on their hip in public, but many gun owners choose to apply for the CPL and keep their weapon hidden.

"Nobody knows," said Jim Wamsher, 52, of Port Orchard, who carries a Kimber 1911 on his hip. "And that’s the whole idea."

Wamsher believes he has a "moral obligation" to protect his family and the community. But he acknowledges that carrying also gives him an obligation to be well-trained with his weapon…

…But do concealed pistol holders actually make society safer, a kind of armed public service?

Mark Duncan, deputy police chief on Bainbridge Island, said that’s a difficult question to answer. An easier question for him is whether they make society more dangerous. His answer is no.

"The cases of someone misusing their concealed pistol license are virtually unheard of," he said.

Dean Byrd, chief deputy with the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, goes further.

"Sometimes that’s what people have to rely on," Byrd said of CPL holders in rural parts of the county he patrols, "because law enforcement may be a long ways away."

Duncan, who added that he carries "everywhere I go," including when he’s off-duty, said those who get a concealed pistol license see themselves as having a "sacred responsibility."…

…"Mike" in North Kitsap who asked that his last name not be used because many of his relatives would disapprove of his gun ownership cites violent outbursts around the country as his rationale to carry.

Mike got his concealed pistol license about four years ago and carries a .45-caliber Glock (he has a smaller 9 millimeter for when he’s wearing lighter clothes or is in the company of his "anti-gun" relatives). He carried intermittently until the Virginia Tech massacre, in which 32 people died when a gunman shot up classrooms in a building and then killed himself.

"It was then that I realized that you can’t count on help being there when you need it. You’re only guaranteed a chance when you are able to defend yourself," he said.

Read the whole article here.

h/t: Say Uncle