Sheriff notes steep drop in concealed carry permits

Cole County CCW permits issued in 2016

2015 total, 1,659

Gun sales are up and concealed carry weapons (CCW) permits are down locally, but Missouri's new law allowing residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit may not be the only driving factor.

"Although we've seen a decrease in people coming in for permit applications, I expect we'll see numbers go up again as we go through the year - although I don't think we'll reach the levels we saw in the past," Cole County Sheriff John Wheeler said.

"Many people automatically think that since this passed you can carry anywhere, and the answer is no. I still think that if you have the CCW training you get to practice firing the firearm, and most importantly you get to keep up with what the law says about these weapons."

The state Legislature moved to get rid of the concealed carry permit requirement last May.

In Cole County, new CCW permits dropped from a high of 339 in February 2016 to lows of 14, 28 and 31 in the last three months of the year.

So far in 2017 the county has issued 16 CCW permits.

"I think once people find out this does not allow you to carry a conceal-and-carry gun anywhere, more people will want to go through the permit process," Wheeler said. "It's still not legal to bring these weapons to churches, schools, courthouses and businesses who post 'no guns' by their doors."

CCW permits require a background check and eight hours of firearms training.

"People also need to remember not all states recognize the Missouri permit on a conceal-and-carry weapon," Wheeler said. "For example, Illinois still requires people to have an Illinois permit to carry a concealed weapon. So once you leave our state, and if they say you can't carry a concealed weapon with their permit, you could be arrested."

Despite the decline in CCW permit applications, local gun shop owners say they've been serving more customers seeking to purchase firearms.

"Anytime there's an election year you have uncertainty, and that's we had in November," said Doug Alley, owner of Ammo Alley. "With the possibility of an anti-gun agenda in the White House, I think that accounted for why we saw a spike in sales. The change in the law here didn't have any effect."

The FBI conducted 8 percent more background checks on would-be gun owners in Missouri last year than in 2015, a record high for the state.

"I just think it's time we live in," said Jimmy Brakefield, manager of PCA Guns & More in Jefferson City. "People are more interested in guns in general. The increase we're seeing is not because of law changes. Our gun sales are still good no matter what. People want to protect themselves and make sure their families are safe."

Bill requires missing firearms to be reported

ST. JOSEPH (AP) - A proposed bill would impose penalties on Missouri gun owners who don't report a lost or stolen firearm within three days of discovering the item is missing.

Under the bill proposed by Democratic Rep. Bruce Franks, gun owners failing to file a report on a missing or stolen firearm could face up to $100 for the first violation and $1,000 for the second. The third violation would result in a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $1,000 or both.

St. Joseph Safety and Health Council director Sheldon Lyon says stolen guns are often pawned or sold on the secondary black market and can be used for crimes. Lyon says reporting missing weapons would make it easy to confiscate stolen guns in suspected criminal activities.