320K Hoosiers have Gun Permits

[Indiana]

Did anybody see that show on Fox this week about Hoosier gun permits? I used to be anti-guns until my house was broken into and I actually learned how to use a gun. They really aren't that scary once you educate yourself. Cars are much deadlier. Still, I think that its interesting that so many of my Hoosier brothers have guns. This is the safest place I've ever lived (well, except for Madison, Wisconsin) so I wouldn't expect so many guns. I went to the Indy city county building today to get my permit:

Bob Donaldson

November 15, 2005

Indianapolis -- Mark Highbaugh doesn't look like a dangerous man. But, he says his job as a realtor can be dangerous when he shows a house at night to someone he doesn't know. That's why he's got a surprise hidden under his coat.

Highbaugh carries a .357 Magnum revolver under his coat. He says it's easy to conceal and has lots of knock down power. Highbaugh is one of the hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers who carry a weapon. He recently went to get his 4 year gun permit renewed. He joined the 20 to 30 people a day who line up in Firearms Division office at the City-County building to get a permit to carry a handgun. Christina Fisher is one of those people. The IUPUI student carries a gun for her own protection when she walks her dog. She says she defies the image of the stereotypical gun owner.

Indiana statistics reveal just how many residents can carry handguns legally. State police officials say they've issued 82,000 permits per year for the past seven years. Officials estimate right now, 320,000 Indiana residents have permits to carry handguns.

Law enforcement officials say times have changed and we live in a more violent society. They support the right to bear arms, but add the sheer number of handguns on the street should make anyone think twice before getting into a road rage incident or a verbal altercation on the street.

Police and gun owners all agree, it's not the people who get permits who worry them, it's the criminals who don't. No one knows how many of them carry guns illegally. Gun owners say that's why they feel like they need a license to carry.

Indy