# Hundreds seek gun permits



## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

*Hundreds seek gun permits*
BY JON SCHUBIN
The Wichita Eagle

Fernando Salazar/The Wichita Eagle

John Martinez finishes practice at the shooting range as part of his concealed-carry certification course at the Bullet Shop on Thursday.

Don Conrad took five shots with his handgun, each one hitting the middle of his target.

He's one of the dozens of people who completed concealed-carry training last week in Sedgwick County. The permit he expects to receive in January will allow him to carry his gun for self-defense.

The paper target was a crude outline of a human body, something he hopes never to fire at. But if someone tries to harm his wife or soon-to-be-born first child, he says, he won't hesitate. Six weeks after the new law came into effect, nearly 100 people each week in Sedgwick County are paying $150 or more for concealed-carry training, which is required before applying for a permit.

Area gun shop owners and trainers say they've seen mostly experienced handgun owners in their classrooms.

Sedgwick County Sheriff Gary Steed said he wasn't getting as many people applying as he expected.

"It's a little slower than you might have thought," he said.

As of Thursday afternoon, his office had received 110 completed applications.

He's heard that some people are waiting until the end of the year to pay for the permits, which cost $150, not including the training.

Statewide, applications have been increasing. The attorney general's office received 58 applications in a single day last week, said Chuck Sexson, director of the Kansas Concealed-Carry Handgun Program.

"I believe instructors are still putting their courses together," Sexson said. "We probably won't see an impact on the registration process until we get more of the training schools in operation."

Starting the process

Applicants take their paperwork to the sheriff's office in their home county, where they are fingerprinted. The sheriff's office makes sure everything is in order, conducts a cursory background check, then forwards the application to the attorney general's office, where more thorough checks are made.

As of Thursday, 604 applications from across the state had been sent to Topeka for processing.

Felony convictions, restraining orders, missed child-support payments and court-ordered treatment for mental illness or substance abuse are among the disqualifiers.

Few applicants have failed the background check, Sexson said.

"I think people are trying to comply, and we haven't seen applicants trying to circumvent that at this point," he said.

Bullet Stop owner Don Holman agrees. The vast majority of people interested in signing up for classes are law-abiding citizens, he said.

Training for certification

To be certified, applicants must complete an eight-hour training course, pass a written exam and hit a target 18 out of 25 times on the range.

In addition to proving they can meet the shooting requirement, applicants have to learn about the law -- a lot about the law.

Thursday afternoon at the Bullet Stop on West Pawnee, instructor R.L. "Mac" McCaslin slowly went through the difference between assault, aggravated assault, battery and other legal terminology.

"That's why you're all here," McCaslin, a former Wichita police officer, said, "because you want to obey the law."

Inside the small classroom, 11 students, ranging from young men to senior citizens, listened carefully.

"We have a list of places where we can't go" with the gun, Conrad said. It includes schools, hospitals, bars and government buildings. Owners of businesses and residences can also post signs prohibiting concealed guns. "Every other place, I'm going to have my gun."

John Martinez of Goddard said he signed up for the course because it's now his right as a Kansan. He might take a firearm on vacation, but doesn't plan to carry one every day.

He brought a black binder with newspaper clippings and Internet printouts about concealed-carry programs around the country to the class, the results of a year of research.

"I didn't want everybody to think that it's only ******** who carry a handgun," he said.

Understanding the law is so important, said Bullseye owner Bill Vinduska, that his shop on East 13th Street will soon start offering classes that include a presentation from a lawyer.

Gun shops field calls

Michael Murphy & Sons gun shop and range in Augusta doesn't offer concealed-carry classes, but that hasn't stopped the calls.

"It's been pretty steady," owner Marc Murphy said. "I'd say we get a few every day."

In addition to wanting to know where to sign up for training, callers want to know what type of guns work best for concealed carry. Murphy recommends a Smith & Wesson or a Sub-Compact Automatic, because they are easier to conceal.

Murphy expects the number of inquiries to level off after the first of the year, but said there will always be some people training.

One person who might be back is Conrad. After his wife gives birth in December, he said, he hopes she'll take the concealed-carry course herself.

HOW TO APPLY FOR A PERMIT

• Anyone applying for a permit must first complete an eight-hour training course. The following locations offer courses:

The Bullet Stop

2625 W. Pawnee

Wichita

316-945-3331

Bullseye

1455 N. Terrace

Wichita

316-686-7264

Que's Gun Emporium

425 E. 61st St. North

Park City

316-744-7340

• You need previous handgun experience before taking a training course. Basic training classes are available; call the gun shops to check on dates.

• Permit applications are available from the Sedgwick County sheriff's office records section at 141 W. Elm or the Wichita-Sedgwick County Training Academy at 2235 W. 37th St. North. They can also be printed from the sheriff's Web site at www.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriff and from the state attorney general's Web site, www.ksag.org.

• You will need a valid Kansas picture ID and a passport-size photo taken within 30 days of your application, and you must meet legal requirements and pass a background check. The application costs $150, which does not include the training course.

• Applications should be turned in to the sheriff in the county where you live. In Sedgwick County, applications are accepted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at the Sedgwick County Jail, 141 W. Elm. The process, including fingerprinting, takes less than 10 minutes.

Carry-conceal by the numbers

100 -- Number of people each week getting concealed-carry training in Sedgwick County.

110 -- Number of permit applications submitted to the Sedgwick County sheriff's office as of Thursday.

604 -- Number of applications submitted to the Kansas attorney general's office as of Thursday.

25,000 -- Sedgwick County Sheriff Gary Steed's estimate in June of how many people will get permits statewide


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## Guest (Aug 19, 2006)

the BULLET STOP.....thats my gun shop...I'm a member...and will be taking my training course there.


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