The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that applications for pistol permits soared in the New York counties where the three-week manhunt for two dangerous escaped prisoners was centered.
June applications in Franklin County jumped 156 percent over the average of the previous five months. In Clinton County, applications for June 6-29 were up 170 percent over the same time period last year.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s SAFE Act gun-control measures remain very unpopular in the northern parts of the state, where gun ownership is a way of life. The spike in applications shows that residents there are clearly capable of defining “safe” for themselves.
A postscript: New Yorkers must wait six months for approval of a pistol permit. While prompted to action by current events, those applying during this period were clearly making a decision for the long-term.
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