Experts are citing causes as diverse as the San Bernardino tragedy, national security concerns following terrorist attacks in Europe, the fierce anti-gun rhetoric of some presidential hopefuls, and even the state’s new open carry law, but one thing is certain—permit requests in Texas are off the charts.
In the three-month period from December to February, 136,000 Texans submitted applications to obtain or renew their carry licenses—that’s almost 140 percent higher than the 57,000 applications submitted during the same time period the year before. This recent increase brings the number of Texans with an active carry license to 966,000, up exponentially from the 260,000 Texans with an active license recorded in 2006.
To deal with the logjam created by this influx of applications, the Texas Department of Public Safety says they’ll increase staffing and offer current employees increased opportunities for overtime. They’re also emphasizing the importance of filling out all applications correctly and completely, as incomplete applications can cause further delays.
