Gun Permits Spike in Bedford

For Bedford residents, the month of December saw a community meeting for citizens to express concerns and hear additional details regarding the reported home invasion at Proclamation Court that took place in late November.

Weeks later, the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy occurred in Newtown Conn., further putting locals on edge about the security of their homes and the safety of their children.

Soon thereafter, rumors began to swirl that potential legislation could severely limit a homeowner's ability to purchase a gun, namely semiautomatic weapons.

So perhaps it comes as little surprise that Bedford Police saw a spike in the amount of gun permits requested and issued in December, as compared to the previous 11 months of 2012.

Bedford PD issued 91 gun permits this past December, more than double November's total of 45. In fact, gun licenses exceeded 30 in only one month the previous four years (32 in October 2012).

The three-month surge to end the year pushed Bedford to 383 gun permits issued in 2012, well ahead of the previous four-year high of 230 in 2009.

Through the first 16 days of 2013, Bedford PD reported 38 pistol licenses had been issued, and 11 applications were being processed.

Yet while the interest and increase in gun ownership is undeniable, Bedford Police Chief John Bryfonski said it's impossible to pinpoint one specific factor contributing to the surge.

"The increase in requests for pistol/revolver licenses is a complex issue and therefore likely due to a myriad number of factors that influenced individuals seeking such licenses," said Bryfonski. "In my experience, no one factor alone is usually attributable to such changes and one can only speculate as to those factors driving individual requests."

Moreover, Bryfonski noted the trend is not likely Bedford specific, and stressed that gun ownership is less of a concern to he and fellow law-enforcement personnel than how the weapons are used.

"Gun violence is the concern for all law enforcement and is my main concern as opposed to changes in the rate of requests for licenses," he added. "Anecdotally I understand other communities also observed an increase in requests for licenses; however, I have not seen any data from those communities and thus cannot comment on whether the increase in requests here in Bedford are proportionately consistent with other municipalities."

Amherst, for instance, saw a similar percentage increase. According to a Jan. 16 report from Amherst Patch:

... a total of 29 permits were issued in December 2012 compared to just 11 permits in December 2011. Overall, there were 175 gun permits total in Amherst last year, which is 29 more than the previous year.

The following chart reveals a month-by-month comparison of the amount of gun licenses issued in Bedford:

Year

Jan.

Feb.

March

April

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Total

2012

28

30

24

29

23

18

23

18

22

32

45

91

383

2011

23

6

26

14

24

16

19

13

12

14

29

29

225

2010

20

21

15

20

14

12

12

15

17

14

19

9

188

2009

17

25

19

16

23

18

16

19

13

28

13

23

230

1026.00

Gun sales spiked nationally after the horrific school shooting as politicians called for action on gun ownership and sales. Gun business had already seen a surge after the reelection of President Barack Obama in November.

Obama, last week, signed 23 executive orders on gun control, which included stronger safety programs in schools and more comprehensive background checks. The NRA has called the president an “elitist hypocrite” for having armed guards protect his own family, while being against armed protection in schools nationwide.

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