Many more packing heat in N.M.

The number of applications for state permits to carry concealed handguns has exploded in New Mexico over the past six months, reaching a rate of more than double what it was last year. From Jan. 1 through June 14, the Department of Public Safety reported receiving 5,529 applications for concealed carry permits and approving 4,016 of those. For all of 2012, there were 5,859 applications and 4,800 approvals. The apparent reasons for the spike include the school shooting in December in Newtown, Conn., and the resulting push by the Obama administration and others for additional gun-control laws. New Mexico firearms dealers, like their counterparts nationwide, have also seen a run on guns and ammunition since Newtown. Currently, there are nearly 29,000 valid concealed carry permits, according to the DPS. Firearms training is required for a permit and a person must be 21 or over to obtain one. The application fee for a concealed carry permit is $100 and the fee for renewal every four years is $75. Under state law, the money goes into the Concealed Handgun Carry Fund to finance the permit program. Despite the costs of the temporary workers, the fund has a balance of about $1 million...more