Concealed Pistol Applications Shoot Up In Michigan

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Concealed weapons permit applications have shot up by more than 10,000 statewide in less than a month, Michigan State Police records show.

The most recent reports on the State Police website show that as of March 1, there were 96,101 permits approved in Wayne County, 67,241 in Oakland County and 48,795 in Macomb County.

The Macomb County Clerk’s Office, where the number of CPL applications could double this year, requested the new information after having to hire additional staff to process the influx in applications there, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Part of the reason for the uptick may be a change in state law in December eliminates some of the bureaucracy involved in applying for a CPL, putting the process in the hands of county clerks and the State Police, which conducts background checks. Previously, three-member county boards approved or denied permits.

Since the county boards overseeing CPL permit applications was eliminated, Macomb County officials processed 1,651 applications in December, 1,852 in January, 1,855 in February and 1,494 applications through March 24.

Wayne, Oakland and other counties also saw increases, though not to the same extent as in Macomb County, the newspaper said.

Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon told the Free Press a similar trend is taking place in his county. In December and January, the county received 5,258 CPL applications, nearly 1,800 more than during the same period a year prior.

In Oakland County, 1,988 applications were received in December and 1,916 applications were received in January, which Justine Schlak, vital records supervisor in the County Clerk’s Office, said was more than 500 applications higher than in November and prior months last year.

Move to Eliminate CPLs

Some Republican lawmakers, including Jim Runestad, of White Lake, think the licensing requirement should be done away with entirely. Several bills pending in the Legislature — House Bill 5301, House Bill 5302, House Bill 5303 and House Bill 5304 — take various approaches to ending a licensing process that Runestad says places an undue burden on lawful gun owners who want to protect themselves against criminals.

"We are required to take a driver's test occasionally to get or maintain our driver's licenses, but tens of thousands of people are killed in traffic accidents every year, regardless of having passed a state-sanctioned training course and paying to obtain a license," Runestad said in a press release. "Bureaucracy and fees do not make people better drivers. Requiring a special permit to carry a concealed weapon just forces inefficient spending and inconveniences responsible gun owners."

Other proposing the changes include Reps. Tom Barrett, R-Potterville; Lee Chatfield, R-Levering; and Triston Cole, R-Mancelona.

The Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence not only objects to their objectives, which executive director Linda Brundage told the Free Press is part of a “gun anytime, anywhere by anyone” culture sweeping the nation, but also to the elimination of the county boards.

"We all know people who shouldn't have a gun but might not meet the requirements on the (background check) system," she said. "We want all of that information brought to bear on who should own a gun. It's easier to get a gun in Michigan now than before we lost the gun boards."

» Read more of the Detroit Free Press, including speculation about the causes of the increase by county officials, gun shop officials and CPL instructors, here.

» Read more about concealed weapons permits on the Michigan State Police website here.

Image Credit: Ibro Palic via Flickr / Creative Commons