Permit applications increase in Colorado

From Colorado:

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- There's an increasing chance the guy sitting or standing next to you is carrying a concealed weapon.

Applications for concealed carry permits tripled in Larimer County in the last quarter of 2008, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said Thursday it is having trouble keeping up with the workload due to so many new applications statewide.
...
"The political power is moving to the left, and the power brokers are the radical left. And whenever you see that, people get concerned. Law abiding gun owners get concerned that their Second Amendment rights will be infringed upon," said Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden.

Alderden said his office was processing about three to four applications a week before the November election. Now, they are processing an average of 35 a week. He cites studies that he said prove society benefits from concealed weapon permits.

"With the increase in permits, violent crime goes down. When I started to issue permits, there was all this talk that there would be 'blood in the streets'. That hasn't happened," said Alderden. Alderden said concealed carry permits enhance public safety.

Article here. Note the pro-CCW position of the Larimer County Sheriff, always a good thing to see reported in the news. While police chiefs are appointed, sheriffs are elected. Thus, in states with lots of gun owners, sheriffs tend to be much more supportive of gun rights than police chiefs.