PA Bill Number: HR541
Title: Recognizing the month of October 2024 as "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
Description: A Resolution recognizing the month of October 2024 as "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
Last Action:
Last Action Date: Sep 27, 2024
Gun permit applications in Luzerne County (PA) have not increased :: 11/20/2015
WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County has not seen a dramatic spike in applications for gun permits, but officials in the sheriff’s office reported Thursday their office has definitely been busier in the last few days.
About 25 people were outside the sheriff’s office Thursday morning waiting to either apply for a gun permit or to renew one.
Anthony and Cathleen Ortolani traveled from the Poconos to renew licenses they’ve had since 2007.
“A gun permit won’t mean much in a terrorist attack,” Anthony said.
He and Cathleen got their gun permits because of the increase in violent crime in the region.
“Violence around here is off the charts,” Cathleen said. “It seems like there’s a murder every day.”
Cathleen said her fear has increased since last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris,
“Sure, I’m afraid,” she said. “But not just because of what happened in Paris. I’m afraid because of all the violence that is increasing around here.”
Lt. Ryan Foy of the county sheriff’s office said the office has been noticeably busier this week but he isn’t sure if that is due to the terrorist attacks or that people are concerned the county may face a shutdown soon due to the lack of a state budget.
“We haven’t seen a dramatic increase in applications,” Foy said. “Our numbers appear to be the same, right on average.”
A license to carry a firearm in Luzerne County cost $20.
A story in Wednesday’s Philadelphia Inquirer reported a sharp spike in gun permit applications this week — at least double over last month.
The story reported Chester County Sheriff Carolyn Bunny Welsh attributed the reason for the increase to last week’s terrorist attacks across Paris. Sheriff Welsh told The Inquirer, “People are frightened and more aware of self-defense.”
In those Paris attacks, 129 people were killed and 350 were injured.
The Inquirer story said similar spikes in gun permit applications were not seen in neighboring Philadelphia, Delaware or Montgomery counties; however, the story did state permits had doubled in Bucks County.
The Inquirer reported in Allegheny County, the sheriff’s office has been so swamped with inquiries since Friday’s attack and a subsequent ISIS threat of strikes in America, it has asked people not to call the office and to submit permit requests by email.
Also in The Inquirer story:
• The Pew Research Center reported last December that for the first time in 20 years of surveying, a majority of Americans, 52 percent, favored gun rights over gun control.
• About 870,000 Pennsylvanians, or 8.7 percent of the population, have permits to carry guns, according to the National shooting Sports Foundation.
Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said she works closely with Sheriff Brian Szumski on presentations in the community. She said she and Szumski have reached thousands of county residents in their discussions about obtaining a license to carry a concealed weapon.
“People want to know the law,” Salavantis said. “When we ask how many have a license, almost all raise their hands.”
Salavantis said gun permit applications went up drastically following the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Since then, she said, applications have leveled off.
“I think the reason we have seen any increases since then is because of what people are seeing in their neighborhoods,” she said. “That is the main reason people seek to obtain a license.”
Salavantis said in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris there may be a slight increase in gun permit applications, but she said it hasn’t had a major impact in Luzerne County.
