Boulder County concealed weapons permit applications triple following Aurora Shootings

They have to go through a background check, take a class on the lawful use of a firearm, and qualify with the firearm to be carried.
My wife and I, both being retired cops, have not problem with citizens carrying concealed guns as long as they qualify. All 3 of our daughters are cops and they are ok with it as are most street cops.

How should America turn itself around with respect to the inordinate number of deaths and injuries by firearms?

but be that as it may, check out the FBI's statistics on violent crime, it's at it's lowest point since the 60's and continuing to decline, not because there are more guns in circulation, the reasons are many, but if there are more guns in circulation and crime is declining, then more guns isn't making crime rise.

As a cop, I knew that the crime problem wasn't the citizen who took the time to qualify to carry a concealed gun, it was the badguy who didn't or wouldn't care about any laws regarding guns.
And the majority of street or beat cops felt pretty much the same way.
As far as turning itself around, how about firearm awarness and safety classes taught in school? I don't mean promote guns, but something like the NRA's Eddie Eagle program.
Better reporting by the states to the NCIS of prohibited persons, stiffer penalties for using a gun in a crime, no parole for violent criminals who use guns, just to name a few.

And lest it be said that I'm just a shill for the gun industry or the NRA, I'm not, I'm not even really pro or anti gun. I just have real world experience when it comes to the lawful citizen as opposed to the badguys having guns.

better education and jobs.

Crime rates, including murder, have been dropping fairly steadily for several decades, while the number of privately owned firearms, and firearms owners, have increased.

but are you comparing him to the average gun owner? What is you experience with the average gun owner, probably not as extensive as mine or my wife's.

In my experience, and I have 35 years experience, citizens who take the time to qualify for a concealed gun permit are polite, even tempered people. Of course, you're going to have the idiot here and there who break the law and they usually pay a heavy price for it.
Every citizen I ran across who carried a gun legally was very polite to me and I had no worries about them, my biggest worry were those that didn't or wouldn't care about any laws, we call them criminals.

Don't you think even Holmes, Stawicki, Zimmerman, Loughner, and every other gun carrier would be on best behavior when a uniformed officer approached. I certainly do.

are you a cop? If not, then let me pass on a few things I was trained to look for when approaching a vehicle or person, we look for little tells, like nervousness, fidgeting around, sudden movements in a vehicle, eyes darting, voice trembling, sudden sweating, certain veins throbbing, stuff like that.
I always approached a vehicle or a person as though they were armed, that's how we are trained, but in all my years, 15 in a car, 20 as a Detective, I can count on one hand problems I had with a licensed gun carrier.

I think I speak from far more experience than you.

Then I wished I had his phone number.

Having both the Columbine High School and Aurora mass murders in the same area would make anyone think about carrying self defense.

as long as they are properly trained in the laws of usage and can pass a background check and qualify with the gun.

People who own guns are more likely to have them used by their family in anger or suicide, or stolen and used against them or used in another crime.

An armed society is NOT a polite society... as evidenced in countries with SANE gun laws. It's quite the opposite in places like America and Somalia.

stay about the same, maybe drop slightly.

This general belief that seems to be spreading comes from one place - heavily funded NRA propaganda. The arms industry is one of the few strong manufacturing industries left in America. They are increasing exports and marketing the idea to American consumers that they are unsafe and the answer is guns. In their version of America everyone will carry a cell phone and a firearm.

Every time there's a fear event in America, we get played into buying more bullshit.

why do most states now allow for the carrying of concealed guns? Why do most street cops have no problem with it?
I just don't think it's a big deal as long as the applicant is qualified to carry.

as had my wife and 3 daughters. I've arrested all walks of life during my career. As long as they obeyed the law, I had no problems with them, I tended to treat everyone as I would want to be treated until it was time to take action and even then, I tried to be respectful of them.

http://www.opencarry.org/az.html

I live in the Phoenix area of Arizona. While I seldom see someone with their weapon in a holster, it does not bother me when I do see one. In your opinion, how does open carry influence tend to influence others?

running scared. Baghdad is scary too, but that's a different story.

It shows people haven't given up on their rights, and progress can still be made for all of us.

not the hippie haven it once was.

Never liked the place - besides they have shitty rules for handicap parking. By the time you walk to where ever it is your going, it's time to turn around and go feed the one hour only machine.

reported that weapon permits have jumped within the last couple of weeks. They are not certain if it has anything to do with the Colorado shootings. DUH!!!

The media scares people so their reaction is to go out and buy guns. We live in a paranoid nation