'Informed, Not Afraid': Massachusetts' Gun Permits Surge

'Informed, Not Afraid': Massachusetts' Gun Permits Surge

Before the shooting at Sandy Hook and long before Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) brought up her plans for renewing the assault weapons ban, opinions in Massachusetts seem to have already begun changing toward guns — in a good way. 

Applications for gun permits have been surging in that state for more than a year; reports indicate the increase is roughly 36% over the norm.

And now, the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut has only escalated the pursuit of permits.

CBS News interviewed various citizens of Massachusetts on this topic, and one of them, a one young mother, said she had not shot a gun prior to Sandy Hook but is now practicing with guns at the range in her town. 

She says that in light of the school shooting she wants to get acclimated with guns and get a carry permit so she can have a gun with her to protect her daughter. This mother said it was “high time” to be “informed” rather than “afraid.”

A prominent Boston gun store owner who was interviewed said when he opened his store 23 years “women were almost non-existent.” He says that during the last five to six years, all that has changed; women now make up “30-35 percent” of his business.

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