Politics & Government

Who Has a Florida Gun Permit?

The profile of card-carrying concealed gun permit owners in Florida are males over 50. They number nearly 1 million.

The Tampa Bay Times reports on a fast-growing trend in Florida: Residents with permits to carry guns.

According to Times columnist Steve Bousquet, nearly 1 million Florida residents hold permits to carry concelaed weapons.

The vast majority are men, and most are over the age of 50.

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Pinellas County ranks seventh in the state, with the number of people who have permits to carry concealed weapons. Hillsborough is fourth, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The exact number of concealed weapons permits the newspaper reported for March 2012 was 919,831.

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According to the Free Republic, Florida issues more concealed weapons permits than any other U.S. state. And February and March broke records for monthly gun permits issued in Florida, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

The Florida Department of Agriculture issues concealed weapons permits in Florida. The ease in which a person in Florida can apply for and receive a concealed weapons permit is coming under scrutiny since the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, a crime watch volunteer in Sanford.

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