Sac County: With Police Budgets Decimated, CCW Folks Protect themselves

SACRAMENTO, CA - The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department approved more concealed weapons permits with each passing year according to recently published numbers in the Sacramento Bee.

Just 22 people applied for a concealed weapons permit in 2008. That number jumped to 103 in 2009, and nearly doubled to 196 last year. So far this year, the sheriff's department has already received 90 applications.
In 2009, 65 percent of applications were approved. In 2010 89 percent percent were, and so far this year 93 percent have been.

Sheriff Scott Jones says he's more liberal granting permits than his predecessors.
"I have a more permissive view of what a good cause is," Jones said in reference to the state legal requirments that applicants have "good cause" to believe they need a permit.

"I think that if families are concerned about their safety and they can demonstrate good character, a good conduct in their background which we investigate thoroughly, then they should be able to get a concealed weapons permit," said Jones.


Jones said budget cuts to law enforcement agencies may be part of the reason concealed weapons permit applications are on the rise.

"When you have extraordinary budget times, it's wrong to tell people they cannot take means to protect themselves," said recently-retired former sheriff John McGinness, who was in office until the beginning of 2011.

The department laid off 122 deputies in 2009 because of budget cuts, and over the next year McGinnis repeatedly warned that without more money the department didn't have the resources to effectively police the county.

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